7 Super Simple New Year’s Resolutions You Can Check Off
What does New Year’s mean to you? For many people, this holiday is a time to celebrate the arrival of a brand-new year with flashy outfits, cocktails, and dancing the night away.
For others, the ending of one year and the beginning of another is a time of reflection. What went wrong this year? What went right? What do I want to change in my life?
Maybe you relate to one approach more than another, or maybe you like to do a combination of both once the end of December rolls around. One practice that’s common for all kinds of people is the setting of New Year’s resolutions.
New Year’s resolutions are commitments you make to yourself to change specific habits in your routine (like swapping a smoothie for a big, filling meal once a day) or add new ones starting on January 1st. They can be anything from spending more time with family to exercising four days a week instead of two.
The idea is that you’ll keep up these new habits until the end of the year and then reevaluate for the next one (although not everyone gets that far).
It’s suggested that only 9%, yes 9%, of people that make resolutions actually keep to them and that a whopping 23% quit their resolutions within the first week of January. We’ve polled the team around here at Clean Juice and rounded up some of our faves that are both health-forward and easy to apply to your life.
Table of contents:
- 7 Simple New Year’s Resolutions to Boost Your Health in 2024
- Why Set New Year’s Resolutions?
- Do People Actually Follow Their Resolutions?
- How to Set New Year’s Resolutions You’ll Stick To
- How Can I Stay Accountable?
- Get a Head Start on Healthy With Clean Juice
7 Simple New Year’s Resolutions to Boost Your Health in 2024
You understand how to strategize for an awesome new year full of new habits and a better quality of life. Now, it’s time to choose the resolutions you will dedicate your time and energy to over the next 12 months.
At Clean Juice, health has always been at the forefront of everything we do. However, health is more than just the foods you eat each day (although they do play a major role). Here are seven simple but effective New Year’s resolutions that could improve your health in a variety of ways and help you feel amazing inside and out in 2024!
1. Eat One Healthy Meal Per Day
We know what you’re thinking. If I want to eat a healthy diet in the new year, how will only one healthy meal each day get me there? Don’t panic — there’s a method to the madness. It all comes back to the concept of starting small.
Setting a goal to eat only healthy meals from January 1st on could be very difficult to stick to, especially if that’s a big difference from how you typically eat now. Incremental progress is still progress, so focus on improving your meals by 33% rather than by 100%.
You’re much more likely to reach this goal than a goal of only healthy meals forever. Additionally, you can always scale it up over time as you adjust to the change.
An easy transition could be swapping out of on your daily meals, whether it be breakfast, lunch, or dinner with a delicious and healthy smoothie. Clean Juice has a promotion going on that just might make that change a little easier. Check it out!
2. Set a Daily Step Goal
Taking walks is great for your health from multiple angles. It’s an easy way to get some exercise without placing much stress on your body. It’s time to yourself in your otherwise busy day, or it can be a fun way to spend time with a friend or family member. It promotes mental clarity and can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression!
Instead of just saying you’ll walk more in the new year, set a specific goal of how many steps you want to reach each day. Start with something manageable, like 5,000 steps per day. This goal is easy to scale up slowly as you start to love your new habit.
The CDC recommends about 10,000 steps a day (near five miles) but again, starting with something you are CERTAIN you will achieve will make working up to a bigger goal all the easier.
3. Create a Healthy Version of Your Favorite Dessert
Everyone has that one tasty treat they like to enjoy in the evening after dinner. Maybe is is ice cream from your local shop, homemade, gooey chocolate chip cookies, toffee, or even an espresso martini . . . There’s nothing wrong with indulging, you just have to think about that indulgence from a different angle. Do some research to find out whether there’s a way to make that dessert that you love just a tad bit healthier — for instance, maybe by swapping some ingredients for lower-calorie or more nutritious alternatives.
Set the goal that whenever you want this dessert, you’ll make the healthy version instead. Take note of how much better you feel each time you eat it!
Some common ingredient swaps include using 70% or higher dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate, greek yogurt in lieu of butter, applesauce instead of baking oil, and natural fruit instead of refined sugar. Other good substitute ideas? Let us know!
4. Swap Nighttime Scrolling for a Book
Many people scroll on social media right before bedtime, but it doesn’t make you feel your best or allow you to sleep as soundly as you should. Sleep is crucial to health and longevity, so you shouldn’t mess with your sleep quality.
And think about it. There’s a reason that bedtime story if so often a part of a child’s nightly routine. Just because you’ve grown out of a crib doesn’t mean that practice has to stop.
Put your phone down 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime and read a book instead. Giving your eyes a break from the blue light of your screen will make it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep. Additionally, if you have any reading goals, you’re much more likely to reach them this way!
5. Set a Bedtime Alarm
Most people use alarms for morning wake-ups, but what about an alarm to remind you to go to bed? If you’re a night owl looking to increase your sleep this New Year’s, setting new habits will take some training.
Set an alarm for eight hours before you need to wake up (if eight hours of sleep is your goal), and don’t let yourself snooze it. Snuggle up and get to sleep!
6. Schedule Your Workouts on Sunday Night
The CDC recommends 150 minutes of exercise per week for adults in order to stay healthy and fit. If you have trouble fitting regular workouts into your schedule, you’re not alone. Most people will skip the gym before they skip a work meeting or happy hour with friends.
However, if increasing exercise is one of your goals for the new year, you’ll have to treat your workouts like appointments.
Set aside time each Sunday evening to plan out your workouts for the coming week in your planner or calendar app.
Treat them like you would a doctor’s appointment — you can skip it if you really need to, but you definitely shouldn’t. This way, you’re much less likely to use the excuse of not having time or being too busy. It’s already on your calendar!
7. Set a Water Consumption Goal
It’s no secret that water is essential for health. Drinking enough water helps your organs function properly, gives you glowing skin, keeps your gut healthy, and more.
However, most people don’t drink as much water as they should every day (which is about 11.5 cups for women, according to the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine).
Set a goal for daily water intake, and buy a cute water bottle that helps you reach that goal. You’re much more likely to drink enough water throughout the day if you start early. Additionally, keep in mind that physically active people need more water than the average person.
Why Set New Year’s Resolutions?
Setting goals for the new year can be a great way to make important adjustments in your life. Even though you could change your habits at any time, there’s a certain energy in the air during New Year’s that helps people feel extra motivated to make changes.
Additionally, with our busy lives, it’s easy to lose track of how your current habits are actually affecting you. Without a holiday where reflection is socially encouraged, it might be years before you take the time to really consider the role your habits play in your quality of life.
For busy people who are just trying to get by day to day, setting New Year’s resolutions can be the extra push they need to make some much-needed change.
Do People Actually Follow Their Resolutions
Before you get swept up in the energy of New Year’s and set a long list of goals with a January 1st start date, take a pause. It’s important to understand the limitations of New Year’s resolutions and how to set them strategically if you want to be successful.
Did you know that a shocking number of people don’t believe in their own ability to stick to their goals for the new year?
According to a Forbes survey during the 2022-2023 holiday season, only 20% of survey takers said they hold themselves accountable for the goals they set. Additionally, 62% of the respondents felt pressured to set resolutions for the new year rather than coming to it on their own.
Before you get discouraged, remember that there are plenty of people who do stick to their goals for each person who doesn’t. You could be the one who gets to tell their family and friends they stuck to their New Year’s resolutions all year long!
A successful year of goal-setting and target-reaching is ahead of you, and these strategies can help you.
How to Set New Year’s Resolutions You’ll Stick to
If you really want to create new habits in your life, you can’t just say you’re going to start doing something and expect it to happen. Lasting change takes careful planning and execution. After all, if it were so easy, you would still be doing every healthy habit you’ve ever tried! Here are a few easy tips for setting New Year’s resolutions that will last.
Start Small
Start your goals on a small scale and gradually increase them over time. This way, you’ll be able to keep things interesting and never stay stagnant. Just because you set one goal at the start of the year doesn’t mean you can’t update it as needed throughout the seasons!
Make It Specific
General goals like “Exercise more” and “Go to bed earlier” are great starts, but they’re not specific enough. If your resolutions are too broad, the steps you take to meet them will also be broad.
This means that falling off track with reaching your goals will be much easier. Make sure to have clear, actionable items in mind and an idea of what reaching your goal looks like when you set your New Year’s resolutions.
Focus on What Matters to You
Statista’s Consumer Insights Survey found that saving money is the most popular potential New Year’s Resolution for 2024, closely followed by exercising more often and eating a healthier diet. However, just because these are the most common choices for New Year’s goals doesn’t mean you have to choose them for yourself.
The goals you stick to the best are the ones you really care about and connect with. Take time to ask yourself how you want your life to change in the next year and design New Year’s resolutions carefully tailored to that vision.
Don’t Overwhelm Yourself
The more resolutions you set, the more likely you are to become overwhelmed and drop some or all of your new habits. As you’re creating a list of potential goals to focus on in the new year, compare it with a list of the habits you already have in your day-to-day life.
Are they relatively close in length, or are your New Year’s resolutions putting your current habits to shame? Reduce your list to ensure that your goals are manageable and will fit into your busy schedule.
Just Keep Going
It’s easy to put a lot of weight into the goals you set for the new year. While this can help you feel motivated to make the changes you need to make and work hard, it can also mean you’re tempted to give up if you fall off track.
Don’t let a setback ruin your trajectory when it comes to your New Year’s resolutions. Simply accept it as part of the process and get right back on the wagon tomorrow. You’re much more likely to actually reach your goals this way, and you’ll be able to feel proud of yourself for your perseverance.
How Can I Stay Accountable?
It’s easy to make excuses when it comes to creating new habits, especially once your New Year’s resolutions stop feeling so shiny and new. Tell your closest friends and family members about your goals so that they can cheer you on. You won’t want to let them down, so you’re much more likely to put in the work!
Get a Head Start on Healthy With Clean Juice
We’re here to help with all of your New Year’s goals at Clean Juice. Check us out to learn more about juice cleanses and our smoothies and our varied menu of healthy yet tasty eats. We deliver straight to your door to make your healthy habits that much easier! This month, we have a special January Smoothie Challenge happening and we want to invite you to take it on. Read more about it here.
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Disclaimer: The information presented here is for educational purposes only and is in no way intended as a substitute for medical counseling. Consult your doctor before using any health treatment, including natural remedies, and tell your doctor if you have a serious medical condition or are taking any medications.