If only there was a nickel for every time someone says “I’ll start in the new year” during the holiday season! As if January holds the magic key to suddenly having the time, motivation and energy to implement radically new habits. In reality, waiting for the new year to create grand health resolutions gives us a free pass to do all the “naughty” lifestyle things throughout the holidays and then sets us up for the failure-cycle in the following year. Research actually shows that 80% of health-related resolutions have failed or been forgotten before March of the same year. Why is this? It’s because small, realistically implemented changes are what stick successfully long term, but these super tiny goals often don’t feel awesome enough to count as a new year lifestyle change so we instead overreach.
Studies from the National Institutes of Health, Stanford Behavior Design Lab, and lifestyle medicine research consistently show:
- Ambitious goals fail 70–80% of the time because they activate threat and avoidance centers in the brain.
- Small, highly realistic goals succeed 3–5x more often because they reduce resistance and increase self-efficacy (the belief that you are capable of change).
- Consistency in very small actions rewires the brain toward habits that last months or years, not just days.
In essence, small goals do not just feel easier, they are truly neurologically more effective. Knowing this, we have a holiday challenge for you. It’s not a turkey trot marathon or a sugar free bootcamp. If you don’t even read the rest of this article, do this: don’t wait for January to start your health goals. Instead choose right now, the busiest, most chaotic season of the year, as the perfect place to practice itty bitty, teeny tiny, health habits. Choose the absolute smallest, most realistic positive changes you can think of because ultimately, if they survived the holidays, your brain learns that those habits are here to stay.
The Six Pillars of Lifestyle Medicine
If you have no idea what type of habit would be considered a healthy change, start with the basics of what is considered well-rounded well-being. The American College of Lifestyle Medicine outlines six wellness pillars that influence most of our long-term health outcomes:
- Nutrition
- Physical Activity
- Restorative Sleep
- Stress Management
- Social Connection
- Avoiding Risky Substances
These aren’t exactly mind-blowing new concepts, but what might be new to you is how to approach them. Most new year resolutions in the above categories sound like “I will exercise every single day,” or “I will completely cut out sugar,” or “I will meditate for 30 minutes every morning.” While admirable, this is going from 0 to 100 too quickly. Here are some examples of smaller, more bite-sized goals that can be started during the holidays to build momentum toward bigger and more impactful changes:
- Nutrition: Add One Colorful Plant a Day
Add one colorful plant food to just ONE meal each day. If you already eat plant foods at dinner, then add to one more at lunch. This could be berries on oatmeal, spinach in eggs, roasted vegetables at dinner, or a handful of cherry tomatoes with lunch. You’re adding antioxidants to your system, you’re teaching your brain that color is a normal and expected part of meals, and you’re using an ‘addition-based’ approach rather than one of restriction.
- Physical Activity: Walk for Five Minutes After One Meal Daily
A simple five-minute post-meal walk is one of the most effective, underrated lifestyle tools available. Research in the Journal of Sports Medicine shows that short “movement snacks” after eating significantly improve post-meal blood sugar, support metabolic health, and reduce fatigue. A walk can be done anywhere at all and usually someone will want to join you too! Raining and can’t get outside? Find some stairs or do 20 squats! It’s an investment of just 5 minutes in whatever part of the day where it works best – you can do this.
- Restorative Sleep: Aim for Consistency Within the Hour
Sleep struggles spike during the holidays so many people simply give up on a routine. Rather than implement a hard bedtime rule that may not be realistic this season, aim for hitting the sack within an hour of when you went to bed the night before. So if 10:30 was your bedtime last night, tonight aim for anywhere from 9:30 to 11:30. This change toward consistency improves sleep quality and circadian rhythm regulation without triggering resistance. Research from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine shows that even a modest improvement in daily sleep consistency reduces daytime fatigue, errors, blood pressure, and cravings.
- Stress Management: One Exhale Breath Break
A cortisol stress spike can be combated simply with deep breaths that tell the nervous system you are ok. Try one, purposeful 30-second exhale breath each day. Lengthening the exhale activates the vagus nerve, shifting the body out of stress mode and into a calm, restorative state. You can do this anywhere, anytime and it literally only takes 30 seconds.
- Social Connection: One Gratitude Text a Week
Loneliness is now recognized as a significant health risk, increasing cardiovascular disease risk by as much as 29% (aka a pack of cigarettes). Meaningful connections can be hard in this season of back-to-back gatherings and online shopping. So try this: send one genuine message of appreciation each week to someone important in your life. Expressing gratitude to someone rather than simply jotting it on paper in a journal strengthens relational bonds, boosts mood, improves immune function, and enhances overall well-being.
- Avoiding Risky Substances: Hydrate Before Your Drink Alcohol
Rather than committing to total abstinence (which is fantastic for some but may be unrealistic for many during the holidays), try the addition-approach again and focus on adding hydration first. This means you drink one full glass of water before your first alcoholic beverage and drink a half glass of water before subsequent beverages. This simple step slows drinking pace, improves hydration status, reduces next-day fatigue, and supports metabolic health.
The greatest message you can send to yourself this holiday season is this: Don’t wait for January. Start with one tiny, sustainable step today.
Small, consistent actions create momentum, and momentum becomes identity. Once you identify as someone who prioritizes health, especially in the holidays, future changes come more easily.
