December 19, 2023
By August Ryan, Reviewed for medical accuracy by Elliot Goodenough, MD, PhD and Nathalie May, MD

As you say goodbye to 2023, you may be thinking of New Year’s resolutions. Drexel Medicine has advice for sticking to common New Year’s resolutions, like increasing your exercise or sleep.

It's possible to turn a New Year's resolution into a permanent change by setting realistic goals. It also helps to make a plan for gradual change, instead of pressuring yourself to make a major change right away. You have all of 2024 to reach your resolution goals – give yourself time to build up to them.

Here’s more advice below on creating long-term, healthy habits.

Exercising More

Exercise can improve your mood and boost your energy. It can also help you sleep better and prevent or manage health issues.

There are many free and easy ways to exercise, though a brisk walk is one of the easiest. You could also use free yoga or tai-chi tutorials on YouTube, join a running group, or play regular pickup sports games with friends. Choose an activity that interests you. If you’re having fun, it will be easier to make exercise part of your routine.

The American Heart Association has advice for building good exercise goals.

Changing What You Eat

In January, we are all bombarded with advertisements for the latest diets and quick fixes. The best way to change your diet is to make one change at a time. For example, instead of changing your whole diet at once, you could try replacing sugary beverages (juice, soda) with water more often.

Our culture emphasizes changing your diet to lose weight, which can cause feelings of shame for many people. Taking a weight-neutral approach that emphasizes “intuitive eating” can be more helpful, to notice how you relate to foods. Different foods can give you energy, help you sleep, or boost your mood. Think about how you want to feel, and how you can eat more foods that help you with your goal.

Quitting Smoking

If quitting is challenging, you can talk to your doctor about nicotine replacement patches, gum or medication. These tools can make it easier to quit smoking for good.

With nicotine replacement therapy, you wean yourself off nicotine—the addictive part of cigarettes— in 12 to 24 weeks. During this time, you will no longer be inhaling cigarette smoke, which contains 4,000 toxic chemicals.

By speaking to your provider, picking a stop date, and creating a plan, you'll put yourself in a good position to quit.

Getting More Sleep

Most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep. The best way to meet a goal of getting more sleep is to start slowly. Try getting into bed just 15 minutes earlier each night during the week, until you reach your goal bedtime.

Stop exercising and consuming caffeine or sugar a couple of hours before you get into bed. You should also stop using using electronic devices, as the blue light from those devices disrupts your sleep. All these things can disrupt your sleep.