Happy New Year! I’m writing this and realising that somehow we are already half way through January!

But finally, the message seems to be getting out there that New Years resolutions (NYR’s) rarely work – and if you have made some for 2026 you may already be wondering why you bothered and coming around to this realisation yourself.

They are generally big bold statements such as – I am going to:

• Stop smoking
• Get fit
• Run a marathon
• Go vegan
• Lose 3 stone
• Give up chocolate (and no one wants to do that!!)

I may as well say I am going to go to the moon……!

There is a lot of pressure with NYR’s. There’s a win or fail mentality and if we fail we beat ourselves up with a big stick. Most people ‘fail’ in the first 2-3 weeks and if you do succeed, you realise that you are actually back smoking / eating crap / hitting the snooze button 6 months later…and then you pick up that big stick.

However, there are 12 months in a year……

How about 12 mini goals or habit changes, if you will, that you can set over the course of the year. If you ‘fail’ 6 of them then that still means that 6 have gone well and total that up and it will be a big improvement over the course of your year. Well much bigger than failing to lose weight after two weeks in January.

Humans want big fixes quickly and easily – and if they come quickly and easily then we lose that sense of achievement and most of us need a bit of a ‘struggle’ for it to feel like an achievement or win. Micro goals feel a bit more achievable. It’s not a year long slog. Thats why ‘Dry January’ works well for many. 31 days is ‘doable’.

But even more achievable than that are micro habits.

Scenario – If drinking too much alcohol is the habit that you would like to work on (ie you want to cut down not drink more) then look at your current habits. Maybe you go out and drink on a Thursday evening with friends, after work with colleagues on Friday, with your partner at home on a Saturday evening and at home on a Sunday afternoon to unwind. Perhaps your partner is also keen to cut down on drinking, so you both decide to not drink alcohol on a Sat night. That could be 4 bottles of wine not drunk in January, maybe more. Thats a big win. Thursday night you normally drink 5 pints/glasses of wine. You decide that you will have one alcoholic drink and then go on to soft drinks. That’s 16 alcoholic drinks you have not drunk in February and thats a win! By March, you’ve realised that your jeans are a bit looser and you’ve lost 4 pounds. Thats a win you hadn’t event planned for!

If you are not a ‘all or nothing’ kind of person, then cutting out completely won’t work for you. Nor will going to the gym (or running) EVERY day. If it is great – but it’s still hard to maintain (not impossible) and then you are back on the downward slope again.

Example micro habits:

• Allow yourself 5 cigarettes a day not 10
• Follow a ‘couch to 5k’ running program where you get eased in gently and its not everyday
• Cook one vegetarian/vegan meal every week
• Buy one small bar of chocolate for the week. once its gone there is no more until next week!!
• Go for a 20min walk 5 days a week (or 7 days a week)
• sign up to a volunteering role to help out once a week
• Get up 15mins earlier every weekday so you are not always late for work

The main point is that you are a little bit better today than you were yesterday. After a month, some of these habits will have stuck without making to much impact on your day to day, so you can build on them further. If the habit hasn’t stuck then you can set another micro habit for February which gives you another shot. It feels good when you have achieved your micro goal and you realise that you are regaining control of your chosen habit.

As a Personal Trainer, it is expected that I exercise regularly, I am good at it and I love it. But sadly this is not always the case. My exercise levels fluctuate. I am a PT, but also a mum, a wife, I look after the house, I cook from scratch most days and it is very easy for my workout or run to drop off the list by the end of the day when I’m tired. Sometimes I am strength training 4 times per week, running two times a week and throw in a climb for good measure. Then suddenly I get a bit run down, rest for a couple of days or go on holiday and it’s been a month with no regular exercise. Seriously!

Therefore, my micro habit for January is to do a minimum of 30mins exercise ‘every’ day. This may sound a lot to some (not enough to others) but on the days when I am tired or if I am unwell I can always drag myself out for a 30min walk or a 30min mobility session. On the other days I prioritise a strength workout or a run and prioritise this over other chores. I also include some indoor climbing, or indoor row. On top of this I may throw in some badminton with the family. And the session needs to be a ‘minimum’ of 30mins but I can do more if I’m in the flow – today’s run was 38min. What this does is prioritise exercise for me in my own head and that is now I now just do. And this works for me. 15 days in and I haven’t missed a day. By the end of January I am hoping to keep this going into February as I see no reason to stop. Consistency is key!

Look at your life and see which areas you want to make some positive changes. Pick one and come up with a suitable micro habit that you think will work best for you – you know yourself better than anyone else.

Keep it small and keep it simple. Good luck!

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