6 Actually Good-for-You Health Resolutions (And How to Keep Them)

Every January, most of us do some version of this search:

“How do I stick to my healthy intentions?”
“Quit bad habits resolution”
“Healthy habits this year how?”

We love the ambition! But of the 38% of us who make healthy resolutions, only 9% keep them all year, according to Drive Research. So here’s the plan: Read the first two sections (below), then pick the goals you actually want to try.

Start Here

Be specific. For example, instead of resolving to exercise more, your goal could be to walk two miles a day. That’s the first step of making your goal “S.M.A.R.T.” (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-Bound). Make it measurable by keeping track of your progress. To make it achievable, realistic and time-bound, set mini goals such as shaving two minutes from your two-mile time by week three. “Having a time frame in which to complete a task provides structure,” says Michele Smallidge, Ed.D., R.D., program director of exercise science at the University of New Haven. As you accomplish each mini goal, aim for something else that’s not a huge stretch for you. Soon your routine will be second nature.
Choose one behavior. Don’t try to overhaul your whole life, says Smallidge. Instead of “I’m going to eat healthily and exercise and sleep better this year,” try something concrete like “I’ll eat a serving of fresh vegetables once a day.”
Know your “why.” Keeping the reason you want to make a change at the top of your mind is motivating. Do you want to get fitter to have more energy? Have you resolved to set strong boundaries to protect your mental health? “Make a compelling case that something deserves to be a priority,” says Christopher Bryan, Ph.D., an associate professor of business, government and society at the University of Texas at Austin.
Break it down. Going cold turkey for Dry January is fine, but it may mean you reach for the pinot on February 1. Breaking or forming a habit takes repetition over time. Work your goal into your life slowly and keep taking steps toward it, however small. If you want to be more social, rather than overloading your schedule, start with a dinner date, then add a biweekly girls’ night. “The last thing you want to do is set something up that’s not achievable or realistic, so within the first couple of weeks you’ll already feel defeated,” says Smallidge.
Celebrate wins! When you hit milestones, savor them. “All those small wins will add up to the big win,” says Smallidge. Recognizing achievements — by taking pride in them or rewarding yourself, will remind you how great progress feels. Now keep going!

Your Next Steps

Enlist support. Ask close family members and friends to help you meet your goals by saying something like “This is important for my health, so here’s how I think you can help me,” suggests Lisa Hardesty, Ph.D., a psychologist with Mayo Clinic Health System. Be as specific as possible. If you’re aiming to begin meditating, you can designate someone to keep everyone out of your room during your sitting time or to remind you to do it.
Prep your environment. What you surround yourself with matters. “If you’re trying to eat better, for example, but you have candy stashed in the pantry and you see it five times a day, you’re eventually going to eat it,” says Hardesty.
Leverage your energy. It might be easier to perform a difficult behavior when you’re naturally more alert. For a week or two, keep a log of how you feel energy-wise throughout each day. Then schedule things like exercise or cleaning the garage when you’re fully charged. If you’re trying not to do something (say, smoke or call an ex), you may be more vulnerable when you’re zonked.
Pair chores with pleasures. Need to see a certain difficult relative more often? Commit to going to that pricey restaurant only with that person. “I’ve done research showing that if you combine something you find tempting with something that feels like a chore and only let yourself have that temptation simultaneously, it gets you to do more of the chore,” says Katy Milkman, Ph.D., a professor of operations, information and decisions at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the author of How to Change.
Use the buddy system. You may not always feel intrinsically motivated to do something, but you can give yourself external reasons, says Tim Pychyl, Ph.D., author of Solving the Procrastination Puzzle. Say your goal is to exercise more: Make a pact to work out with a friend. On top of any personal reasons for exercising, you’ll have the motivating factor of wanting to show up for your friend and not let them down.
Know that it’s not all-or-nothing. If you want to meditate every night before bed but end up doing it for only five nights, you can decide that this counts as a win. “It’s so you can forgive yourself when something inevitably does come up and go wrong, as opposed to treating that as a disaster,” says Milkman.

Pick a Goal

OK, now you know what an achievable goal looks like and how to smooth your path, so choose something! Select just one (or two) of these categories to avoid getting overwhelmed — you can tackle more later.