2020 New Year's Resolution Planning

This Year, Make a "New Day" Resolution

It’s no secret that most people give up on their New Year’s resolutions after a couple weeks. Pushing yourself too hard and skipping a single day doesn’t have to spell the end of your healthy habit. Every day is a new opportunity to take a step towards your goals. Here’s how to put things in focus and build healthy habits that truly stick.

Take It a Day at a Time

This year, don’t make your resolution a grand gesture. Start small and see where it can take you. Instead of making a goal for the end of 2020, make one for the week ahead. This could be something as simple as scheduling an appointment with your primary care provider or skipping dessert for a single night.

By taking it a day at a time, you can focus on building healthy patterns of behaviors — not on far-off goals that seem impossible to achieve. Every step you take for your health is a positive one. Don’t forget to celebrate the small victories along the way!

Play to Your Strengths 

Many New Year’s resolutions stem from the idea “new year, new me.” People chase fresh habits like getting a gym membership or starting a diet. There’s nothing wrong with trying something new, but you might find more success by focusing on a habit you already have.

Take a look at your lifestyle and think about what you like to do. If you enjoy taking your dog for a run every once in awhile, you may already have a solid foundation to build upon for a fitness resolution. Make it a goal that builds upon this foundation, or improve the healthy behavior that’s already part of your routine.

If you’re struggling to think of ways to improve your habit, you’ve got a partner in health. Your primary care provider can help make a plan that fits your lifestyle.

Make SMART Goals

It might help you to make your resolution a SMART goal. If you haven’t heard of SMART goals, they’re ways to take a vague goal and make it easier to achieve. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound. Let’s take a common resolution and make it a SMART goal.

“I want to eat healthier in the new year” is a good start, but it can be improved upon. What are you going to put on your plate that’s healthier? If you choose vegetables, how many of them? What kinds? Do you like the veggies you listed, and are you likely to actually eat them? How will you make sure they end up on your plate? And for how long do you plan on working toward this goal?

That’s a lot of questions to consider, but with a little planning you’re much more likely to actually achieve your goal. Now your goal might look like “I want to eat two servings of vegetables for dinner every night this week. I’ll go grocery shopping on Sunday so I have veggies in the house every night. I’ll make sure to buy five servings each of two veggies I like: sweet potatoes and broccoli.”

Here’s an easy resolution to get you started: Make an appointment with a primary care provider today. Primary care doctors are a partner for your health, no matter what healthy habit you’re trying to pick up. Find the right provider for you and work toward a resolution that really sticks.