Healthy New Year’s Resolution Ideas and Tips for Keeping Them

As the new year approaches, you may be eagerly awaiting the opportunity for a fresh start and ready to set new resolutions to enhance your health and well-being. From focusing on mindful eating habits to creating a healthier work-life balance, there are many ways you can choose to focus on self-improvement in 2024.

If you want to prioritize your health goals in the coming year and aren’t sure where to begin, this is your go-to guide for healthy new year's resolution ideas and nutritionist-approved tips to help you embark on a journey toward a healthier and happier you. 

We'll explore practical resolutions backed by expert tips to ensure that come New Year’s Day, you’ll not only get off to a promising start, but also see sustained success throughout the year.

9 Nutritionist-Approved New Year’s Resolutions to Try in 2024

We asked our talented and diverse team of nutritionists here at Nutrisense to share their 2024 new year’s resolutions with us and share the tips they plan to follow to stay on track. Here are nine new year’s resolution ideas to inspire you to prioritize your mental and physical health in the new year!

1) Drink Less Alcohol

Payton Baker, RD, MS, LMNT

This new year, my resolution is to drink less alcohol. While the occasional drink is great to enjoy with loved ones and friends, alcohol consumption can sometimes become a bad habit and can even be a significant source of added sugar in your diet depending on your drink of choice.

Payton’s Tip for Keeping This Resolution

Alcohol consumption is often tied to spending time with friends and family or attending social events where other people are often drinking as well. So, my main tip for anyone with a similar goal is to work on this gradually. 

I’m aiming to reach my goal this year by gradually cutting down on the drinks I have per week. I also plan to swap out sugary cocktails for a healthy mocktail version when I do choose to enjoy a nice drink, or opting for healthier drink alternatives from brands like Blake Lively’s Betty Buzz.

2) Incorporate More Strength Training and HIIT Workouts

Amanda Donahue, MS, RD, CD

Muscle is vital for optimal glycemic control, so my new year’s resolution is to prioritize building muscle through strength training. I’m also going to incorporate some weekly HIIT workouts I can easily do from home, like Jessica Alba’s full body HIIT session! The hardest part about staying committed to a workout plan is holding yourself accountable, so that’s going to be a big focus for me this year!

Amanda’s Tips for Keeping This Resolution

My tip is to create a detailed plan before entering the new year and make sure to ask yourself all the important questions. Knowing your “why” can help keep your drive alive until you've accomplished your goals, whether they involve weight loss or muscle growth.

Here are some questions to ask yourself as you create your own accountability plan:

• What days and times would be best to get in a workout?
• How are you going to complete the workout?
• Do you need a gym membership or are you more likely to work out at home with your own equipment?
• How will you plan your workouts? What will they look like, consist of, and how long will they take?
• Do you need accountability? Will it be someone? Or something (maybe a habit tracker to see your progress!)

3) Complete At Least One Ongoing Education Course

Carlee Hayes, RDN, CD

When it comes to goal setting for me, I try to break my resolutions up for different areas of life—professional, social, health, spiritual. This year, my professional resolution is to complete at least one ongoing education course from Coursera, MasterClass, or a similar program and continue learning and growing my expertise as a registered dietitian or nutritionist.

Carlee’s Tip for Keeping This Resolution

To make a good new year’s resolution that will stick, my tip is to start by splitting your goals into two or three categories and rank these categories according to your priorities. From there, think through concrete goals in each category you choose and what is realistic for you to accomplish in a full calendar year. 

Make sure to keep them realistic, visible, and measurable so that you can hit your goals, and see your progress!

4) Create New Systems to Set Myself Up For Success

Patrick Scheel, RDN, LDN

My resolution is to continue building success systems and routines into my life so that they're seamless, just like brushing my teeth in the morning. I think mastering the way we approach goals can become a goal in itself since it can make it easier to create sustainable change.

This has actually been an ongoing "goal" for me over the past couple years, but this year I’ll be placing a specific focus on creating a set routine for exercise.

Patrick’s Tip for Keeping This Resolution

My tip when it comes to creating a routine is to set apart a specific block of time where you’ll always be able to get a workout in. For example, setting apart an hour before work to go for a jog or hit the gym is a great way to build this activity into your schedule and make it a normal part of your daily life.

5) Get Back into Meal Planning

Emma Simpkins, MS, RDN

My husband and I became parents in 2023 and we know we need more convenient meals that pack a good nutrition punch but also taste good. So, this year, my goal is to get back into meal planning and prepping so that we always have healthy meals ready to go!

Emma’s Tips for Keeping This Resolution

My tips to make sure I stay on track with this goal are to:

• Schedule one day a week to add a variety of high-protein, balanced recipes to our weekly calendar
• Plan the meals and write a grocery list
• Cook meals in bulk and prepare them so they can easily be reheated
• Keep healthy snacks on hand like nuts and fresh fruit to grab when we’re hungry between meals

6) Create an Evening Routine

Yvonne Mahl, MHSC, RDN, LDN, IFNCP

My goal this year is to create a relaxing evening routine to prioritize self-care and maximize my sleep quality and the hours of sleep I’m able to get each night. For me, this is going to include implementing a better skin care routine and practicing better sleep hygiene habits.

Yvonne’s Tip for Keeping This Resolution

I have a few tips that I’ll be following to help me create a healthier evening routine.

• Start Small: I plan on starting my evening routine by simply washing my face and putting on my blue light glasses each night. That's it! Making a small goal and only adding more once you feel really confident in the new goal can make it easier to sustain.
• Track Progress: I’m also going to use a calendar to help myself stay on track. Seeing these patterns can help reinforce consistency.

7) Nourish My Nervous System

Victoria Eaton, RDN, LDN, IFNCP

In 2024, I’m focusing on nourishing my nervous system by practicing deep breathing exercises, going for morning walks, listening to sound baths, and following guided meditations. Taking care of the nervous system is essential for our overall well-being as it helps improve mental health, decision-making abilities, relationships, resilience, and can help prevent burnout.

Victoria’s Tip for Keeping This Resolution

My top tip for success is to track progress through a habit tracker. You could call me old school, but I like to print a hard copy habit tracker and keep it visible as a constant reminder and progress report. 

8) Complete a 30 Day Yoga Challenge

Kim Vair, MS, RDN, 200-RYT

My resolution is to complete a 30 day yoga challenge, because starting a healthy new hobby can be a fun way to start off the new year. New year’s resolutions don’t have to be a massive undertaking—you can also start with shorter goals that you gradually build on over time.

Kim’s Tip for Keeping This Resolution

My tip for sticking to this kind of resolution is to take time to choose something meaningful that you really want to do! Don't assume that your new year's resolution will "fail" or taper off just because that's a common thing that happens to others.

Try doing a challenge with family members and check in with each other to make sure you stay accountable. Making resolutions doesn’t have to be a solo task—and implementing new habits can help keep you motivated!

9) Reduce Screen Time and Read More

Jordyn Wallerius, MS, RDN, CD

My resolution is to spend less time using social media and looking at my phone, and replace this extra time with reading. Cutting down on screen time is a great way to stop procrastinating during the day, and wind down in the evenings. I think anything that gets us using our brains a bit more is great!

Jordyn’s Tip for Keeping This Resolution

I always recommend that people find a way to make reaching whatever their goal is "easier."  For me, setting concrete monthly reading goals and tracking my progress are both really helpful for staying on track. Others may find that joining a book club can be a great way to stay accountable and even catch up with friends.