Resolve to a brand new 12 months, enjoyable you — and it simply may stick : NPR

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

It is January 2. How you doing on day 2 of your resolutions? Maybe you wish to get wholesome, possibly you wish to lower your expenses, say no extra usually – that’s the one I’m engaged on. But once we stumble with our New Year’s targets – and buddies, we’ll stumble – how ought to we bounce again? Or is the entire decision factor really only a waste of time? Tara Parker-Pope has thought deeply about these questions. She’s a longtime well being and wellness reporter. Her Substack is “One Day Better.” Tara, welcome.

TARA PARKER-POPE: Thank you for having me. I do love New Year’s resolutions, so I’m excited to speak in the present day.

KELLY: I used to be going to ask – so that you make them your self?

PARKER-POPE: Oh, I do make them myself, and it is not simply because I like them. I’m a little bit of an outlier amongst well being reporters. Everybody likes to jot down about the truth that New Year’s resolutions fail.

KELLY: Exactly.

PARKER-POPE: And generally they do. But you already know what? They do not fail quite a lot of the time. There’s analysis that exhibits that, you already know, in a single research of a couple of thousand folks, 55% felt that they had obtain the decision in a 12 months. (Laughter) So I imagine in them. And I feel that the facility of the decision – I feel the purpose we regularly miss is that the facility of constructing a New Year’s decision is the method behind it.

KELLY: Help stroll me by that course of as a result of we have all made resolutions and stored them or did not maintain them. What makes decision, a profitable one?

PARKER-POPE: I might say, initially, it’s important to ask your self, is that this going to be enjoyable for me?

KELLY: Fun?

PARKER-POPE: Am I going to have time doing it?

KELLY: Because all my resolutions are issues like consuming much less, understanding extra. This just isn’t enjoyable.

PARKER-POPE: Yeah. I feel it’s essential to discover a technique to make that enjoyable. So when you’re serious about your consuming habits and what possibly is not working for you, discover one thing that’s optimistic. Like, possibly it is simply including extra greens to your plate, or possibly it is having a handful of nuts on daily basis ‘trigger that is good for you.

Same factor with train. You know, I’ve at all times struggled with simply going to the health club. That’s not one thing I really like. But what I do love is strolling my canine. And additionally what I really like is listening to an audiobook. So if you put all these issues collectively, my step depend, like, doubled as a result of I made a decision I used to be going to take heed to extra audiobooks and do it on walks with my canine. And that is enjoyable for me.

KELLY: OK. So you are speaking about making it enjoyable – one thing you may really sit up for. It additionally sounds such as you’re speaking about making it smaller – a extra particular factor.

PARKER-POPE: Yes. There are quite a lot of research on this, and the smaller and extra particular it’s the higher it really works, the extra optimistic it’s. So we talked about, like, including extra greens versus cease consuming junk meals. The first one’s going to be higher. And, you already know, I’m going to run a marathon is rather a lot, however possibly I’m simply going to, you already know, take a jog after lunch on daily basis – begin there. Or possibly intention for a 5K – one thing small – when you’re a runner. If you are not a runner, do not make a operating decision, you already know?

KELLY: (Laughter) Right.

PARKER-POPE: It’s type of loopy, however that is my tip. And, like, I had a pal who referred to as me as soon as with all of her – she had a incredible listing, but it surely had, like, I do not know, seven or eight issues on it. It was like, I’m going to run. I’m going to jot down my novel. I’m going to work out on daily basis. I’m going to be taught to juggle. And she simply had this lengthy listing. And I stated to her, how about one? How about one decision? And she’s like, properly, which one? I stated, how about – I like be taught to juggle.

KELLY: Yeah.

(LAUGHTER)

PARKER-POPE: That’s an awesome decision. Like, that’s one thing enjoyable. It’s cool. It’s wacky. It’s type of stress break. I might see you with the ability to make time for it, you already know, in between conferences.

KELLY: Did it work? Can she juggle now?

PARKER-POPE: She completely realized to juggle. Yes (laughter). I’m so pleased with her. I do love a loopy decision. I feel that is type of a neat technique to say, I’m going to do one thing actually unorthodox. And I feel these are – that is route.

KELLY: Aside from juggling, is there a favourite decision that you’d suggest?

PARKER-POPE: My favourite, and it is extremely easy, is to simply end the sentence, I’ve at all times needed to – clean. And that is it. That’s your decision. Do that factor you have at all times needed to do.

KELLY: I find it irresistible. Tara Parker-Pope writes the Substack “One Day Better,” a science-based well being and wellness e-newsletter. Thank you a lot. Happy New Year.

PARKER-POPE: Happy New Year.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

Copyright © 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our web site phrases of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for additional info.

Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts could fluctuate. Transcript textual content could also be revised to appropriate errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org could also be edited after its authentic broadcast or publication. The authoritative report of NPR’s programming is the audio report.