{"id":130393,"date":"2023-12-26T13:23:40","date_gmt":"2023-12-26T18:23:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/habit-change-new-years-resolution\/"},"modified":"2025-06-29T15:23:38","modified_gmt":"2025-06-29T15:23:38","slug":"habit-change-new-years-resolution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-gb\/habit-change-new-years-resolution\/","title":{"rendered":"New Year, New You: 8 Tips To Adopt Life-Changing Habits"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The new year is always something to look forward to, isn\u2019t it? It\u2019s the perfect time to begin a new adventure and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.intelligentlabs.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">make resolutions to be healthier and better<\/a><\/strong>. But here\u2019s the truth about New Year\u2019s resolutions \u2013 a massive 80% fail!<sup data-fn=\"e214c614-6171-4f1d-b89b-c9a8f990de2c\" class=\"fn\"><a href=\"#e214c614-6171-4f1d-b89b-c9a8f990de2c\" id=\"e214c614-6171-4f1d-b89b-c9a8f990de2c-link\">1<\/a><\/sup> That\u2019s a crazy statistic, right? The question now is how can we join the 20% who succeed? Can a habit-change<strong> approach help us achieve our goals for the new year?<\/strong> Let\u2019s find out in this blog post!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-are-habits-and-how-do-they-form\">What are habits and how do they form?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the Greek philosopher Aristotle, \u201cwe are what we repeatedly do.\u201d This is the very definition of a habit \u2013 routine behaviors that we do automatically without consciously deciding to do them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Habits can either be good or bad. <strong>Good habits help improve your productivity and your quality of life<\/strong>. Bad habits, on the other hand, like smoking and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.intelligentlabs.org\/why-is-nutrition-important\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">eating unhealthy foods<\/a><\/strong>, can be detrimental to your health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We are literally creatures of habit, and they shape our lives. You MUST break away from your old, bad habits to reach your goals for the new year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Charles Duhigg, a 3-part neurological loop drives every single habit:<sup data-fn=\"d3a6be25-3a2f-4a45-a0a7-bd742a62d61d\" class=\"fn\"><a href=\"#d3a6be25-3a2f-4a45-a0a7-bd742a62d61d\" id=\"d3a6be25-3a2f-4a45-a0a7-bd742a62d61d-link\">2<\/a><\/sup> <\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/1-07.jpg\" alt=\"3-part neurological habit loop\" class=\"wp-image-72702\" style=\"width:350px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The \u2018<strong>cue<\/strong>\u2019 is the trigger that prompts you to do the next step.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u2018<strong>Routine<\/strong>\u2019 is the immediate action you take after you receive the cue.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The \u2018<strong>reward<\/strong>\u2019 is what your brain gets from doing the routine, for instance, a feeling of satisfaction or pleasure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Identify all 3 elements and you\u2019ll be closer to a successful habit change, bringing you closer to achieving your New Year\u2019s resolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tips-to-make-the-habit-change-approach-work-for-your-new-year-s-resolutions\">Tips to make the habit change approach work for your New Year\u2019s resolutions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Want to finally achieve your New Year\u2019s resolution? Follow these habit-forming tips!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-know-your-why\">(1) Know your \u201cwhy\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Why did you choose a particular resolution? Why not another one? Before you settle on a resolution, figure out your \u201cwhy.\u201d It will serve as your reminder and drive you to reach your goals!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>New Year\u2019s resolution \u2013 avoid processed foods and start eating whole foods only<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Why \u2013 you want to live long enough to see your kids grow up<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Whenever you think about wolfing down a massive serving of French fries or consuming a whole bag of Doritos, look at photos of your kids on your phone. That way, you get a reminder of why you\u2019re doing your diet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-start-small-instead-of-aiming-for-big-goals-right-away\">(2) Start small instead of aiming for big goals right away<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Following the example above, instead of cutting out all processed food immediately, do it slowly. Highly processed food can be highly addicting, and you may experience food withdrawal symptoms.<sup data-fn=\"6a707f28-28be-4e70-a717-f555ff9fdbaf\" class=\"fn\"><a href=\"#6a707f28-28be-4e70-a717-f555ff9fdbaf\" id=\"6a707f28-28be-4e70-a717-f555ff9fdbaf-link\">3<\/a><\/sup> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s much harder to stop cold turkey, so give your body a chance to say goodbye to your favorite processed foods and adjust to a new diet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Plan to<a href=\"https:\/\/www.intelligentlabs.org\/when-is-the-best-time-to-take-vitamins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <strong>take your vitamins every day<\/strong><\/a>. Start drinking more water. Just start with small changes and let your body adjust. You&#8217;re gonna love the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Related article: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intelligentlabs.org\/supplements-for-healthy-new-year\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Are Supplements The Secret To A Better You In The New Year?<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-pick-a-single-realistic-goal\">(3) Pick a single, realistic goal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of aiming to achieve 4-5 New Year\u2019s resolutions, why not choose one? Pick a realistic goal, something you can actually achieve with the resources you do have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, it\u2019s fine to aim for a 50k ultra marathon next year. But is it feasible for you? A lot of planning and training go into marathons. Depending on your condition, it may be a more realistic goal if you aim for a 5k race instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-implement-the-21-90-rule\">(4) Implement the 21\/90 rule<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The 21\/90 rule states that you need to do the new routine for 21 days straight to turn it into a habit and then continue doing it for the next 90 days to make it a permanent lifestyle change. This isn\u2019t contradictory to Lally et al.\u2019s findings that habits take 18 to 254 days to form.<sup data-fn=\"06604c87-6e05-482a-9447-68a7dd984913\" class=\"fn\"><a href=\"#06604c87-6e05-482a-9447-68a7dd984913\" id=\"06604c87-6e05-482a-9447-68a7dd984913-link\">4<\/a><\/sup> If anything, the said study supports the 21\/90 rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-5-create-a-detailed-plan-of-action\">(5) Create a detailed plan of action<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You need an action plan to achieve your New Year\u2019s resolution. You\u2019ve already identified your goal and your \u201cwhy.\u201d Now it\u2019s time to list all the steps you need to take to nail down your new habit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As mentioned earlier, figure out your cue and then carry out the new routine. Each day, you will need to make a conscious decision to do the routine, and you will need to foster that decision with motivation and willpower. By doing that, you will slowly but steadily change your habits.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/a-healthy-christmas-gift-guide-for-the-whole-family-02.webp\" alt=\"gift guide for parents and grandparents\" class=\"wp-image-94075\" style=\"width:350px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-6-make-your-environment-conducive-to-success\">(6) Make your environment conducive to success<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re trying to start eating healthier, you don\u2019t want to be surrounded by all the food you try to avoid. So, clean out your pantry and remove all the processed and junk foods in there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then, when you go for your grocery runs, stick to the healthy food aisle. Or just start shopping for fresh produce at the farmer\u2019s market!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Moreover, if you want to ensure you&#8217;re getting the right amounts of essential nutrients, consider purchasing <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.intelligentlabs.org\/shop\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">high-quality supplements<\/a><\/strong> to help fill gaps in your diet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-7-develop-a-support-system\">(7) Develop a support system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Ask someone you trust to help you be accountable. On days when you feel like a failure, they can help motivate you to continue pursuing your goals for the new year. Also, it\u2019s better if it\u2019s a two-way street \u2013 help your friend be accountable to their New Year\u2019s resolution as well. Maybe try to have a little competition going. It may help light a fire under both of you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-8-enjoy-the-process\">(8) Enjoy the process<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It will be much easier for you to reach your goals if you actually enjoy what you\u2019re doing. Even if you\u2019ve identified your \u201cwhy\u201d, you&#8217;ll still find it difficult if you don\u2019t particularly enjoy the routine. So, it\u2019s important to actually enjoy the whole process \u2013 you\u2019ll be more likely to succeed if you do!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-conclusion\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While a habit-change approach can help you achieve your New Year\u2019s resolution faster, your success will ultimately boil down to your willpower and self-discipline. You will need to make a conscious effort in the beginning. But after a few weeks of consistent action, you\u2019ll do the new habit automatically. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><strong>References:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-footnotes has-small-font-size\"><li id=\"e214c614-6171-4f1d-b89b-c9a8f990de2c\">Tabaka, Marla. \u201cMost People Fail to Achieve Their New Year\u2019s Resolution. For Success, Choose a Word of the Year Instead.\u201d Inc.Com, 6 Feb. 2020, www.inc.com\/marla-tabaka\/why-set-yourself-up-for-failure-ditch-new-years-resolution-do-this-instead.html. <a href=\"#e214c614-6171-4f1d-b89b-c9a8f990de2c-link\" aria-label=\"Jump to footnote reference 1\">\u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><li id=\"d3a6be25-3a2f-4a45-a0a7-bd742a62d61d\">\u201cHow Habits Work.\u201d Charles Duhigg, 20 Nov. 2017, charlesduhigg.com\/how-habits-work. <a href=\"#d3a6be25-3a2f-4a45-a0a7-bd742a62d61d-link\" aria-label=\"Jump to footnote reference 2\">\u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><li id=\"6a707f28-28be-4e70-a717-f555ff9fdbaf\">Schulte, Erica M., et al. \u201cDevelopment of the Highly Processed Food Withdrawal Scale.\u201d Appetite, vol. 131, 2018, pp. 148\u201354. Crossref, doi:10.1016\/j.appet.2018.09.013. <a href=\"#6a707f28-28be-4e70-a717-f555ff9fdbaf-link\" aria-label=\"Jump to footnote reference 3\">\u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><li id=\"06604c87-6e05-482a-9447-68a7dd984913\">Lally, Phillippa, et al. \u201cHow Are Habits Formed: Modelling Habit Formation in the Real World.\u201d European Journal of Social Psychology, vol. 40, no. 6, 2009, pp. 998\u20131009. Crossref, doi:10.1002\/ejsp.674. <a href=\"#06604c87-6e05-482a-9447-68a7dd984913-link\" aria-label=\"Jump to footnote reference 4\">\u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><\/ol>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The new year is always something to look forward to, isn\u2019t it? It\u2019s the perfect time to begin a new adventure and make resolutions to be healthier and better. But here\u2019s the truth about New Year\u2019s resolutions \u2013 a massive 80% fail! That\u2019s a crazy statistic, right? The question now is how can we join&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":130394,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":"[{\"content\":\"Tabaka, Marla. \u201cMost People Fail to Achieve Their New Year\u2019s Resolution. For Success, Choose a Word of the Year Instead.\u201d Inc.Com, 6 Feb. 2020, www.inc.com\/marla-tabaka\/why-set-yourself-up-for-failure-ditch-new-years-resolution-do-this-instead.html.\",\"id\":\"e214c614-6171-4f1d-b89b-c9a8f990de2c\"},{\"content\":\"\u201cHow Habits Work.\u201d Charles Duhigg, 20 Nov. 2017, charlesduhigg.com\/how-habits-work.\",\"id\":\"d3a6be25-3a2f-4a45-a0a7-bd742a62d61d\"},{\"content\":\"Schulte, Erica M., et al. \u201cDevelopment of the Highly Processed Food Withdrawal Scale.\u201d Appetite, vol. 131, 2018, pp. 148\u201354. Crossref, doi:10.1016\/j.appet.2018.09.013.\",\"id\":\"6a707f28-28be-4e70-a717-f555ff9fdbaf\"},{\"content\":\"Lally, Phillippa, et al. \u201cHow Are Habits Formed: Modelling Habit Formation in the Real World.\u201d European Journal of Social Psychology, vol. 40, no. 6, 2009, pp. 998\u20131009. Crossref, doi:10.1002\/ejsp.674.\",\"id\":\"06604c87-6e05-482a-9447-68a7dd984913\"}]"},"categories":[683],"tags":[735],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-130393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wellbeing","tag-healthy-habits"],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":683,"label":"Wellbeing"}],"post_tag":[{"value":735,"label":"Healthy Habits"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/a-habit-change-approach-to-new-year-s-resolutions-01-1024x516.jpg",1024,516,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Angie Arriesgado","author_link":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-gb\/author\/angie\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":683,"name":"Wellbeing","slug":"wellbeing","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":683,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":22,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":683,"category_count":22,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Wellbeing","category_nicename":"wellbeing","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":735,"name":"Healthy Habits","slug":"healthy-habits","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":735,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":4,"filter":"raw"}],"wpml":{"language":"en-gb","is_original":true,"original_post_id":130393,"translations":{"de-at":{"id":169380,"language":"de-at","is_original":false},"de-de":{"id":75083,"language":"de-de","is_original":false},"en-gb":{"id":130393,"language":"en-gb","is_original":true},"en-ie":{"id":163826,"language":"en-ie","is_original":false},"en-mt":{"id":165909,"language":"en-mt","is_original":false},"fr-fr":{"id":75016,"language":"fr-fr","is_original":false},"it-it":{"id":75003,"language":"it-it","is_original":false}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=130393"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":163178,"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130393\/revisions\/163178"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/130394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=130393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=130393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=130393"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=130393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}