By Kelly Godinho, manager of health coaching at Teladoc Health
About 79 percent of New Year’s resolutions are about improving health.
Around three out of 10 Americans make New Year’s resolutions, according to a Pew Research Center survey, and not surprisingly, 79 percent of those resolutions are about improving health. A better diet, losing weight and exercising more are all hot aims for 2026.
Despite motivation being high at the start of the new year, many people tend to quickly lose steam. According to Forbes, the average resolution lasts just 3.74 months, with some giving up even weeks after New Years Day, marking the second Friday in January as “Quitter’s Day.”
So how can you make sure that this year is going to be the one that your health goals stay around for the long haul and make a meaningful difference? One of the most important things you can do is to create realistic and sustainable goals for living a healthier life.
Aiming to lose 15 pounds in an unrealistic time frame, for example, is just going to make you miserable and create stress, and when you don’t meet that goal, you might feel defeated.
Of course, the New Year is a time when people choose to start a change in their lives. We’ve all heard the saying, “New Year, New You.” But the truth is we should not feel stuck on the idea of a New Year resolution. Anytime is a good time to commit to your health and wellness. And if you find yourself having a hard time staying motivated, it’s good to revisit your goal.
If you find that by the end of January your goal wasn’t the right one for you, it’s okay to start over, or even get advice from a medical professional or health coach on steps you can take to make a significant improvement in your health this coming year.
Oftentimes, our goals are too vague or high-level, such as “I want to lose weight.” Instead of having this big, open-ended goal, we look at setting SMART goals. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. For example, a loose, vague goal might sound like: I will lose weight. But a SMART goal sounds like, I will lose 10 pounds by swapping unsweet tea or water in place of sugary soda and jogging for 20 minutes, 3 days a week.
While SMART goals are an excellent framework to shape your goals, it’s important to reflect on your why. You may be losing motivation because a goal just isn’t meaningful to you. Understanding your why can inspire you to stay the course. Maybe you’d like to lose weight to improve your joint health, so you can keep up with your grandkids, or perhaps you want to focus on your mental health so you can be more present with family and friends. Whatever it is, your why is the most important part of setting, and sticking, to any goal.
Now that your health goals are set, it’s time to follow through. At this stage, it’s important to pay attention to how your routine is, or maybe is not, working for you. If early morning workouts are not realistic for your routine, try carving out brief, 10-15 intervals throughout the day. Continuously adjusting and trying new ways to meet your goals will help keep you accountable and create the best routine for your lifestyle.
Most importantly, give yourself grace as setbacks will happen. What is important is to get back into routine and keep working towards your goals.
Here are some of my top tips for staying on track for your health goals this year:
Have a time frame so you can visualize the finish line for your goal.
Motivate yourself by noting your deadline on your phone or wall calendar or a sticky note on
your fridge.
Have milestones along the way to encourage you and help you feel accomplished
Set up incentives that will keep you motivated to reach your goals. Maybe you can reward yourself with a new piece of active clothing or shoes, a book, a day off, etc. Do whatever works or you.
Find a friend, family member or health coach who can support and join you on your health journey. Having someone to talk to about challenges that arise will help you move past it together. For instance, Teladoc Health’s certified health coaches are experts at providing accountability, advice and encouragement.
As you embark on your health goals for the new year, Teladoc Health is available to help. As the largest telehealth company in the U.S., it offers a range of services to help you reach your goals, including nutrition, weight management, primary care, mental health and cardiometabolic care programs for those with chronic conditions such as diabetes or hypertension.
For more information on how Teladoc Health can help you with your wellness journey this year go to www.teladochealth.com.
Having someone to talk to about challenges that will arise will help you move past them together.
