Seven ways to stick to your New Year's resolutions, according to experts

There’s a trick to new year resolutions that can put you on the path to success. Vague promises like “I’ll eat more healthily”, or, “I’ll exercise more”, often fizzle out quickly because they aren’t specific enough. And anything too cumbersome (“I’ll lose three stone”, or, “I’ll go to the gym three times a week”) can be overly daunting and see us quitting within days.

Instead, experts recommend focusing on making one very specific healthy change, just for the month of January. Setting a specific goal with an end date can make the challenge feel more achievable and less intimidating, boosting your chances of success and, in turn, helping you build positive habits that last. So make a plan for Jan and choose a challenge that works for you and your lifestyle, and springboard healthy routines that will support you all year round.



Looking for inspiration? Here are seven ideas to get you started: Join in with a charity strength-training challenge like Meningitis Now’s Squats Save Lives , which asks you to perform 100 squats a day for a month. Health benefits: Government physical activity guidelines recommend adults should do muscle-strengthening (resistance) activities at least twice a week to build overall fitness and strength, protect joints and maintain flexibility, mobility and balance. Top tips to make it stick: “Resistance exercises can seem daunting but you don’t need to pump heavy weights at the gym,” says fitness expert Shakira Akabusi ( stronglikemum.

com ). “Movements where we use our own body weight (bodyweight exercises), can be great to begin with – things like lunges, squats and modified planks.” If an exercise is too difficult at first, just make it easier, suggests Shakira.

“For example, you can modify a squat by holding on to a chair or sideboard for support.” Overdone it on the booze at Christmas? Take on the Dry January challenge – no alcohol for a month – which is run by Alcohol Change UK . Sign up and download the Try Dry app to track your units, calories and money saved, plus monitor your wellbeing and earn badges when you meet your goals.

Health benefits: A study published in the journal Gastroenterology and Hepatology Research found that a month off alcohol led to weight loss, a drop in blood pressure and diabetes risk , plus a decrease in cancer-related growth factors in the blood in participants who were normally regular drinkers. Around seven months after the study, the participants were still drinking 20 per cent less alcohol on average than they used to, partly because a period of abstinence can reset a person’s relationship to alcohol and act as a circuit breaker. Top tips to make it stick: Dr Richard Piper , CEO at Alcohol Change UK, advises that you “work out your why” and get to grips with your reasons for wanting to ditch alcohol beforehand to help you focus on the positives and stay motivated.

“Whether you’re sick of hangovers, want to save money, have a health and fitness goal or purely want to cut down longer term, it can be helpful to note these down as a handy reminder,” he says. “Stock up on alcohol-free drinks you enjoy, and socialise as normal so you can help break free of the false association that alcohol is essential to relaxation, good times and socialising.” Sign up to go entirely plant-based for January ( veganuary.

com ) and you’ll get free meal plans, nutritional guides and recipes which can help ensure you’re eating a balanced diet while giving it a go. Health benefits: “Diets high in animal products can increase the risk of conditions such as heart disease and type-2 diabetes,” says performance and weight loss coach Vanessa Sturman ( vanessasturman.com ).

“Replacing these foods with fibre-filled plant foods can help lower this chronic disease risk, reduce cravings (which can help with weight loss), improve gut health and provide the body with more micronutrients.” One study even found that adopting a vegan diet may help turn back the clock on certain ageing processes within eight weeks. Top tips to make it stick: Make your vegan venture enjoyable and don’t put yourself under pressure, suggests Vanessa.

“It is totally OK to do what you can,” she says. “This is about having fun, exploring new food. Try it for half the week, two meals a day, or just a couple of weeks in January.

“Veganise some of your favourite recipes – use beans instead of mince in your chilli, make chickpeas the base of your curries, or try a tofu scramble on toast instead of scrambled egg. Look up your favourite dish online but with the word “vegan” in front of it. “If you don’t become completely vegan after January, just continuing a plant-forward way of eating can really boost health and wellbeing.

” “According to the NHS, the recommended maximum daily intake of sugar is just 30g – but on average we consume three times that ,” says Phil Beard, nutritionist at ethical company Viridian Nutrition . Sugar is highly addictive, adds Phil, so if you’re concerned about your intake, cutting it out for even a week could help you break your dependency cycle. Health benefits: “High levels of sugars are difficult for the body to deal with,” says Phil.

“This results in blood sugar levels being consistently high which can lead to insulin resistance and then type 2 diabetes.” Top tips to make it stick: Viridian offers a 7 Day Sugar Detox Plan (£8.25; viridian-nutrition.

com ) which contains a guide packed with tips and low-sugar recipes, plus 14 capsules of Viridian Chromium and Cinnamon Complex, formulated to help stop sugar cravings. “Chromium has been found to maintain normal blood glucose levels, and cinnamon has been shown to help maintain a healthy blood sugar level and healthy weight,” says Phil. Rise Every Day (RED) is a community initiative that encourages people to move to boost their mood and to set a daily movement goal for the month and get sponsored to do it to raise money for charity (join.

redjanuary.com). Health benefits: The Mental Health Foundation says that regular physical activity can reduce your risk of depression by up to 30 per cent.

RED’s research with the University of Oxford shows more than half of RED January participants reported feeling less stressed and showed fewer signs of depression after engaging in the challenge. Top tips to make it stick: Choose any movement-based activity that takes your fancy, but can easily fit into your lifestyle. Previous participants pledged to do things like at least 10 minutes of yoga a day, swim at least three times a week, spend at least 30 minutes a day outside or to try indoor climbing.

Plenty of charities are holding fundraising challenges encouraging people to walk or run a number of miles in January. Check out Alzheimer Scotland’s 90,000 Steps challenge and Bowel Research UK’s Challenge 42 , for example. Health benefits: “Exercises like walking or running can help reduce the risk of illness like coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes and strokes, and can also play a big role in managing mental health, not only helping to reduce the risk of depression but also acting as a very effective strategy in its treatment,” says physiotherapist Danny Brunton.

Top tips to make it stick: “If you’re new to exercise, ensure you gradually build up your time and distance as too much, too soon can put you at risk of injury,” Danny says. Wear effective walking boots or running shoes, he adds. “And get shock absorbing insoles to reduce the impact on your joints.

I recommend Enertor insoles to my clients.” “If you often rely on convenience foods, this challenge is for you,” says nutritionist Rob Hobson , author of Unprocess your Family Life . “Cooking from scratch, even in the simplest ways, can transform your health and relationship with food for the better.

” Health benefits: A diet filled with ultra-processed foods (UPFs) that are high in salt, saturated fat and sugar has been linked to a greater incidence of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and kidney disease. Cooking from scratch helps you eat more naturally and control what ingredients go into your meals. Top tips to make it stick: “Remember it doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming,” says Rob.

“Combining just a few ingredients still counts. Think simple salads, or even ‘cheating’ with additive-free pizza bases or wraps topped with fresh ingredients. “Planning ahead makes things easier.

Roast extra vegetables to use for pasta, sandwiches or soup the next day. Prepare bags of vegetables to stir fry. “Batch-cook grains or lentils for quick meal bases or simple one-pot meals you can reinvent with herbs and spices throughout the week.

Frozen veg and jarred pulses are also great shortcuts without compromising on nutrition.”.