Have you made your new year's resolutions? Or have you already broken the ones you've made? Either way, make this year easier by settings some easy resolutions!
That doesn't mean resolving to eat more ice cream, it means setting goals you know you can keep!
Setting achievable goals is the best way to feel a sense of accomplishment and stay on track with your health and fitness goals.
By setting easy resolutions and tracking the little things, you can really make a difference in meeting your overall goals.
No resolution is too small! Start little to ensure you maintain each goal all year long!
The easy resolutions that are right for you depend on your lifestyle, health, and overall wellness.
Take into account your schedule, food and exercise preferences, and mental ability to stay on track and meet targets.
Don't set expectations that are dramatically different from your usual lifestyle and choose goals you feel excited about!
Here's how to set easy resolutions that will lead to positive changes.
Learn the key behind the motivation to work out and how to sustain your diet and exercise plans.
15 Easy Resolutions for the New Year
When deciding which targets to set this year, use the following easy resolutions as a guide!
1. Work Out at Least 4 Days a Week
You don't have to exercise every single day. An easy new year's resolution is to exercise at least four days of each week.
Keep track of the days you complete a planned exercise, such as jogging, cycling, stair climbing, using an elliptical machine, or lifting weights.
Use an exercise journal so you don't forget which days you've exercised!
2. Exercise at Least 20 Minutes Most Days
Exercising for at least 20 minutes most days of the week is an easy resolution that many parents find ways to fit into busy schedules.
If you have the time, work out more than 20 minutes per day.
However, if your schedule doesn't allow for longer workouts, 20 minutes is often plenty of time to achieve health, fitness, and body weight goals.
3. Walk Every Day, Especially After Meals
On non-workout days, or even on days you complete a planned exercise, schedule in time to take walks — even if it's just 10 minutes here and there or walking your dog every day.
Doing so keeps your body moving, can give you a boost of energy, and keeps your metabolism going strong.
If weight loss is your goal, studies show that walking briskly for 30 minutes soon after mealtime enhances weight loss.
If you have a desk job, take periodic walking or stair-climbing breaks every opportunity you get to reduce the number of hours daily you spend sitting down.
4. Eat 3 Servings of Vegetables Daily
Many people don't consume the amounts of vegetables needed to meet daily vitamin, mineral, and fiber needs.
Consuming a wide array of vegetables on a daily basis helps you manage a healthy weight, keep cholesterol levels in check, and reduce your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic conditions.
Aim to fill half of each plate of food with vegetables during meals.
Even during breakfast, add vegetables to your plate, drink vegetable juice, or add veggie powder to protein shakes.
Sneak vegetables into omelets or scrambled eggs whenever possible.
If you're unable to eat veggies for breakfast, add an extra vegetable portion to lunch, dinner, or between-meal snacks to ensure you consume at least 3 vegetable servings daily.
5. Drink 12 Cups of Fluids
To maintain exceptional health, women should aim for at least 12 cups of fluids, particularly water, each day.
Other healthy drinks that count toward daily fluid goals include milk, plant milk, plain kefir, 100% fruit juice, coffee, tea, and vegetable juice.
If your new year's resolution is weight loss, drink about 2 cups of water before meals to help you feel full with fewer calories.
Keep track of your fluid intake throughout the day by drinking out of water bottles that hold known amounts.
As a frame of reference, one cup of fluid equals 8 fluid ounces.
6. Lose 1-2 Pounds per Week
If your new year's resolution is weight loss, make your weight-loss goal attainable and a number you can maintain for a lifetime.
Losing 1-2 pounds per week is a safe rate of weight loss that boosts your chance of keeping lost weight off long-term.
In comparison, losing weight rapidly puts you at risk of weight regain.
Step on the scale each day to ensure you meet daily and weekly weight goals.
Let the Fit Mother Project 30X (FM30X) weight loss program guide you!
7. Do at Least 2 House Chores Daily
If you don't keep up with house chores on a daily basis, they can quickly build up over time and become overwhelming.
Easy resolutions often involve house chores or organizational strategies that help you keep your home in order.
Chores are also calorie burners, which can make healthy weight management easier.
Consider doing at least two chores each day, such as doing the dishes, folding laundry, grocery shopping, doing yard work, washing your windows, washing your car, vacuuming, dusting, or cleaning the floors.
Cooking counts too and is an excellent way to keep your body moving!
Add chores to your resolution list based on your household needs.
8. Weigh Yourself Every Day
Weighing yourself daily is an easy resolution that's simple to complete this new year.
Studies show that daily weigh-ins are highly effective for weight loss and adopting healthy habits.
They also reduce your risk of unplanned weight gain.
Step on the scale at the same time each day to get the most accurate results!
Find out how to track your weight loss in the most effective ways!
9. Eat Protein Foods During Every Meal
Knowing which nutritious foods are rich in protein helps you achieve the easy resolution of consuming protein at each meal. Why is this a good idea?
Consuming protein frequently throughout the day helps you maintain lean muscle mass, minimize body fat, and achieve healthy body weight.
It enhances your metabolism, boosts satiety, and keeps your hair, skin, and nails healthy.
Pick some of the following healthy foods to ensure you consume plenty of protein at each meal: chicken, turkey, duck, very lean red meat, eggs, fish, and seafood, as well as nuts, seeds, legumes, tofu, or seitan.
Milk, plant milk, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, plain kefir, and reduced-fat cheese are also excellent protein-rich options.
Low-sugar protein shakes and bars count too!
10. Eat Fiber-Rich Foods at Each Meal
Like protein-rich foods, foods high in fiber offer a variety of wellness benefits.
Examples include healthy weight management and a low risk of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic conditions.
An easy resolution is to consume high-fiber foods during breakfast, lunch, dinner, and when eating snacks if possible!
Pick fruits, vegetables, whole grains (quinoa, wild rice, brown rice, whole-grain pasta, whole-grain bread, oatmeal, etc.), avocados, nuts, seeds, and legumes.
Examples of legumes include lentils, peas, black beans, pinto beans, and other dried beans.
11. Schedule Time for Relaxation
Relaxation doesn't come easy, especially for many busy parents.
But scheduling time to relax is one of the best things you can do for your body to keep stress levels low and reduce the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and other chronic diseases.
An easy resolution to keep this year is to set aside at least 15 minutes of relaxation time every day.
During this time, you might choose a cat nap, reading, getting caught up with current events, meditation, getting a massage, or doing yoga.
Get your body into a relaxing position, take deep breaths, don't think about stressful thoughts, and allow yourself to unwind.
12. Sleep at Least 7 Hours Each Night
Studies show that sleeping soundly for at least 7 hours each night reduces the risk of adverse health outcomes, such as obesity, weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, depression, and all-cause deaths.
An easy resolution is to sleep at least 7 hours every night or most nights of each week.
Keep a sleep journal to ensure you get the amount of rest needed to maintain exceptional health and wellness.
To maximize sleep quality, sleep in a cool dark room, set a regular bedtime, and avoid caffeine and alcohol before bed.
Try this simple technique to fall asleep and relax your mind before bed!
13. Take Vitamins
Make it a new year's resolution this season to take a multivitamin or other vitamin supplement as directed by your doctor every day.
Doing so can improve your overall health, boost energy levels, and lower your risk of nutritional deficiencies and chronic diseases.
Ask your doctor about taking additional dietary supplements, such as joint health or heart support supplements, omega-3 supplements, probiotics, protein supplements, or other supplements that meet your individualized needs.
14. Take Care of Your Skin
Taking good care of your skin enhances its appearance and reduces the risk of dry skin, aging skin, acne, and other common skin issues.
Things you can do to improve the health of your skin include cleaning it often, keeping it moisturized, using sunscreen to protect your skin from the sun, and consuming the vitamins and minerals needed to give your skin a healthy glow.
Wash your face at least twice daily using water and a facial cleanser.
15. Work Out Your Abs Daily
While it's usually best to avoid working the same muscle groups day after day, abdominal muscles are an exception.
You can do ab exercises every day of the week, or most days of the week if you prefer.
Change up your ab routine often to reap the most benefit from regular ab workouts.
Do combinations of plank jacks, side planks, other oblique exercises, shoulder-touch planks, mountain climbers, sit-ups, crunches, leg raises, and other favorite ab exercises to keep your midsection slim and toned.
25 Additional Easy Resolutions for the New Year
In addition to the 15 easy resolutions above, consider trying setting some of the following this New Year's season!
- If you're a smoker, stop smoking
- Drink alcohol no more than one time per week
- Find an active hobby
- Be on time for all events
- Spend more time with family and friends
- Keep a gratitude journal
- Go on weekly date nights with your spouse
- Make a budget and stick to it
- Take time to yourself every day
- Keep a daily planner
- Stop eating fast food
- Dine out no more than 1-2 times per week
- Set career or income goals
- Set a regular bedtime and stick to it
- Do yoga at least once per week
- Sit down less often (at least 1 hour less)
- Limit screen time/look at your phone less often
- Limit social media activity
- Read one book per month
- Start gardening
- Eat more organic foods
- Lift weights at least twice weekly
- Volunteer at least once a month
- Stop drinking soda and diet soda
- Cook at home more often
Don't overwhelm yourself with new year's resolutions this season.
Start by choosing just a few that best fit your lifestyle and preferences.
You can always add more targets after effectively achieving your initial goals!
Get Started with Easy Resolutions
Take plenty of time to consider the feasibility of easy resolutions this new year, and which are best for you and your family.
Make a list of your top ten ideas and narrow them down if needed.
Strive to attain at least 2-3 easy goals for an entire year and add to your resolution list if needed based on your motivation level and success rate.
Trust the Fit Mother Project to help you achieve health and fitness goals this New Year!
Upon joining this highly effective healthy living program for busy moms over 40, you have access to:
- Online health coaching from medical experts
- Social support from other fit moms
- Custom meal plans and menus
- Fat-burning workouts
- Weekly newsletters
- Nutritious recipes
- Much more!
In addition to setting feasible, easy resolutions this new year, try a free FMP meal plan and workout to continue on the road toward better health for you and your family!
Our Fit Mother 30X Program (FM30X) is the answer you’ve been looking for. Inside FM30X, you’ll receive:If you’re a busy mom who wants to finally lose weight,
get healthy, and actually keep the pounds off for good,
this is the simple program you’ll love sticking to…
If you’re a busy mom who wants to finally lose weight,
get healthy, and actually keep the pounds off for good,
this is the simple program you’ll love sticking to…
*Please know that weight loss results & health changes/improvements vary from individual to individual; you may not achieve similar results. Always consult with your doctor before making health decisions. This is not medical advice – simply very well-researched info on easy resolutions.
