Turn New Year's Resolutions into Year-Round Habits with Science

This time, though, it doesn't have to be that way.

Just like you, we have no time for empty motivational fluff.

Every recommendation in this article is based on the hard data of good old science.

But before you start, remember:

• These are YOUR goals, not the expectations of your mum, your girlfriend or society. Never try to change for anyone but yourself.
• Your goals have to be SMART – specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound – we explain below.

The name says it all, and your goals will be smart when they are:

Specific - Avoid vague statements like “I want to be healthier” or “I want to lose weight.” Make sure your goal is clear and concrete. If you want to start exercising, write down when and where.

Measurable - Set a goal whose progress you can track along the way, and don't be shy about recording it. At first it will feel like you're not moving forward, but with hindsight you'll see it was worth it.

Realistic - “I'll start exercising, quit smoking, cut down on sweets and cancel my Netflix subscription.” Ideally you'd shed all your bad habits at once, but that's unrealistic. Prioritise and don't start too many new habits at the same time.

Relevant - Don't start losing weight just because someone told you to. It's entirely up to you what you make your current priority. It helps to write down on paper the reasons why you want to adopt the new habit.

Time-bound - Set a deadline for your interim goals and for the big one. A goal without a deadline isn't a goal, it's wishful thinking.

Energy, calm and sleep

You may know the Eat the Frog technique, which says we should tackle the biggest and hardest task of the day first. That's because this is when we have the most creative energy, thanks to a surge in adrenaline, cortisol and dopamine.

Hormone levels in our body fluctuate regularly throughout the day, and based on these swings the well-known American neuroscientist Andrew Huberman divided the day into three phases:

0 – 8 hours after waking

If you get up around seven, your first phase runs roughly from 7.00 to 15.00. Try to squeeze all your new habits into this window and make the most of your morning potential. The body is at its most alert, and this phase is ideal if you want to start exercising or running.

If there's too little light at home, switch on as many overhead light sources as you can find.

9 – 15 hours after waking

Leave rest and less demanding activities for the second phase of the day, when adrenaline and cortisol levels drop and serotonin rises instead. Now is the ideal time for meditation, a bath, making music or writing.

Start dimming the lights, bring them down from overhead to below eye level, and don't read articles on your phone about how to sleep better before bed.

16 – 24 hours after waking

In this important phase the body pulls the handbrake and prepares for deep sleep. Do things under soft lighting (ideally warmer in tone), keep your body cool and then sleep in complete darkness. If you go to bed before midnight, your chances of the best possible sleep shoot up like a heating bill.

How to learn six habits in 21 days

You now know how to use your body's rhythm to your advantage. Next we'll show you how to build new habits into your routine and, above all, how to keep them for the long run.

• Pick 6 habits you want to adopt over the course of 21 days. You might manage 4 – 5 of them or skip a few days. Don't worry about it and put the guilt aside.
• After 21 days, stop consciously working on these habits and watch which ones you've managed to fit naturally into your day.
• Evaluate how many habits you've managed to adopt, and write down the ones that haven't got under your skin yet.
• Repeat the 21-day process with the habits that got stuck. Only once you've effortlessly built in all six from the first batch can you start building a new 21-day programme with different habits.

Here's to moving!

“I don't enjoy running or jumping around in workouts.”

That's perfectly fine, there are options beyond cardio and strength training. Dance, sport or pilates, for example. The possibilities are endless, so if you claim nothing suits you, you probably haven't looked hard enough.

You probably also know that eating fast food and drinking sugary drinks every day won't help you. Healthy sports nutrition will always do you good and you'll see results faster. Protein isn't just a trendy word but a key part of a healthy body. The amino acids in protein and in BCAA help with recovery and cell growth, which means stronger bones, faster muscle gain and better fat burning.

Habits form when new neural pathways are created, and that doesn't happen overnight.

If you don't see results after two weeks, it's not a failure, it's normal.

The important thing is to keep going.