When it comes to New Year’s resolutions for health, it’s time to ditch the generic “eat better” and “exercise more” goals. Vague plans like these fizzle faster than a cheap sparkler on Jan. 1 — and the last thing you want is to start the year off with disappointment. Whether you’re hoping to improve gut health, boost energy or build better exercise habits, setting the right goals (in the right way) can help you stick to health resolutions that allow for long-term success.
Ready to make 2026 your healthiest year yet? We spoke to four registered dietitians, a personal trainer and a lifestyle medicine doctor to get their take on the recipe for a successful resolution.
Choosing the right health resolutions
When setting new year’s resolutions for health, Elizabeth Harris, MS, RDN, LDN and certified intuitive eating counselor recommends thinking small and focusing on your behaviors — specific actions you can take — rather than the outcomes.
“For example, instead of aiming to lose 10 pounds, set intentions like adding more fiber to your diet or attending a new weekly fitness class,” she says. She adds that this keeps your goals fully within your control, helps you stay motivated and can reinforce a sense of progress and accomplishment.
Harris also recommends reflecting on the “why” behind your resolutions. “Choose things that are meaningful to you,” she advises, “and you’ll be much more likely to stick with them!” For instance, if “exercise more” just sounds like a chore, think about how you can make regular exercise more meaningful to you by using the time to engage with a friend on a weekly walk or to learn a new skill by signing up for a dance class.
Curious about how to start? Harris suggests choosing one or two simple actions you’re confident you can stick with, like adding a serving of veggies to each meal (that’s only a half-cup cooked veggies or a full cup uncooked) or taking a 10-minute walk after dinner a few times per week. “Once those become habits, build on them by adding another small step — stringing together small wins can lead to big, meaningful changes over time.”
If you’re unsure what kind of health resolution you want to try, we’ve broken them down into physical, mental and emotional health categories. Here are some ideas to get you started (but feel free to get creative with your own, personally meaningful ideas).
Resolutions for physical health:
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Walk for 30 minutes a day, three days a week, tracking steps with a fitness app. Learn how to start a walking program.
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Add one serving of vegetables to lunch and dinner every day for the next month.
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Establish a bedtime routine to ensure seven to eight hours of sleep per night by turning off your phone notifications and lying down at 10 p.m. Learn how to establish better sleep hygiene.
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Reduce cigarette use by 50% over the next month and enroll in a smoking cessation program.
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Limit alcohol to no more than two drinks per week for the next three months. Or if you’re feeling especially motivated, consider trying Dry January to completely cut out your consumption for a month.
Resolutions for mental health:
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Meditate for 5 minutes daily using a guided meditation app for the next six weeks. Learn how to start meditating.
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Spend 15 minutes journaling three evenings a week to identify common stressors and potential solutions. Consider our top picks for best gratitude journals and best fitness journals to find one that’s right for you.
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Schedule one self-care activity (like a bubble bath, friend date or massage) every weekend for the next month. If you need more ideas, consider some of our top wellness gifts and stress-relief gifts and gift yourself an item or two to support the new habit.
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Research and book an appointment with a therapist by the end of the month. Attend monthly sessions thereafter. If attending in-person sessions seems like an added stressor rather than a way to relieve your stress, consider online therapy platforms that may more easily fit your schedule and lifestyle.
Resolutions for emotional health:
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Schedule a coffee date or phone call with a friend or family member each week for the next six months.
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Write down three things you’re grateful for each day before bed for the next 30 days.
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Write a letter (not necessarily to send) to someone you need to forgive by the end of the month, expressing your feelings and releasing anger.
Set SMART goals
“My number one tip for setting realistic health goals is always to make them SMART — specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound,” says Tara De Leon, MS, CSCS, RSCC and NSCA personal trainer of the year in 2024. So instead of a vague goal like, “Start eating more veggies,” where the parameters aren’t clearly defined or trackable, learn how to adjust it so it meets the SMART guidelines.
Here’s an example of a SMART goal: I will eat one serving of vegetables with lunch and dinner every day for the next three months to improve my fiber and nutrient intake.
Let’s break it down:
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S – Specific: Eat one serving of vegetables with lunch and dinner daily. There’s no room for guesswork here — the goal is clear.
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M – Measurable: A serving is defined as two cups of leafy greens, one cup of uncooked veggies (like broccoli, cauliflower or carrots) or half a cup cooked vegetables. The goal is two servings per day — one with lunch and another with dinner. This is easily measurable, given the specific definition of a serving. So you know you’ve hit it if you eat a 1-cup serving of carrots with lunch and another two-cup serving of spinach or lettuce (as part of a salad) for dinner.
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A – Achievable: If you live close to a grocery store with good, fresh produce (or you have a way to order produce online), and you know how to prepare veggies simply (through steaming, roasting or serving them raw), this should be an achievable goal.
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R – Relevant: If the long-term hope is to improve gut health and increase fiber and nutrient intake, increasing your daily vegetable intake is relevant to the longer-term goal.
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T – Time-Bound: The goal is set for three months, creating a clear timeline to see how well you’re doing. You can also create shorter-term check-in points to make adjustments, as needed.
“Once you choose your goal,” says Harris, “work backward to break it into clear, specific action steps that feel manageable based on your starting point.” For example, if you want to stop relying on takeout meals as your nightly dinner, it may not be realistic to set a goal of quitting fast food cold turkey. Rather, you might set a three-month goal of curbing takeout to once a week, but your first-month’s goal might be to cook at home just one or two nights a week, gradually working toward the end goal. You could even try a meal kit delivery service to make the process easier. “This gradual approach helps you build confidence with small wins, creating powerful motivation to keep going,” she says.
Another way to set realistic and achievable goals is to focus on process goals over product goals, says De Leon. “Process goals prioritize habits and behaviors,” she explains, “while product goals are based on achievement.” For example, a process goal would be making it to the gym three times a week, while a product goal would be to run a mile in 7 minutes. “If you focus on the process, the achievements (product) will come,” she says.
Develop sustainable habits
One of the best ways to become consistent with a new habit is to practice it at the same time every day, says Anna-Kaisa Manolova, RD, registered yoga teacher and certified meditation teacher. “Soon, that time of day will become associated with that practice in your mind,” she explains. She recommends practicing your new habit right after waking up, before lunch or at bedtime.
Another way to make sure a habit sticks is to try habit stacking. “Habit stacking is pairing a new habit you want to create with an existing habit that is part of your life already,” says Simran Malhotra, MD, the founder of Wellness By LifestyleMD in Bethesda, Md. “for example, journaling for 5 minutes right after brushing your teeth.”
Remember your starting point
It’s also important to measure your progress from your starting point — not your end goal.
“Focusing on how far you’ve come instead of how far you have left to go helps you recognize and celebrate your wins and fuels motivation,” Harris says. She also recommends avoiding the “all-or-nothing” mindset trap by remembering that building habits is about consistency, not perfection. Instead, focus on how you feel and the short- and long-term benefits of building healthy habits. “If you can feel a positive difference in your life, you’re much more likely to keep at it,” says Harris.
Don’t expect perfection
In building new habits, Harris urges people to remember that doing so is rarely a straight path and to expect setbacks as a natural part of habit change. “Watch out for common mindset traps like perfectionism or all-or-nothing thinking,” she advises. She notes that when you catch yourself slipping into these patterns, look for the “middle way” instead — focusing on progress, not perfection.
Enlist assistance
Harris also recommends seeking support, whether from a dietitian, personal trainer or mental health therapist, who can provide guidance, encouragement and gentle accountability to help you stay on track. And if you and a friend are working toward the same goals, consider creating an accountability check-in on a weekly basis. Knowing you have support and a “partner in crime” can pay off when it comes to long-term adherence.
Stay motivated as the year wears on
In staying motivated, Carla Hernandez, a registered dietitian based in Los Angeles, who specializes in women’s health, recommends tracking your progress. “Track your progress by journaling challenges and wins,” she advises, “and review weekly wins to see how far you’ve come.” She adds that sharing your successes with a support circle can help boost motivation and keep you committed to your goals.
In addition, Harris recommends choosing habits that excite you rather than ones you feel pressured to adopt. This may make it easier to stick to your goals when life gets in the way (and life will get in the way — that’s a totally normal part of working towards your goals). So, rather than trying to “lose weight” because your doctor or family are pushing you to do so, focus on a goal that seems more enticing, like learning to ballroom dance or whipping up a new, plant-based recipe two nights a week.
Finally, Qianzhi Jiang, PhD, RDN, LDN, and owner of the Nutrition Changer, recommends rewarding yourself for your small wins (like meeting your weekly exercise goal) with things that make you happy. “Watch a movie you like, explore a new restaurant with your besties or spend some time off with your family,” she suggests.
FAQs
What are the most common health resolutions?
“Often people resolve to lose weight, eat healthier, exercise more frequently, reduce alcohol intake or quit smoking,” says Harris.
Why do so many people fail to stick to their resolutions?
“People often choose resolutions that are too big and sweeping without a realistic plan for how to achieve them,” says Harris, “or they set a goal they think they ‘should’ pursue without it being personally meaningful.” Some people aim for perfection instead of consistency, which can lead to giving up after minor setbacks.
Finally: “Some fall into an ‘all-or-nothing’ trap,” says Harris. She explains that she often works with people who believe that unless they exercise for an hour or burn lots of calories, it doesn’t “count.” “Instead of fitting in what they can, they get discouraged and skip exercise altogether,” she adds.
What are some tips for staying motivated?
Malhotra has several tips for staying motivated to achieve your goals. “Don’t let perfection be the enemy of your progress,” she says. She adds that achieving goals and creating habits is less about motivation and more about consistency. “Progress and consistency are what build habits that become a lifestyle,” she says.
Malhotra also recommends figuring out your “why” before setting goals. “This will give you clarity on what achieving this goal will allow you to feel and how it will change your life for the better,” she says. In other words, don’t simply say you want to lose weight, think about why weight loss may be meaningful to your life — will you have more energy to keep up with your kids? Will you be more likely to want to participate in other activities you enjoy, like taking a beach trip with friends? The “why” will be personal and vary from person to person, but it’s important to really allow yourself to think through the reasons you want to set a particular goal.
Finally, Malhotra recommends finding an accountability partner to support you on your journey and to take the time to celebrate your small wins, rewarding yourself along the way.
How can I overcome setbacks for resolutions?
If you hit a roadblock, take some time to determine whether or not your goal is realistic. Then, adjust your goal to make it more achievable. For example, if exercising five days a week feels overwhelming, or simply doesn’t fit into your schedule, scale back to three days a week and build up gradually. Or if you find yourself skipping your outdoor walk every time the weather is bad, consider whether you may have more success if you invest in a treadmill or elliptical machine.
It’s also important to focus on small wins on the way to achieving a larger goal. If your resolution is to eat three servings of vegetables daily and you only ate two, recognize that you still made healthy choices. Acknowledging progress can help you maintain momentum despite setbacks.
Finally, identify potential roadblocks and prepare solutions in advance. For example, if your goal is to bring a lunch from home on work days, prepare your lunch the night before (or cook an extra portion at dinner and save it for the next day’s lunch). This kind of planning ahead makes it easier to stick to your goals, even if time is tight.
What are some good resources for setting and achieving health goals?
Harris cohosts a podcast called Wellness Rebranded with a personal trainer and mental health therapist. She suggests the following episodes to assist with goal setting and sticking to health resolutions:
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Feeling behind in your resolutions? How to redirect your focus and begin again!
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Balanced goal setting! How to set goals that feel good and achieve great results
She also recommends the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. Finally, look for free worksheets using the SMART goals framework for building new habits, or consider purchasing a SMART goals journal to help track your resolutions as you go.
Meet our experts
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Elizabeth Harris, MS, RDN, LDN, and certified intuitive eating counselor
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Tara De Leon, MS, CSCS, RSCC and NSCA personal trainer of the year in 2024
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Carla Hernandez, an RD based in Los Angeles, specializing in women’s health
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Anna-Kaisa Manolova, RD, registered yoga teacher and certified meditation teacher
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Simran Malhotra MD, DipABLM, CHWC, Founder, Wellness by LifestyleMD in Bethesda, MD
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Qianzhi Jiang, PhD, RDN, LDN, Owner of the Nutrition Changer
Our health content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as professional medical advice. Consult a medical professional on questions about your health.