This video, titled "How To Make New Year's Resolutions Sticky," by Deb Ford, DCN RDN, explains how to make health habits and New Year's resolutions last. It emphasizes that progress, not perfection, is key and that aiming for perfection can actually hurt your progress and health. The video also discusses the importance of setting clear goals that matter to you, cultivating a positive mindset, and taking ownership of your health rather than relying on willpower.
Key Takeaways
1
Focus on progress, not perfection, when setting New Year's resolutions, as rigid goals often lead to giving up.
2
Striving for perfection activates stress hormones like cortisol, which can negatively impact metabolism, increase belly fat, disrupt sleep, and worsen health.
3
Set clear health goals that resonate with your personal values and desired feelings, rather than society's expectations of being thinner or busier.
4
Cultivating a positive mindset is a powerful tool for better health, as happy individuals are more productive, handle stress better, and make good decisions.
5
Take ownership of your health because doctors manage disease and medication manages symptoms, but you live in your body every day and control your choices.
6
Willpower is unreliable for habit change, so focus on making good habits easier and bad habits harder by adjusting your environment.
7
Identify one 'keystone habit' that, when consistently practiced, can positively impact and elevate all other aspects of your health and life.
8
Accountability, through support and surrounding yourself with people who encourage your better self, is crucial for sustaining habits.
9
Small, consistent actions, even 1% improvement daily, compound into significant, remarkable change over time.
10
Don't give up on yourself; if you stumble, pause and course correct, because every small choice is a vote for your future self.
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0:00
Good morning and welcome to a brand new
0:03
year and a brand new edition of Today's
0:06
Nutrition. This is my New Year's show.
0:09
This is the show where we talk about
0:11
what's new in research, what's hot in
0:13
the news, and what truly helps you lose
0:15
weight, feel great, and live longer,
0:17
better. The New Year show. So, it's all
0:20
about motivation and giving you some
0:23
tools to help make those changes. So,
0:26
let me ask you a question. We're a
0:28
couple weeks into the new year and how
0:30
are those New Year's resolutions going
0:33
if you made them? And if you've already
0:37
bent or broken a few, good news, cuz
0:40
this show is for you. Today, we're not
0:43
talking about perfection. No way. Not
0:45
about shame. And it's definitely not
0:48
about giving up on resolutions.
0:51
This is simply not an option for us
0:54
interested in long-term health. Today
0:57
it's about progress. It's about clarity.
1:01
It's about taking charge of your health
1:04
because nobody else can do that for you.
1:08
I really love the new year. I really do.
1:10
It's my birthday month and it's a fresh
1:12
calendar, a clean slate, the blessing of
1:16
new possibilities.
1:18
Every year I intentionally design my
1:20
year to be the best one yet. Not
1:23
perfect, but better. This year is extra
1:27
special because I'm going to be 70 in a
1:30
couple of weeks and I really do believe
1:33
it is just a number. In fact, I'm
1:36
training for another half marathon and
1:38
this year I'm going all out. I'm going
1:41
to go to Italy with my oldest son to do
1:44
it. Oh my gosh, I am so excited. Setting
1:47
those goals and intentions high, making
1:50
memories. If you would have said to me
1:53
that I was going to do that kind of
1:54
thing 30 years ago, I would have said,
1:56
"You're crazy." I love the line in the
2:00
movie from 1976. It's a road race movie
2:03
called Gumball Rally. And there's this
2:05
Italian driver named Franco. And he
2:09
says, "What's a behind me is not
2:11
important." And then he tosses his rear
2:14
view mirror away to focus on the road
2:16
ahead. The past is really over. So eyes
2:21
forward. The future has not been written
2:24
yet. And the beautiful thing is you get
2:27
to help write it. Remember progress, not
2:31
perfection. One of the biggest reasons
2:33
New Year's resolutions fail is because
2:36
we aim for perfection instead of
2:39
progress. We set these big, rigid goals
2:43
like, I'm going to cut out all sugar.
2:46
I'm going to work out every single day.
2:48
I'm gonna lose 30 pounds by such and
2:50
such a date. And then life happens,
2:53
stress happens, fatigue happens,
2:55
hormones happens, you get sick, catch
2:57
the flu, and suddenly one missed workout
3:01
or one imperfect meal turns into, well,
3:05
I blew it. I'll start again later. This
3:09
all orno thinking is exhausting and it's
3:14
damaging to your psyche. Here's what I
3:17
want you to hear clearly today.
3:20
If you don't quit, you don't fail.
3:25
Progress is showing up imperfectly. When
3:29
I run, I also walk a little. Who cares?
3:33
Progress is course correcting. Progress
3:37
is learning. It's doing instead of
3:40
giving up. Little hinges that swing the
3:43
big door. When it comes to health,
3:46
small, consistent actions done most days
3:51
will outperform
3:53
extreme plans every single time.
3:57
Perfection just backfires in the body.
4:00
And this isn't just mindset, it's
4:03
biology. When we strive for perfection,
4:07
we activate cortisol.
4:09
Those stress hormones, especially
4:12
cortisol, do not help us heal. Chronic
4:15
stress is going to slow metabolism. It's
4:18
going to increase belly fat. It's going
4:20
to disrupt blood sugar. It's going to
4:21
impair sleep. It's going to increase
4:24
inflammation and oxidative stress. So,
4:26
beating yourself up for not being
4:29
perfect actually makes getting healthier
4:34
harder.
4:36
Your body doesn't need punishment. It
4:38
needs a little support, a little TLC.
4:42
I always remind my clients, your body is
4:45
not your enemy.
4:47
It's responding to the information it's
4:50
been giving. So when we work with the
4:53
body instead of against it, progress
4:56
becomes possible. Again,
4:59
another point is to be clear on the goal
5:02
that matters to you, not society. When
5:06
we talk about goals, this is when many
5:09
people get off track. Society tells that
5:12
your goals should be to be thinner, to
5:14
be younger, to be busier, to be more
5:17
productive. But those goals don't
5:20
sustain motivation. Instead of asking,
5:24
"How much weight should I lose?" I want
5:27
you to ask better questions like, "How
5:30
do I want to feel in my body?"
5:33
"What do I want my health to allow me to
5:36
do?
5:37
What kind of life do I want to live?
5:41
Who do I want to be in six months, a
5:44
year, three years? What kind of a legacy
5:48
do I want to leave for my family?
5:50
Because you know, you get to a certain
5:52
age and you become the role model for
5:55
everybody else in your family.
5:57
So maybe maybe your goal is to travel
6:00
without fear. Maybe it's to play with
6:03
your grandkids without pain to be able
6:06
to run with them and and tussle with
6:08
them and enjoy it. Maybe it's to have
6:11
energy again or think clearly or feel
6:16
strong instead of fragile. When health
6:19
goals are tied to a meaning,
6:23
a self-image, they stick.
6:27
Goals connected to faith and family and
6:30
freedom and purpose are far more
6:33
powerful than a number on a scale. And
6:38
when goals matter to your heart, habits
6:41
stick. I want to touch on something that
6:44
really gets overlooked in health
6:46
conversations.
6:48
Mindset. Research in positive psychology
6:52
shows that people who cultivate
6:56
positivity are more productive. They
6:59
handle stress better. They make better
7:01
decisions and they are healthier
7:05
overall. In fact, they even live longer.
7:09
So happiness is not the result of
7:12
reaching your goal, but it is the power
7:15
tool. It is the advantage. Happiness
7:18
doesn't come after success. It often
7:21
comes before it. Positive people don't
7:23
have easier lives, but they see more
7:26
options.
7:28
They notice opportunities
7:31
and they don't quit quickly. Your
7:35
mindset, I swear, is the most powerful
7:38
tool you own. And it is free. What you
7:41
pay attention to matters. What you allow
7:45
into your mind matters.
7:49
How you talk to yourself matters.
7:53
You need to talk to yourself like you're
7:56
your best friend. What would your best
7:59
friend say to you if you messed up on
8:01
something? Would they say, "I knew you
8:04
couldn't do it." I mean, come on. Who do
8:06
you think you are? No. They're going to
8:08
encourage you. So, be your best friend.
8:12
And remember, you are the CEO of your
8:15
health. Okay, lean in here. I want to
8:19
say this with compassion, but also
8:21
clarity.
8:23
Doctors manage disease.
8:27
They're going to do watchful waiting.
8:29
They're going to keep an eye on it.
8:32
Insurance pays for decline.
8:36
Medications manage symptoms.
8:40
But you live in your body every day.
8:44
No one can eat for you. No one can sleep
8:48
for you. No one can move for you. No one
8:53
can manage your stress or your outlook.
8:57
And that's not blame. That's
8:59
empowerment.
9:01
You're not helpless. You're not broken.
9:03
You are never too old to improve. I tell
9:08
people, look at MC Jagger. I mean,
9:11
really, still performing at 82. He does
9:14
a half marathon in two and a half hours.
9:17
Oh my gosh. Pretty darn good. Jumping
9:19
around, skipping and all that. 82. So,
9:23
don't ever tell me you are too old to
9:26
improve.
9:27
It's about taking responsibility for
9:30
your health. It's about ownership. It's
9:33
saying, "This body is worth caring for.
9:38
My future is worth protecting. And I'm
9:42
willing to take those small steps in the
9:45
right direction because this can be the
9:48
year you stop starting over and start
9:53
moving forward. Remember, what is behind
9:56
me is not important." Try to say this in
9:59
your best Italian accent. Better than
10:01
me, please. So, how are you going to
10:03
make health stick this year? Maybe go
10:08
from intention into action. And I
10:12
believe deeply that progress beats
10:16
perfection every single time. We're
10:20
talking about choosing goals that matter
10:22
to you, not society.
10:24
We talk about health span, not just
10:27
living longer, but living better. We
10:30
talked about taking ownership of your
10:33
health because no one else can do that
10:36
for you. Today, we're going to take that
10:39
mindset and turn it into action because
10:43
inspiration without implementation fades
10:46
fast. This show is about how to make
10:50
healthy habits stick. Even when you're
10:53
busy and stressed and tired and
10:54
unmotivated, we want to make good habits
10:58
easier and bad habits harder.
11:03
One of the biggest mistakes people make,
11:05
I think, is trying to change habits by
11:07
relying on willpower.
11:10
Willpower
11:12
is overrated and totally unreliable.
11:16
Willpower runs out fast and it
11:19
disappears when you need it most at the
11:22
end of a long day. So instead of trying
11:25
harder, I want you to think smarter.
11:30
Every habit requires what's called
11:33
activation energy, that initial push to
11:36
get started. So here's the trick. You've
11:39
got to make good habits easier and bad
11:42
habits harder. For example, you want to
11:45
drink more water, put it where you can
11:47
see it so that activation energy isn't
11:50
as much. Want to walk more? Lay your
11:54
shoes out the night before. Maybe
11:56
instead of putting slippers on in the
11:58
morning, you put your tennies on. You
12:01
want to eat better? Clean out the foods
12:05
you don't want to rely on and maybe chop
12:08
up the ones you want to eat more of.
12:11
Your environment shapes your behavior
12:14
far more than motivation ever will. If
12:18
you have a candy jar sitting out,
12:21
not a whole lot of activation energy to
12:23
go into like reaching in there and
12:25
chomping down on some of those. You want
12:28
different results. You often need a
12:32
different setup, not more discipline.
12:34
Then you can also think of a keystone
12:37
habit. the one change that lifts all
12:41
others.
12:42
Because here's some good news. You don't
12:44
need 10 new habits. You don't need a
12:46
complicated routine. You definitely
12:49
don't need to overhaul your life
12:52
overnight, but you may just need one
12:55
habit that sticks. That's the keystone
12:57
habit. The habit that raises all the
13:00
others. For some people, that's morning
13:03
movement. And really, I've heard this
13:05
said a lot. You want to make everything
13:08
better, start with exercise first. So
13:11
maybe that morning movement would be
13:13
that for you. For others, it is
13:15
prioritizing sleep. We know a lot of
13:19
habits go by the wayside when cortisol
13:22
goes up. And cortisol is going to go up
13:24
if you don't get a good night's sleep.
13:26
For some others, it is having protein at
13:30
breakfast. Maybe at every meal, start
13:32
with protein. For others, it's walking
13:36
every day or turning the screens off at
13:39
night. For me, it's planning the night
13:42
before. I write it down in my planner.
13:46
For everybody, it could be that one
13:49
habit done consistently will create the
13:52
momentum. And momentum is powerful. 1%
13:58
improvement each day compounds into
14:02
unbelievable, remarkable change over
14:05
time. So, don't underestimate those
14:08
small steps. Those little hinges really
14:11
do swing the big doors. So, let's talk
14:15
about something else that often makes or
14:18
break success. Accountability.
14:22
Honestly, I used to dislike that word a
14:24
lot. It felt heavy. It felt controlling.
14:27
But I changed my mind, accountability,
14:31
not about pressure. It's about support.
14:34
And research shows that we need that
14:38
support to make those habits. And you
14:42
got to admit habits can be contagious.
14:44
Good habits and bad habits. If you
14:47
surround yourself with people that have
14:49
good habits, that matters. If you want
14:51
to grow, surround yourself with people
14:54
that support your better self.
14:58
Supporting your better self, not your
15:00
excuses. I had a client in management
15:03
position one time that really wanted to
15:05
solidify her exercise habit. So, instead
15:08
of trying to just do it herself,
15:11
she started a movement challenge at
15:14
work. Suddenly, she wasn't the only one
15:17
doing it. She was part of a community
15:20
moving in the same direction and it
15:22
didn't hurt. She was in a management
15:24
position, right? Okay. Success is
15:27
contagious and sometimes we need to
15:30
borrow belief from others when ours is
15:33
running low. So, it's not about
15:34
weakness, it's wisdom. This could be
15:38
your year if you don't quit. Let me
15:43
leave you with this. This does not have
15:45
to be the year you're still talking
15:47
about the same goals next January.
15:50
Progress beats perfection.
15:54
Direction matters more than speed.
15:58
Consistency beats intensity.
16:02
Most importantly, don't give up on
16:04
yourself. You're not behind. You're not
16:07
broken. And it's never too late. Every
16:10
small choice you make today is a vote
16:13
for your future self and your future
16:16
self will thank you for it. If you
16:20
stumble, pause. Don't quit. If you get
16:23
off track, course correct. Don't give
16:26
up. If you need support, reach out.
16:30
Don't isolate. Because health is not
16:33
something that you have to do everything
16:35
right. It's about doing the next thing
16:37
right consistently. If you find you need
16:40
accountability and encouragement or
16:42
guidance, I'd be honored to be your
16:44
partner in health. But truly surround
16:47
yourself with people that lift you up.
16:49
Weed out those habits that no longer
16:52
serve you and fertilize the ones that
16:55
help you grow. Little habits build
16:58
amazing results. They truly are the
17:01
little hinges that swing the big door.
17:04
Until next time, this is Dr. Deb Ford
17:06
reminding you what is a behind you is
17:09
not important. It is what's in front of
17:12
you that matters. Your health matters.
17:14
Your future matters. And this could be
17:17
your
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How To Make New Year's Resolutions Sticky
Deb Ford DCN RDN
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Jan 14, 2026
17:18
Today is about progress. It’s about clarity. And it’s about taking charge of your health — because no one else can do that for you. I love the New Year. I really do. A fresh calendar. A clean slate. The blessing of new possibilities. Every year, I intentionally design my year to be the best one yet. Not perfect — but better. This year is extra special because I will be 70 in a couple of weeks and I really do believe it is just a number . In fact, I am training for another half marathon and this year, I am going all out and going to Italy to do it with my oldest son. Oh my gosh, I am excited. Setting those goals and intentions high. If you would have said I was going to do that kind of a thing 30 years ago, I would have thought you were crazy! I love the line in the 1976 road race movie The Gumball Rally, the Italian driver Franco, says, “what’s behind me is not important” as he tosses his rearview mirror away to focus on the road ahead. The past is over. Eyes forward. The future hasn’t been written yet — and the beautiful thing is, you get to help write it.