The Most Important New Year’s Resolutions

The new year brings new opportunities and challenges to focus on. While a lot of people set New Year’s resolutions, most are not able to stick to them. They either feel overwhelmed or lack the right plan to continue with them.  How about this year instead of set vague and poorly thought out resolutions that fade away quickly, why not instead choose well thought out goals for the new year that improve your long-term health and well being.

Breathing better, sleeping smarter, losing fat, building muscle, and treating your loved ones well, are practical and life changing goals. These goals focus on improving your health and relationships so that you can perform and feel great throughout the year. Why focus on breathing and sleep? Because they are the two foundational parts of your life that affect almost everything else. However, most people don’t breathe properly and most don’t get the quality and quantity of sleep they need each and every night. Of course, with a few focused, easy changes you can create habits or New Year’s resolutions that will make a real difference in your life.

Let’s take a look at each of these areas to find actionable tips that will help you succeed in establishing these goals for life. Make this the year you commit to lasting change and a healthier, stronger you.

Prioritize Functional Breathing: A Foundation of Life

Perhaps the simplest way to improve your health and quality of life is to improve your breathing. Better breathing will improve your sleep and lead to better fitness, boost your concentration and lead to a more positive mindset. 

Prioritize better breathing:

1. Change to Nasal Breathing
   • Breathe through your nose instead of your mouth to improve oxygen absorption and reduce tiredness.
   • Nasal breathing will help gradually clear your sinuses if you suffer from a stuffy nose as long as you breathe in AND out through your nose.
2. Practice Diaphragmatic Breathing
   • Focus on breathing using your diaphragm to pull and push air into and out of your lungs. This comes from movement of your belly, not your chest.
   • Start with 5 minutes a day to calm your body and mind. It may be easiest to lay on your back and place one hand on your stomach and one on your chest. Focus on moving your belly while keeping your chest still.
3. Breathe Light
   • Try not to over-breathe. Over-breathing leads to shallow oxygen exchange and possible dizziness..
   • Focus on slow, gentle breaths that feel natural and steady.
4. Slow Down Your Breathing
   • Try for six breaths per minute (inhale for 4 seconds, exhale for 6 seconds).
   • Slower breathing improves heart rate variability, decreases stress, and improves relaxation.
   • Focus on relaxation and clearing your mind as you breath
5. Incorporate Breathing into Your Routine
   • Use focused nasal breathing during morning meditation, before bed, or when stressed.
   • Practice nasal breathing while walking. Start slow and over time you may be able to sustain nasal breathing during a jog.
   • Try nasal breathing while sleeping to improve your sleep quality.
   • Apps or audio breathing sessions can help you stay consistent and focused. I personally use the Android app “Paced Breathing”, recommended in Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art.

By making functional breathing a daily habit, you’ll feel more relaxed, focused, and ready to take on your other goals. It’s a simple yet powerful goal which will make all the other goals much easier to take on.

Optimize Your Sleep for Maximum Energy and Health

Sleep is the main foundation of health. Improving it will increase your focus, energy, and mood during the day and improve your overall well-being. Poor sleep will make it much harder, if not impossible to stick to your New Year’s resolutions, so prioritizing sleep is key.

Here are some basic steps to improve your sleep:

1. Set a Consistent Sleep Schedule
   • Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. Set an alarm to wake up and to go to sleep on time. DON”T USE THE SNOOZE BUTTON in the morning.
2. Create a Relaxing Nighttime Routine
   • Limit screen time an hour before bed to reduce blue light exposure. Set your devices to automatically dim and switch to night time mode – most newer devices will have this capability.
   • Begin dimming or turning off lights throughout your home a couple of hours before bed.
   • Try to relax before bed by reading, meditation with breathing, or having a warm bath
3. Optimize Your Sleep Environment
   • Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet. This means blocking out all light, setting the thermostat to around 65 – 67 fahrenheit (18 – 18.5 celsius), and turning on a fan or noise canceling device.
   • If you can invest in a comfortable mattress and pillows, do so.
   • When waking in the morning expose yourself to the morning sunrise or boost your room lighting
4. Avoid Late-Night Disruptors
   • Don’t eat heavy meals and don’t eat or drink prior to 2-3 hours before bed
   • Avoid drinking caffeine after noon and avoid alcohol if you are hoping for a restful sleep.

Try to get between 7–9 hours of quality sleep each night. If you make sleep a priority, you’ll improve mental and physical recovery, focus, and the energy needed to accomplish your goals.

Focus on Fat Loss with Intermittent Fasting

One of the easiest ways to reduce fat while keeping muscle mass untouched is to practice intermittent fasting. For this to be effective, you need to ensure your sleep is consistently of good quality and appropriate duration.

Here’s how you can start:

1. Choose a Fasting Schedule
   • The 16:8 method is popular—fast for 16 hours and eat within an 8-hour window. For example, eat from 12 PM to 8 PM.
2. Stay Hydrated During Fasting Periods
   • Drink water, black coffee, or tea to stay hydrated and support your metabolism.
3. Eat Nutrient-Dense Meals During Eating Windows
   • Focus on lean proteins and healthy fats
   • Avoid processed foods and sugary snacks – don’t sabotage your success by eating these.
4. Start Slowly
   • Begin with a few days per week and slowly increase as your body adapts to this new routine.

Intermittent fasting is relatively easy to adopt. As long as you don’t eat poorly during the eating window you should slowly see your weight drop and % body fat decrease.

Build Muscle with Compound Exercises and Simple Tools

Another goal that doesn’t need to be complicated is that of building muscle. You don’t need to purchase equipment or join a gym. Simply use what you have – your own body weight using compound exercises. For additional resistance you can purchase inexpensive, flexible, simple, and effective resistance bands.

Compound exercises work multiple muscle groups at the same time providing an effective muscle build workout. 

Check out the following compound exercises to get started:

• Body Weight Exercises
  • Push-ups: Strengthen your chest, shoulders, and triceps.
  • Pull-ups (using a sturdy surface): Build back and bicep strength.
  • Squats: Target your legs and glutes while improving stability.
  • Planks: Exercise your core for an improved posture,  stability, and balance.
• Resistance Band Exercises
  • Banded Rows: Strengthen your back and arms.
  • Chest Presses: Work your chest, shoulders, and triceps.
  • Overhead Presses: Target your shoulders and upper back.
  • Banded Squats: Add resistance for a more intense leg workout.

Why Use Body Weight and Bands?

• Simple and portable: Perfect for home or taking on trips.
• Adjustable: Easily change resistance by adding additional bands.
• Functional strength: Strong enough to improve muscle balance and stability.

Workout 2–3 sessions per week, focusing on full extension and controlled movements. As you continue, increase the number of reps and/or resistance level to continue building muscle growth. This is where adding resistance bands to your compound exercises make sense.

Strengthen Your Connections: Treating Loved Ones Well

Your friends and family are another foundation for happiness and health. Indeed, what people on their deathbed regret the most are the relationships they didn’t maintain. Make a resolution to treat your loved ones better to improve your mental health and to provide balance to your life.  

Use a few of the following strategies to build stronger, more meaningful connections.

Here are suggestions on how to focus on your relationships this year:

1. Practice Active Listening
   • Give your full attention during conversations—put your phone down and make eye contact.
   • Show you’re paying attention by nodding or repeating back what is said, such as, “It sounds like you’re feeling…”
   • Ask relevant questions to show genuine interest in what they have to say.
2. Use Positive Communication
   • Be kind in how you speak, even when talking about tough issues.
   • Don’t be critical but use constructive suggestions, and show gratitude often.
3. Challenge Negative Thoughts
   • If the actions of someone you love upset you, stop and think about what was said – Perhaps you are assuming the worst?
   • Reframe the situation. For example, instead of thinking, “They don’t care,” ask yourself, “Is it possible they’re just busy?”
4. Create Positive Moments
   • Associate certain actions or gestures with positive emotions. For instance, make a habit of having a friendly smile when you greet someone, so they feel valued.
5. Make Time for Loved Ones
   • Schedule times for catch-ups or family dinners.
   • Even small things, like a quick call or text, can make a big difference.

When you treat those around you well, your relationships will improve. Strong connections not only bring happiness but also give you support as you tackle your other resolutions.

Staying on Track: Tips for Success

While motivation is important when deciding on New Year’s resolutions, discipline and consistency are what makes your goals into habits that last. You also need to do some planning and develop mental focus to stay on track. The secret, of course, is creating systems that help you stick to your resolutions easier and to have fun.

Stay consistent:

1. Set Clear and Measurable Goals
   • Use SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
2. Set Routines
   • Set specific times for activities like breathing exercises, waking up and going to bed, fasting schedules, and workouts. Don’t forget to set time aside for your loved ones.
   • Link new habits to existing ones (habit stacking), like breathing exercises after getting into bed and before getting out of bed in the morning. 
3. Trade Offs
   • Make note of what you have to give up to accomplish each goal. 
   • We can’t expect to fill our life with new habits without giving up something such as the hours spent looking at our phones or TVs.
4. Make Things Easy on Yourself
   • Focus on one or two resolutions at a time to avoid feeling overwhelmed (ideally functional nasal breathing and better sleep to start)..
   • Adjust your goals as needed to fit your lifestyle and current challenges. 
5. Track Your Progress
   • Keep a journal or use an app (or apps) to keep track of daily or weekly success.
   • Regularly review your goals and make changes if needed.
6. Monitor and Reflect
   • Regularly review your progress and identify areas for improvement.
   • Reflect on what’s working and change what isn’t.
7. Be Easy on Yourself
   • Accept setbacks as part of the process.
   • Consistency isn’t about being successful any given day but keeping at it every other day.

By having routines, making the process as easy as possible, and being adaptable to change, you’ll have a greater chance of keeping your resolutions while seeing progress throughout the year.

Conclusion: New Year’s Resolutions

The end of the old year and start of the new year is a perfect time to make a commitment to change to improve your health, energy and your well-being. For example, the new year’s resolutions listed in this article focus primarily on the foundations of our health, energy and vitality: breathing and quality and quantity of sleep. These foundation goals make your ability to then focus on fat loss, muscle growth and building a stronger foundation with your family and friends much easier. 

The strategies for staying motivated and consistent, indeed help you begin breathing better, and getting better sleep. As you master these two goals it will boost your confidence and motivation. Then, as you begin losing fat and gaining muscle, your motivation will soar. Don’t forget that family and friends provide an additional foundation for your well-being, and though this is listed as the last resolution it isn’t the last in importance.

I have to make a confession, these resolutions are those I selected for the upcoming year. I believe, even if you are in good shape, there is always work to do in these areas.  You’ve now got the tools and the plan. Now it’s time for us all to take action and make this our best year ever! So, let us together regain our edge!