50 ways to make your New Year’s resolutions stick in 2020

Although you might think making a slight tweak to your habit might ease you out of it (for example, simply taking a break outside and not smoking if you’re trying to quit), but Dr. Lipman says a clean break is better.

“Rather than trying to make enjoyable, unhealthy habits into healthy ones, I would recommend finding new ways to enjoy yourself, and doing your best to leave habits that don’t support you in the past,” he says.

Breaking the cycle of a bad habit also means removing temptation.

“When your motivation is low, your environment becomes all the more powerful in terms of helping or hindering your healthy living intentions,” writes registered dietitian Patricia Bannan, author of Eat Right When Time is Tight, for Foxnews.com.

“If you make healthy foods easily accessible throughout your kitchen and workplace, it’s more likely you will eat them first.”

Or, if you’re trying to quit smoking or cut down on drinking, remove cigarettes and alcohol from your home.

Out with the old and in with the new!

As you remove objects associated with bad habits, get new ones that will keep you motivated toward your goal.

For an exercise resolution, “something new that can help to get you excited about working out can always help,” Palinski-Wade says.

“A new workout outfit you feel good in may boost your confidence to hit the gym, or new equipment may change up an old routine and make exercising feel more fun.”

Although your biggest motivator comes from within, little prizes for good behaviour can also have a positive effect.

“Reward yourself for all your efforts,” Dr. Lipman says. Austin suggests a day of pampering; nothing like a mani-pedi, haircut, or massage to help you feel good about your accomplishments.

Just make sure your “treat” isn’t an excuse to slide back into an old habit.

A cupcake is not a reward for working out!

As we’ve been learning, humans are creatures of habit, so make room for your resolution in your daily routine, whether it be to make healthy meals, read before bed, or walk at lunchtime.

“Every time you repeat something, you are actually helping your brain create neural pathways,” Laurent Amzallag, fitness coach, tells NBC News.

“Do you ever think about brushing your teeth at night? Not anymore, because you have done it for so long that it has become automatic.”

When scheduling a time to work your resolution in, consider the morning for maximum impact.

Research from Europe suggests that morning behaviours are easier to turn into habits.

This may be because cortisol levels, which have a role in forming habits, are higher in the morning.

You can make your resolution less of a chore if you find a way to work towards it that you enjoy.

For example, exercise doesn’t just mean going to the gym.

“Ask yourself, ‘How do I have fun moving my body?’” Palinski-Wade says.

“If you love music, take up dance lessons or dance to music you enjoy. Try a new sport or activity, or just take a walk outside.”

If your goal is to read more, you don’t have to tackle heavy nonfiction.

Find a sci-fi or even young adult series that gets you into the habit.

Everyone should know the “20-second rule” for breaking bad habits – or creating new ones.

The theory is that making something easy will make you more likely to do it.

This is supported by research that found the closer gym members were to their location, the more likely they were to go.

So, find a gym that’s nearby, place a book on your bedside table, or keep your guitar in your living room to make it easy to pick up and practice.

You need to nurture your body if you want to change your lifestyle.

“When you sleep well, you have more energy and motivation, you feel better, and you have more mental clarity to do things like learning something new or getting organised,” says Richard Shane, PhD, creator of the Sleep Easily method.

Sleep may be especially important for a weight-loss resolution.

“Studies show people who sleep poorly have higher levels of ghrelin, the hormone that increases appetite, and lower levels of leptin, the hormone that decreases appetite,” he says.

“Whatever way you plan to lose weight, it will be much easier to succeed if you also make more time for sleep.”

As the saying goes, it’s about the journey, not the destination.

If you reframe your resolution as an adventure, you can more easily handle the twists and turns that will inevitably come along.

Sticking with your resolutions are in large part about feelings of control, according to research from US-based Rutgers University, so seeing difficulties as obstacles to climb rather than insurmountable problems can help you feel more in charge of your destiny.

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Source: RD.com.