It’s that time of year again when many of us start thinking about New Year’s resolutions. And for many, losing weight sits firmly at the top of the list, year after year. Usually alongside exercising more, eating healthier, and other health-related goals that dominate our January intentions.
I’ll be honest, I’m someone who gets swept up in the momentum of the new year. I join in with Dry January, vowing to kick off the year healthier. If you’re also reflecting on your relationship with alcohol, you might enjoy this read: Cheers to a Balanced January!
What I love about New Year’s resolutions is that they’re almost always rooted in a desire to be healthier. It’s one of the few times of the year where health takes centre stage in people’s lives, fuelled by a powerful sense of motivation and fresh possibility. At my local gym, you can feel it instantly; classes are booked solid as new faces flood in, all driven by the same intention to do something positive for themselves.
And yet, despite all this motivation, research consistently shows that most New Year’s resolutions don’t last. Over 60% are abandoned within the first month, and as many as 80% by mid-February. The desire is there, but sustaining change is where things start to unravel.
The challenge of new year’s resolutions
Changing habits is hard. Sustaining those habits are even harder. But that doesn’t mean the process needs to be punishing.
One of the biggest challenges with New Year’s resolutions is that they’re often future-focused: lose weight, drink less, exercise more. While these goals sound positive, they can quietly create an all-or-nothing mindset. If I don’t lose the weight, I’ve failed. And if I’ve failed, I might as well give up. That way of thinking quickly turns motivation into disappointment, and suddenly the thing we wanted to achieve feels too hard, too overwhelming, or just “not for us.”
And yet, the motivation is real. The desire is genuine. There is so much intention behind these goals. And it’s that intention we want to leverage.
This is where shifting from resolutions to intentions can make a meaningful difference. Intentions move us away from a future-focused, idealised version of ourselves and instead anchor us in how we want to be and feel day to day. They act as a present-
focused guiding principle rather than a rigid end goal.
The science behind intentions
Studies on behaviour change show that values-based goals, those aligned with how we want to live and feel, are more sustainable than outcome-based goals alone (Sheldon & Elliot, 1999). Similarly, Self-Determination Theory suggests that behaviour change is more likely to last when it is driven by intrinsic motivation (doing something because it is personally meaningful or enjoyable, rather than for external rewards), personal meaning, and identity, rather than external outcomes such as weight, appearance, or rules imposed by ourselves or others (Deci & Ryan, 2000; Ryan & Deci, 2017).
When goals are connected to personal values and intentions, people show greater persistence, wellbeing, and flexibility in the face of setbacks. Rather than abandoning change when things don’t go perfectly, we are more likely to adapt and continue because the focus shifts from achievement to alignment (Ntoumanis et al., 2014). This helps explain why intention-led approaches feel more compassionate and realistic. They allow space for imperfection while still supporting consistency over time, all things we need when we’re trying to change long-standing habits. This may help explain why rigid New Year’s resolutions often fail, while approaches grounded in values and intentions are more likely to survive well beyond January.
Setting intentions
So, how do we set an intention? Start with these 5 steps:
- What really matters to you?
- What do you want more or less of?
- Use your answers to draft a meaningful intention
- What actions will you take to support it?
- What implementation intentions can I make?
Here’s an example:
- What really matters to me?
Feeling less stodgy, more energetic, and more comfortable in my body.
- What do I want more or less of?
More energy. Less guilt.
- From here, an intention might sound like:
“I intend to care for my body in ways that support my energy and comfort.”
- The actions that follow don’t need to be extreme or perfect, just supportive. Choosing foods that nourish, moving the body in ways that are enjoyed, and letting go of guilt when things don’t go to plan.
- Implementation intentions add an extra layer of effectiveness here. Research shows that forming “if-then” plans, for example, “If I feel tempted to skip my workout, then I will go for a 10-minute walk instead”, significantly increases the likelihood that intentions translate into action (Gollwitzer, 1999). By combining values-based intentions with practical, context-specific plans, you set yourself up for real, sustainable change.
By setting intentions, you are inviting yourself to explore a better version of yourself with curiosity and compassion. You are not sentencing yourself to failure if you stumble. Progress becomes something you practice, not something you pass or fail.
And perhaps that’s the kind of mindset that makes change last well beyond January, so rather than chasing perfection, invite yourself to explore intentions that fit your life, a small shift that can last all year.