New Year, Smarter Habits: Quick Tips for Your Best Year Yet

Happy 2026! A recent poll from the Washington Post¹ found that 48 percent of U.S. adults made at least one resolution this year (and 21 percent made more than one resolution). And the same poll found that four in ten participants made resolutions related to exercising more, eating healthier, losing weight, or otherwise improving physical health.

If you made a New Year’s resolution this year, you’re in good company! And if you’re finding it challenging, you are also not alone. As Psychology Today reported², changing or adding healthy habits (like eating healthfully or exercising more) often requires several weeks of effort and focus before you see results, which can make it easier to get frustrated. But there are small things you can do to make keeping your resolutions, and building healthier habits, easier.

“My recommendations more than anything are to build routines and stick with them, especially around sleep, movement and hydration,” said Dr. Ryan Greene, Osteopathic Physician and CBDistillery’s Medical Advisor. “Consume NO LESS THAN half your body weight in ounces of mineral enhanced water daily. Build in NO LESS THAN 150 minutes of moderate to high intensity activity weekly. Create the time in your schedule and treat it as sacred. Do not miss it.”

Did you make a New Year’s resolution related to eating healthier or losing weight? Liz Josefsberg, Nutrition and Lifestyle Expert (and a member of our Wellness Board) has tips to help you keep your resolution and have your best year yet!

1. Clean out your food environment. Toss or give away anything that’s hard to resist. Fewer decisions = fewer slip-ups.
2. Don’t fear the potato. Starchy fruits and veggies are high-fiber superfoods that fill you up.
3. Stop managing numbers. Start managing behaviors. Calories don’t drive outcomes—habits do.
4. Identify the habits holding you back. Late-night snacking, lack of planning, mindless eating—this is where the biggest change happens. Write them down first. Awareness creates leverage. You can’t change what you won’t name.
5. Habits are responses to cues. Change the cue, the environment, or the plan—and the habit changes.
6. Decision fatigue is real. Make a list of your favorite on-track meals and keep it on your phone for quick reminders.
7. Track for a week. Logging your food—even temporarily—creates massive behavior shifts. For example: Once you notice that you keep drifting back to the kitchen for additional snacks you can eradicate them one by one!
8. Portions still matter. Even carb-free foods like lean meats, nuts, and cheese should be mindful additions. Use them as “condiments” to keep meals balanced.
9. Focus on what you repeat, not what you restrict. Long-term results come from habits you can live with.
10. Mindset matters. Perfection isn’t required. No one ever believes me on this. If you go slightly over your carb or calories goal one day, reset tomorrow. Consistency beats perfection.
11. Add produce to every meal. Pair fruits and vegetables with protein or fat—think apple + nut butter—to stay fuller longer.

Sources

1. Clement, Scott; Lau, Eric; and Tan, Shelly. (2026, Jan. 11). We asked 1,000 Americans about their New Year’s resolutions. Here’s what they said. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/interactive/2026/new-year-resolutions-poll-health-finances/

2. Tsatiris, Dimitrios, M.D. (2025, Dec. 27). How to Stick to Your New Year’s Resolutions. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/anxiety-in-high-achievers/202512/how-to-stick-to-your-new-years-resolutions