It’s an exciting time, as mental health, whole-body health, and personalized health and nutrition are of increased priority. As such, it’s shifting the goals people set year-round and at the end of each year. If you are looking to set a few health and wellness resolutions for 2025, the strategies and tips below will help.
Why Most Resolutions Fail?
The fresh start of a new year is exciting. It’s a time to reflect on the passing year, your current season of life, and to consider what you want to achieve next. One of the biggest challenges with resolutions is that you are far less likely to achieve them than goals you set at other times of the year.
Studies show that 23% of people abandon their resolutions in the first week and another 43% by the end of January. Most of those remaining will give up between months 2 and 3, with 9% sticking with their goal.
Below are the top reasons resolutions fail:
#1 They’re Tradition
For many, resolutions are little more than a tradition. Something you do for the New Year, kind of like eating pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving dessert. If tradition is your primary motivator, you’ll be less motivated to commit. In fact, 62% of people feel pressure to set resolutions.
#2 They’re Too Generic
Most resolutions are both vague and generic. When a goal is vague and generic, it’s difficult to measure. If it’s difficult to measure, it’s nearly impossible to achieve. When setting goals at any time of the year, utilize a goal-setting technique.
Common generic goals include:
- Get healthy
- Eat better
- Lose weight
- Spend less money
- Save money
- Stress less
#3 It’s Unrealistic
To ensure your goal is measurable, you might make your health and wellness resolutions too difficult to achieve. For example, setting a goal to lose 10 pounds per month. Depending on your body mass index, this might not be an unreasonable goal. Either way, without the right tools and resources, this goal may be unrealistic.
#4 You’re Going It Alone
In addition to mapping out measurable milestones, you need to identify the tools and resources required to succeed. For weight loss, this might be a weekly GLP-1 injection and medical weight loss program. If possible, put some sort of external accountability system in place.
#5 It’s Not Your Goal
From society to your employer, friends, and family, your goals might not be your own. You may set a goal to achieve something others sincerely (or insincerely) want for you. Or to check the next “box” in life. If your goal isn’t your own, it won’t feel like a positive challenge, it will feel like agony. This can make it impossible to achieve, and unfulfilling when you do.
#6 Change Is Hard
Even if your goal is what your heart desires, change is both hard and scary. For example, if your goal is to go back to school to obtain a new degree in a career that will reduce your stress, you don’t know what’s on the other side of that degree. So, the bigger the chance for major change, the more you may delay.
Now that you know the biggest reasons for failure, let’s dive into how to set better health and wellness resolutions—and how to achieve them!
#1 Set Your Intention
An intention differs from a resolution or goal, as it asks the “why” behind the goal. Intentions also encourage you to look to your values and purpose. In other words, they add more depth to your objectives.
Journaling, meditating, and self-reflection are all ideal ways to determine your goals and the meaning behind them.
This is the difference between setting a goal to “lose weight” and setting an intention to feel more energized, increase endurance, and live a more fulfilling life.
#2 Personalize Your Goal
Explore ways to personalize your goal, especially if it falls into one of the top resolution categories. The more your goals are tailored to you, the easier they are to stick to. In many cases, the better the results.
For example, a trendy deprivation diet that leaves you hungry and irritable isn’t personalized. Long-term, fad diets leave you malnourished. On the flipside, a custom meal plan from a nutritionist or a tailored medical weight loss meal plan ensures nutrient diversity and leverages food as fuel, not just caloric intake. They also incorporate foods you enjoy.
#3 Create Micro Habits
Micro habits are an excellent alternative to setting traditional health and wellness resolutions. They can also be used as mini milestones along the way to a larger goal. Micro habits are incremental shifts to your daily routine. They often take 5 minutes or less so they’re easy to maintain. You start with one or two new habits, and once your micro shifts become part of your daily routine—you add more. A shift or two may have minimal impact, but 1 shift a month over the next 12 months can make a noticeable difference.
Use the micro shifts below for inspiration:
- Journal for 5 minutes per day.
- Meditate for 5 minutes per day.
- Take 10 deep belly breaths per day.
- Start each day with a positive affirmation.
- Eat 3 vegan meals per week.
- Drink 8 ounces of water at set intervals throughout the day.
- Read 1 informative or inspirational article per day.
- Unplug at least 1 hour before bedtime, and maybe 1 hour in the morning.
- Count your fruits and veggies, aiming for at least 20 different fruits and veggies per week.
- Identify more ways to move through the day, including standing at your computer and taking the stairs.
#4 Whole-Body Resolutions
How you think impacts how you feel, and how you feel is directly linked to your health. So, consider health and wellness resolutions that will positively impact your whole-body health. This can include items that fall into self-care as well as medical and therapeutic solutions that support a holistic approach, such as integrated medicine.
Here are a few powerful intentions you can set and changes you can make that support whole-body health.
- Listen to your body: Ask yourself how you feel throughout the day. This includes when you feel great and when you feel stressed, anxious, or any other negative feeling. Maybe you’re tired, hungry, or aren’t investing your time where you want to be.
- Say “no”: Before you say “yes” to new obligations at home or work, identify your intention and listen to your body. If your “yes” is still a yes, look at your schedule to ensure it truly works. Sometimes a sincere “yes” can spread you too thin. If it’s a “no”, say “no”. This includes removing existing obligations.
- Set boundaries: Boundary setting is one of many methods of prioritizing your mental and emotional health, which contributes greatly to reduced stress and anxiety. Setting boundaries can be uncomfortable for you and the person you are establishing the boundary with. Especially if the boundary is aimed at changing an existing behavior. Keep things simple by determining what is ok, and what is not ok for you.
- Define what balance means to you: We hear a lot about making more “balance” in our lives, but not enough about what that means. Like all health and wellness resolutions, you must define what is right for you. This might include how many hours of me-time to schedule per week, how to spend your vacation days, how to minimize stress, and what would bring more joy, and fulfillment to your life.
- Health and wellness practices: Explore your options in yoga, meditation, massage, talk therapy, sound therapy, mindfulness practices, and other complementary therapies. This includes working one-on-one with practitioners, working in a group, reading books, attending live seminars, and taking group classes.
#5 Make It Fun
Yes, you’re working toward positive change so achieving your objective will be challenging—but it should be a positive challenge. That isn’t to say there won’t be times when you must work harder to keep yourself motivated. However, there should be joy in what you’re working towards.
Here are a few ideas:
- If you’re improving your nutrition, find a range of calorie and nutrient-aligned recipes that are mouthwateringly delicious.
- If you’re recommitting to physical fitness, find fun workouts like dance classes, hiking, obstacle courses, and games you can play with the kids.
- If you’re prioritizing your mental health, aim to spend more time in nature, which often doubles as physical fitness.
- If you’re prioritizing your spiritual health, consider using at least some of your vacation days for a retreat.
- If you’re prioritizing self-care, schedule at least one relaxing spa treatment per month.
- Regardless of what you’re prioritizing, find meaningful ways to reward yourself along the way.
How Can We Help You Achieve Your Health and Wellness Resolutions?
Valley Medical Weight Loss and Med Spa offers a range of services that support your health and wellness resolutions. From GLP-1 weight loss medications to weight loss programs for kids and adults, wellness injections, hormone replacement therapy, fat-blasting body contouring, anti-aging skincare treatments, and more.
Reach out today to schedule a complimentary consultation to discuss your tailored treatment options.
