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2025 is the year you're going to stick to your New Year's health resolutions. No more promising to go to the gym or eat more healthily, only to end up ditching your promises come February.
It's fantastic we set New Year's resolutions. It's the kind of optimism and big event that can spark change. A new year, a new you. However, without the right approach, we tend to stumble at the first hurdle. Why? Well, that's simple – we often go too big and fail to stick to it. Daunted by the enormity of the task we set ourselves, soon enough, we find old habits slipping back in.
Thankfully, we've put together a few helpful tips and New Year resolution ideas to ensure your staying power stays. Let's break the cycle of broken promises and make 2025's New Year's resolutions last the long haul.
Top New Year's Resolutions Tips for 2025
Okay, so what's the secret to sticking to your resolutions? We believe it comes down to seven simple-to-understand tips. Integrate each part into your resolutions to make the commitment to change.
1. Set Specific, Measurable, Realistic Goals
Why do your New Year's resolutions fail? The answer often comes down to the resolutions themselves. We tend to either go too big or too vague. We want to "go to the gym," "lose weight," or "eat more healthily." Great, but what does this really mean? How often are we planning to go to the gym? How are we going to lose weight, and how much?
Unless your goals are specific and easy to track, you won't get that dopamine hit as you smash through your targets. For example, you could plan to lose 20 pounds in 12 months. It's an achievable target. Or you could commit to going to the gym twice a week. You can tick off each session and track your performance to see a change in action.
2. Break It Down Into Smaller Steps
Develop tangible steps to achieve your goals. Rather than sticking with the initial resolution, add detail to understand what you need to do to see change. The key to long-term success involves breaking down your big health goal into smaller, manageable steps.
Each step is significantly less daunting than the task as a whole. You can gradually tick off these steps. So, if you're trying to lose 20 pounds, you can start by just losing 1-2 pounds in the first month. Remember, your health journey continues with each little step.
3. Create a Routine and Stick to it
Routines don't happen by accident; habits don't form overnight. It takes commitment and discipline to see results. Setting a routine takes away the mental effort required to initiate an activity. By scheduling a task, you set aside the time when you're going to build healthier habits. Integrate these tasks into your daily or weekly routine until they become like second nature.
Creating a routine has the added benefit of making it easier to track your progress. You know when you're going to complete each step in your plan. That means you can log what you do and when. Plus, routines, by definition, do not require conscious thought or effort. You might drink a green smoothie as part of your morning routine, go to the gym after work, always jog on the weekend, or exclusively eat sugar on Friday night.
Whatever your routine is, it's important to find something that you can stick to. Planning to run 6 days a week simply isn't practical if you used only to run one. Your routine should fit around your existing life.
4. Track Your Progress
Isn't there something innately enjoyable about ticking off items on a list? You can see your progress in action. That's not just your imagination – tracking progress gives us a little dopamine hit every time we reach a milestone. It's the buzz that keeps us burning calories or running that extra mile.
There's a reason most video games revolve around levelling up. But your "score" isn't reserved for the virtual world; you can gamify your New Year's health resolutions, turning a difficult task into a point-scoring challenge.
In fact, evidence indicates that gamification is highly effective at getting employees to work harder. Around 90% of workers report that gamification incentivises them to be more productive. The same is true for your New Year's resolutions.
5. Find Support and Accountability
You're not alone in your challenge! Most people set some kind of New Year's health resolution, whether it's eating healthily, losing weight, or something else. The problem is we all try to go it alone. Why?! Instead of struggling by yourself, you can create a support system to increase your chance of success. That could be a workout buddy, a diet group, or a mentor.
You can share your successes with your friends and family, pushing you to stay motivated. These people also keep us accountable. It's the best way to stop yourself from going off track early on. Best of all, you can learn from each other's successes and mistakes. What worked? What didn't? How can you translate someone else's weight loss into your own life? It really does benefit you to work together.
6. Make It Enjoyable
We have the idea that everything healthy has to be boring, tasteless, and hard. We're not supposed to enjoy it. But what if we did? It'd make it a lot easier, right?
Stop making your New Year's resolutions feel like a chore. Find an exercise buddy who'll make going to the gym or for a run fun. Take a deep dive into a podcast that gives you constant advice on what you're doing right and wrong. Or, maybe just experiment with a few new recipes you and your family can enjoy. How about a little healthy cooking with your kids?
Whatever you can do to change your perception of healthy living is crucial. If you're not enjoying the gym or running, it just isn't your thing; you're allowed to swap things up. It's not about giving up on your resolutions. The goal is to be healthy; it doesn't matter how you get there. Try a sport you've always wanted to give a go, whether it's climbing in the boxing ring or taking up swimming.
7. Celebrate Small Wins
Every win counts! You should feel proud of every step you take as you work towards your goals. It's important not to get too fixated on the end goal. You'll want to celebrate the small wins along the way.
Set mini-goals within your resolution, like increasing your daily step count each week or adding a new vegetable to your diet. When you achieve these, take a moment to celebrate—maybe with a small treat, a rest day, or sharing your success on social media.
This positive reinforcement makes the journey enjoyable and lessens the burden of the overarching goal. Just be careful – don't make the wins detract from the actual enjoyment of the activity. If you think you're only doing something for the slice of cake you're going to treat yourself to; then you turn the activity into a chore. It's a psychological pitfall!
Final Thoughts
The best time to embrace a healthy lifestyle was yesterday. The next best time is this New Year. Remember to keep your New Year's resolutions realistic and achievable, to track your progress, and to celebrate each step in the right direction.
What's your resolution going to be? Maybe you'll give Dry January a try, buy that gym membership you've been considering, or finally cut down on your sugar intake. Whatever you choose, follow the guidance listed above. Oh, and if you've got any pre-existing health conditions, it's always sensible to speak to your doctor before any big lifestyle changes. They can let you know about any support you can receive via the NHS.
We recommend starting the New Year with a thorough body MOT. Our Well Woman and Well Man checks give you a fresh slate going into this year. You can see where you're currently at, providing a yardstick to measure your progress. Book your appointment early this year to stay on top of your wellness goals. We promise it's worth it!
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Written by:
Dr Joseph Nightingale, MBBS, MSc
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