How To Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions After 50—Without Burnout or Guilt
These smart tips make it easier to lose weight, stress less and sleep soundly
Resolutions. If you’re like us, just seeing that word makes you think of all the ghosts of New Year’s past and the well-meaning intentions that came and went as soon as the calendar turned to February. (In fact, the second Friday in January has been dubbed “Quitter’s Day” because so many of us give up on our newly-set goals.) But making healthy changes doesn’t have to be a herculean task—it can and should be fun. If you’re wondering how to keep your New Year’s resolutions, we’ve got advice from the pros. Plus get targeted tips to help you lose weight, sleep better, quit smoking and more.
How to keep the top 4 New Year’s resolutions
First, let’s tackle some of the most common resolutions we tend to make:
Woman's World Answers
To quit smoking, track and treat
Ready to kick tobacco to the curb? Consider using a smartphone app like Kwit to track your progress and keep you motivated. By showing you how many days you’ve gone without smoking—and how much money you’ve saved as a result—apps like these can inspire you to keep up your non-smoking streak. Bonus: You can use the money you save every week to treat yourself to something fun, like a manicure or new book!
To sleep better, stay cool
If you’ve resolved to get better rest this year, start by lowering the thermostat before bed. To slip into REM sleep, a deep stage of sleep linked to learning, mood regulation and overall health, your body temperature needs to drop. Experts say the ideal sleep temperature is between 60 and 65 degrees.
To lose weight, eat breakfast
Thinking skipping your morning meal will help you slim? Not so. A Brown University survey of people who lost 30 pounds or more (and kept it off for at least five years) found that 78 percent ate breakfast every single day. Those who skip a morning meal are more likely to snack during the day and consume higher amounts of carbs, added sugars and fats, according to Cambridge University research.
A healthy breakfast should include protein, whole grains and healthy fats (think eggs and a slice of whole grain toast with peanut or oatmeal with a dollop of Greek yogurt) to keep you fueled throughout the day. (Check out some delicious savory breakfast ideas that support weight loss.)
To ease stress, savor dark chocolate
If you’re aiming to better cope with stressful situations this year, keep dark chocolate on hand. A study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that people who ate a one-and-a-half ounce square of dark chocolate two hours before they faced a stressful situation had lower levels of cortisol and adrenaline compared to those who didn’t nibble the sweet treat. Flavonoids in dark chocolate keep the adrenal glands from over-releasing those hormones in tense situations.
How to keep any New Year’s resolutions
Whether you’ve made one of the resolutions above or have a unique goal to specific to your needs, here’s how you can boost your odds of achieving it:
Look for motivation within
“If you want to lose 20 pounds for your high school reunion, that’s an external goal that won’t motivate you over the long-term,” explains clinical psychologist Pauline Wallin, PhD, author of Taming Your Inner Brat: A Guide for Transforming Self-Defeating Behavior. “But if you want to shed weight to get healthier, that’s internal motivation and it will help keep you going.”
Make goals fun and social
The best predictor of successful change is how fun it is, says psychologist and behavioral scientist Ayelet Fishbach, PhD, author of Get It Done: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation. If you want to eat healthier, the food has to taste good. And if you’d like to be more active, the exercise has to be enjoyable.”
To ensure your journey is joyful, enlist a friend, adds behavioral economist Katy Milkman, PhD, author of How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be and host of the Choiceology podcast. In a study she conducted, one group of people was paid a dollar each time they went to the gym, while a second group was only paid if they showed up to work out with a friend. “The people who only got paid if they came with a pal exercised 35 percent more often,” she explains. “Making activities more social tends to make them much more enjoyable.”
Take tiny, measurable steps
Our biggest goals—from saving more money to eating healthier—tend to be abstract and therefore overwhelming. “That’s why it’s so helpful to be concrete,” says Milkman. “Rather than say, ‘I want to get into better shape,’ for example, tell yourself, ‘I’m going on a 20-minute walk each day.’” Small goals you can easily reach increase success.
‘Stack’ habits
“If your goal is to form a gratitude ritual, for example, attach it to something you already do daily,” suggests holistic health psychologist Supatra Tovar, PhD, one of the few licensed clinical psychologists who is also a registered dietitian and fitness expert. “You might tell yourself, ‘After I pour my morning coffee, I’ll think of five things I’m grateful for.’ This simple prompt helps your habit stick.”
Build in rest days
In one study, people were given one, two or three milkshakes, says Wallin. “After they drank the milkshakes, they were then told they could eat as much ice cream as they wanted.” Who do you think ate the most ice cream afterward? If you said those who already had three shakes, you’re right! That’s because we tend to think, I’ve already ruined my diet—I might as well eat more. The solution? Build in flexibility. “If you tell yourself you’re going to eat healthy every day, the first day you don’t, you’ll feel like a failure. But if you plan on taking a ‘cheat’ day or two to eat what you want, you’ll feel like a success because it’s part of your strategy.”
Celebrate every step
Savoring small victories is vital to keeping up momentum, says productivity expert Tanya Dalton, author of On Purpose: The Busy Woman’s Guide to an Extraordinary Life of Meaning and Success. “Create your own ‘breadcrumbs’ to help you see your path,” she urges. “I put green stickers on every day of the calendar when I take one action toward my goal. The stickers show me my progress and make me want to keep going.”
Be kind to yourself
If we talk to ourselves harshly, our brain becomes more resistant to change, says Wallin. “Instead of telling yourself, ‘I have to exercise,’ say, ‘I’m going to exercise now.’ Or, rather than say, ‘I can’t have that cookie,’ say, ‘I can live without that cookie.’” And have a plan for when discomfort arises. “Rather than say, ‘I won’t eat dessert at the party,’ tell yourself, ‘If I’m tempted, I’ll wait 30 minutes before eating it.’” While the former statement feels deprivational, the latter puts you in the driver’s seat.
Change your outlook
People who see setbacks as a sign of their lack of commitment often give up, while those who see obstacles as a lack of progress tend to persevere, says Fishbach. “That’s because a lack of commitment is internal and makes us think something is wrong with us—but progress is external, something we can achieve little by little,” she explains. “Just ask yourself, ‘What small thing can I do tomorrow to get back on track?’” This simple shift helps you accomplish goals.
Cut yourself (a lot of) slack
No matter where you are on your journey toward your goal, it can be helpful to reevaluate if it’s still what you truly want. “Take a pause and pinpoint if you’d like to take another step tomorrow or would rather stop chasing your original objective,” says Dalton. “Whether you stay the course or choose another goal to go after, you’ll succeed as long as you give yourself grace.”
A version of this article originally appeared in the January 12, 2026 issue of Woman’s World
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