The advice below is general advice. For any specific or tailored advice relevant to your health conditions, please talk to your health professional.
Do you find yourself making the same New Year’s resolutions each year? If you’re eager to try something new this time, keep reading to discover how to make lasting lifestyle changes.
The New Year is a time for fresh starts. In New Zealand, this often coincides with summer holidays, which can make it challenging to stick to resolutions. By keeping goals small and focusing on adding positive habits rather than removing things, it’s possible to create meaningful changes for health and wellbeing.
Top Tips for Making Changes Become Healthy Lifestyle Habits
- Finding your why
- Plan and prepare
- Habit stacking
- Focus on consistency, not intensity
- Goal tracking or accountability buddy
- Celebrate success
Five Stages of Change
To successfully navigate change, it’s important to identify where you are in your journey. While most people move through the stages below, the process isn’t always linear.
- Pre-contemplation: Not yet ready to make a change.
- Contemplation: Considering making a change.
- Preparation: Planning and getting ready.
- Action: Actively making the change.
- Maintenance: Working to sustain the change long-term.
Peri-menopause symptoms can push many women into contemplation, but uncertainty about what to do next can stall progress. Others may rush through action but struggle to maintain changes. The goal is to integrate changes into daily life so they become habits.
What Are Habits?
Habits are defined as “a routine performed regularly; an automatic response to a specific situation.” A habit is a behaviour repeated enough times to become automatic.
In Atomic Habits, James Clear outlines a four-step habit loop:
- Cue: Triggers the behaviour.
- Craving: The motivation behind the behaviour.
- Response: The action you take.
- Reward: Reinforces the behaviour.
If any of these steps are missing, the habit won’t stick. Behaviour change starts with awareness, followed by building positive habits that support health and wellbeing.
Finding Your Why
Many people are motivated by external goals such as weight loss or an event. Shifting your motivation to an internal “why” linked to your values and identity can help habits stick.
Ask yourself:
- What matters most to me?
- What would change if I made this shift?
- Who would benefit from this change?
- What do I want my health to look like in a year?
Plan and Prepare for Change
Once you know your why, planning becomes essential. This might include meal planning, shopping, preparing food, or scheduling workouts.
Adjust your environment to support success. Visual cues like sneakers by the door or fruit on the bench help reinforce habits, while removing triggers that sabotage goals can reduce friction.
Habit Stacking
Habit stacking involves pairing a new habit with an existing one, making it easier to remember and repeat.
- When I eat breakfast, I will add fruit.
- Before bed, I will lay out my workout clothes.
Focus on Consistency, Not Intensity
Small, repeatable changes are more sustainable than intense overhauls. If you can start today or tomorrow, the habit is likely realistic. Once mastered, you can build on it.
Goal Tracking and Accountability
Tracking progress helps you see the benefits of small changes. This might include tracking food choices, movement, or how you feel.
An accountability partner — a friend, partner, or family member — can also make habit change more motivating and enjoyable.
Celebrating Success
Take time to acknowledge your progress. Every small step brings you closer to becoming the person you want to be.
What small change can you make today?
References
- Ogden, J. (2019). Health Psychology (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
- Clear, J. (2018). Atomic Habits. Penguin Random House.
- Hursthouse, N. (2021). How to make lifestyle changes stick. Heart Foundation NZ.
