Expert tips for sticking to New Year's resolutions

The New Year is a fresh chance to tackle those habits that may have left you not feeling… not so good. But what are we trying to do better in 2024? We surveyed the nation recently to find out the top 10 health & beauty resolutions, and here’s what we discovered:

Although there are lots of different resolutions, they usually relate to how we feel about ourselves. Improving physical health is what loads of us want to achieve, but we're also taking care of our mental health and appearance too - as these ‘reasons behind the resolutions’ show…

Whether it’s improving your fitness, focusing on your mental wellbeing or gaining confidence, setting some New Year’s resolutions is a great start. Check out our top tips on sticking to them below, along with expert advice from dermatologist, Dr. Dina Keen, and personal trainer, Sarah Spence.

Resolution 1 – improving your fitness

Sarah Spence’s top fitness tips

1. Targets like upping your daily step count or having two workouts a week are a great place to start.

2. You can change your goals and make them bigger once you tick the original ones off and get into a good routine.

3. Try not to go all in and cut out all the things you love. And don’t do too much – trying to do 6 workouts a weeks isn’t achievable or sustainable.

4. Start slowly, with small steps every day. Even a goal for the week works well.

5. Take the right vitamins. Opt for vitamins C, A, and D to boost collagen production for the skin.

6. Hydration. Face masks with hyaluronic acid or aloe vera twice weekly.

Smart wearable tech is a great way to set, track and reach your fitness goals. The latest fitness trackers and smartwatches, like the Apple Watch SE (2023), can help you keep an eye on a whole load of different metrics: calories burned, step count, heart rate, distance and more.

So, if you want to shed a couple of pounds or just get healthier, it’s incredibly easy. Set a goal with your smartwatch and you’ll get reminders and nudges throughout your day to get active. If you want, you can even challenge friends and family for some healthy competition.

And if the gym isn’t your thing, wearables cater to lots of different sports – like yoga, cycling, even swimming. Whatever you’re into, it’s easy to see your progress, smash your fitness goals and celebrate wins!

Resolution 2 – improving your mental wellbeing

Prioritising mental health (7.8% setting this resolution) and stress management (7.5%) are among the top 10 New Year’s resolution people will be setting.

Improving your mental health is all about creating healthy habits and finding ways to stick to them. Meditation and wellbeing apps are great ways of helping you find your inner calm. And there’s lots of great tech designed to improve your mental wellbeing too.

The Lumie Bodyclock Shine 300, for example, can help you face the day in the best way. By mimicking real sunrises and sunsets, you'll wake up slowly and peacefully - the way nature intended. And if you’ve got a case of the winter blues, it’s certified to help with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) - so you can stay motivated all year long.

Resolution 3 – improving your self confidence

When you feel good about how you look, your self-confidence gets a boost. Why not start with skincare? Here are some top tips from Dr Keen that can make a difference.

Dr. Keen’s top beauty tips

1. Beautiful skin is very much related to your posture. Just 15-20 minutes of exercise or yoga a day improves the position of the head, increases blood supply, and reduces asymmetrical ptosis.

2. Simple beauty tools, like a gua sha, can make a big difference. Use it for a facial lymph drainage massage which should be done at least 5-10 minutes daily.

3. Get enough sleep. You should aim for at least 7 hours.

4. Take the right vitamins. Opt for vitamins C, A, and D to boost collagen production for the skin.

5. Hydration. Face masks with hyaluronic acid or aloe vera twice weekly.

6. Opt for skin care products with signal peptides, vitamin C, A or Retinol.

A 2022 poll by Opinium revealed that 72% of people said ‘having clear skin’ was important to help them feel confident. You can add skincare to your daily routine by following any of the above tips that work for you. Plus, there’s a wide range of beauty appliances that can help you achieve healthy looking skin.

The Magniton SoftTouch facial cleansing brush uses clever-yet-gentle Micro-Sonic technology to deep-clean your skin without stripping away its natural moisture.e 8000 sonic pulsations per minute massage the surface of your skin, helping to reduce breakouts. And you can clean different areas of your face perfectly with the 3 cleansing zone options.

Make a SMART goal

There’s a handy way to make sure you’re setting achievable goals. Just ask yourself, is my goal SMART?

Specific – think about whether your goal is simple enough to whittle down to one area. For example, ‘being healthy’ might end up including a load of different things, like the food you eat, your exercise or cutting down on unhealthy habits. Instead, try setting a single goal like increasing the amount of exercise you do.

Measurable – before you start, make sure there’s a way of checking how you’re doing. This’ll make it easier to celebrate wins and keep you motivated.

Achievable – make it as ambitious as you want - just as long as it’s actually possible. Too huge and you might feel a bit intimidated and give up. Be kind to yourself.

Relevant – if it’s something you care about it’ll be easier to keep going. Stick to things that fit in with you and your life.

Time bound – give yourself a clear date when you want to have achieved your goal. Like with a New Year’s resolution, say you have until December 31st the next year to get it done.

And, if it helps, you can always break a big goal down into little ones!

Sarah Spence, personal trainer, says: “Dependant on the goal, 3 months of commitment and consistency is enough time to really see good change. Consistency being the key factor here! Ultimately, we want a healthy lifestyle and not a quick fix though. So, make decisions which will help in the long term and not just for a few months.”