That time of year is upon us once again, the time when everyone starts googling news year’s resolution ideas, hoping to make this year the best year ever.
I’ve compiled a mega-list of New Years Resolution ideas for 2023 that will hopefully inspire you.
I’ve divided these new years goal ideas into sections, including health, fitness, finances, learning new skills, travel, etc.
There are no rules when it comes to choosing your new years goals! Pick one from each section, pick two from one section and none from another – whatever inspires you and makes you think “YES!”
50+ New Years Resolution Ideas for 2023
New Years Health Goals to Consider
1. Reach your goal weight
Losing weight is one of the most popular new year’s resolutions. In fact, polls have shown that over a third of people make losing weight their number one resolution every year.
Whether you have just a few pounds to lose or you want to transform your entire body, then it’s important that you have the right tools to help you achieve your weight loss goals.
Tools that can help you lose weight:
- Beachbody on Demand – skip the expensive gym membership and work out at home with Beachbody on Demand. I love BOD because you get instant access to ALL of the amazing at-home workout programs for a fraction of the cost of purchasing them on DVD.
- HealthyWage – Studies have shown that money is one of the top motivators to change human behavior. If you want to motivate yourself further and get paid (!) when you reach your weight loss goals, be sure to check out HealthyWage.
2. Get more (or better quality) sleep
A good night’s sleep goes along way towards having optimal health. Helping to reduce inflammation, sharpen attention, lower stress levels and maintain a healthy weight are just a few of the benefits of getting enough sleep. The right amount of sleep varies from person to person, but on average, it’s 7-9 hours a night.
Tools that can help you sleep better:
- Calm App – the Calm app is free to download on iTunes. Calm is the top app for mindfulness and meditation and includes guided meditations called “Sleep Stories” which will help you get a more restful sleep.
- Essential Oils – there are various essential oils that can help you relax and fall asleep more easily. A classic favorite is lavender – I like to add a few drops to my pillow each night.
- Sobakawa Cloud Pillow – this crescent shaped pillow is filled with millions of tiny microbeads which conform with the contours of your head and neck. The microbeads also allow air to flow through the pillow and keep it cool, which means no more having to constantly turn your pillow over to the cool side during the night!
3. Move more
Being more active will definitely help with any weight loss goals you might have, but whether you have weight loss goals or not, it’s always a good idea to move more.
So many of us lead increasingly sedentary lives, sitting behind the wheel of the car in the morning, then sitting behind a desk for 9 hours, then coming home after work at sitting on the couch watching tv before crawling into bed. That’s a lot of non-movement…
Tips to help you move more:
- Whenever possible, walk instead of drive
- Join the kids at the playground
- Go for an evening walk in the neighborhood instead of vegging on the couch
- Get an under-desk elliptical
4. Run a 5k
A few years ago, a friend and I registered to run our first 5k, when our husbands were both deployed. I found running was a great way to help keep my mind off of focusing on the negative, along with keeping me fit and maintaining a healthy weight.
5k’s are a lot of fun to run – they’re not as grueling as a half or full marathon so they’re perfect for those who are new to running, but there is still a great feeling of accomplishment when you cross over the finish line.
Tools to help you run a 5k:
5. Eat healthier
Another goal that will also help with weight loss goals if you have them. But again, even if you don’t, we all benefit from eating healthier. Even small changes can make a bit difference in your overall health.
Some small changes to make:
- Quit drinking soda and/or alcohol
- Make a healthy smoothie for breakfast instead of a drive-through coffee and muffin
6. Schedule Regular “Me-Time”
We lead increasingly busy lives, often being pulled in a million different directions and then finally collapsing in bed only to repeat it all the next day. If that scenario sounds familiar to you, then a new years goal you might want to consider is carving out some “me-time” – time to yourself where you can relax your mind, body and soul.
Things to help you relax:
- Take a yoga class (check out 10 free yoga videos for beginners if you’re unable to get to a yoga studio)
- 15 simple ways to pamper yourself on a budget
- Download the Calm app
7. Quit sugar (or reduce your consumption)
Eating too much sugar increases your risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Yet the average American consumes over 77lbs of sugar per year. Think about that for a second – 77 POUNDS of sugar. That’s 7lbs more than than the average size of a 10 year old boy.
It can be very difficult to quit sugar cold-turkey, so it might be best to take it slowly, reducing your sugar consumption bit by bit. You might start by switching from a sugary latte to a cappuccino with no sugar, and switching your mid-morning candy bar out for a piece of fruit, for example.
8. Drink more water
Our bodies are composed of 55-60% water, which makes it fairly obvious that we require water to survive. Our bodies don’t just lose water after an intense exercise session – we lose water from simply breathing and digesting our food and because our cells, organs and bodily tissues all require water to maintain function, it’s imperative that we drink water regularly.
Tools to help you drink more water:
- 30oz inspirational water bottle with time markers to track your intake
- 10 fresh fruit infused water recipes to naturally flavor water
9. Keep track of your food and exercise
Too often we set goals like “lose weight” or “eat healthier” then we don’t actually keep track of our progress. I believe this is a big reason why we fail at achieving our goals. You may go out one evening and binge on a huge burger, fries and a chocolate lava cake then come home and think “Pfft, what’s the point of eating healthy anymore, I just ruined it all.”
But if you’re writing down your food intake, this can serve as an excellent motivational tool. Instead of focusing on what you just did, go through your food tracker diary and take note of how amazing you’ve been doing. Look at all the times you stuck your guns and made a healthy choice.
Tools to help you keep track of your food and exercise:
- MyFitnessPal free app (available on iTunes)
10. Start a strength training routine
A lot of times, women tend to focus too much on cardio and not enough on strength training. And while cardio has amazing health benefits, there are many benefits of strength training that even the most rigorous cardio session just can’t provide. This includes helping to prevent the onset of osteoporosis, protecting against injury and improving your overall physique, to name but a few.
Strength train at home with your own home gym:
11. Eat breakfast every morning
You’ve heard it before – breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Despite this, a recent survey found that 31 million Americans skip breakfast each day. Skipping breakfast can cause you to overeat during the day, which can lead to weight gain. Not eating breakfast can also cause cortisol, your stress hormone, to remain elevated, slow your metabolism and leave you feeling fatigued and “hangry.”
Read:
12. Do a Glow Up Challenge
A Glow Up Challenge can be a great way to overhaul all aspects of your life, including your physical health, mental health, fitness level and appearance. All of those small steps really add up to big positive difference!
New Years Financial Goals to Consider
13. Make Extra Money
Last year “make more money” was one of my financial goals for the new year, and I’m happy to say that I achieved it. Beyond simply asking for a pay rise at work, there are various ways to make extra money in the new year, including:
- Ibotta App – Probably the easiest way to make some extra cash. Ibotta is a free cashback app that pays you in cash rebates for thousands of grocery store items. I love Ibotta because they often include fresh produce and things like bread, milk, eggs, etc. Join here and get a $10 bonus.
- Download some free apps that pay you – check out my list of recommended apps that pay you real cash in 2023
- Get cash back when you shop online with Ebates – they also have tons of coupon codes that they automatically search for to save you money. Get a $10 gift card when you join Ebates here.
14. Learn about investing
The stock market and investing in general can seem daunting when you first get started. However, if you want your money to grow instead of letting it linger in a low or no-interest savings account, then I’d suggest looking into opening an investment account. I use a robo-advisor called Betterment which I’m thoroughly happy with.
Learn more about investing:
- 10 investment terms for beginners
- Rich Dad, Poor Dad – the book that inspired me to start investing
15. Start a savings challenge
You might’ve seen various savings challenges floating around the internet, but my favorite is the $3000 savings challenge.
Learn more here:
16. Have a “no-spend month”
If you’re not familiar with a “no-spend month” it’s pretty self-explanatory – you go an entire month without spending any money on non-essentials. Some people even go as far as to not spend any money at all. Obviously, this may not be possible, depending on your personal situation so you’ll need to figure out what would work for you. For example, we couldn’t go an entire month without spending any money at all, given that my little one drinks milk each night and milk doesn’t last a month in the refrigerator.
Some benefits of “no-spend month” include the extra money you’ll save from not buying non-essentials, increased mindfulness that comes from taking extra care of what you have and rethinking impulse purchases and increased creativity when it comes to recreational activities – instead of spending money at the cinema how about having a family board game night, for example?
Recreational ideas instead of spending money:
- Family games night
- Backyard obstacle course
- Evening walks
- Hiking in a national park
- A day at the beach
17. Cut back on material spending
This new year’s resolution idea is on a similar vein to the “no-spend month” and may actually be an unexpected by-product if you do decide to do a no-spend month.
But cutting back on material spending will save you a lot of money and will help to avoid unnecessary clutter.
18. Start a blog
Blogging can be a great way to earn extra money, either directly through your blog or through the extra opportunities/promotions that may came your way thanks to the new skills you acquire. There are countless bloggers who make anywhere from some extra spending money all the way up to a full-time income and far beyond from their blog. And the good news is, it doesn’t cost much to start your own blog.
Resources to help your start your own blog:
19. Save more money
Saving money is a popular financial new years resolution. Let’s face it – most people don’t want to spend more money when they can spend less, right? Try setting a specific savings goal that you want to achieve by the end of the year, then take the necessary steps to achieve it.
Excellent resource to help you save more money:
20. Get out of debt
Depending on your current situation, it may not be possible to completely get out of debt in one year, but it is possible to reduce your debt.
Resources to help you reduce your debt:
- Debt payoff tips – how to reduce your debt and live debt-free
- Personal capital – a free website that will help you get a complete picture of your current financial situation, including detailed graphs, your current net worth, cash flow, and more.
21. Create and stick to a budget
Creating and sticking to budget will help you get out of debt, increase your savings and see exactly where your money is going. You might be surprised to see exactly how much money you’re spending each month on latte’s or random gas station purchases. There are various tools you can use to create a budget, depending on your needs and personal preference.
Budgeting tools to check out:
- Mint.com – for those who prefer things the digital way, Mint.com is a free program that helps you easily create a budget and manage your finances all in the one place.
New Year’s Travel Goals to Consider
22. Take a staycation
My sister and I were recently talking about the beautiful attractions in the state we grew up in and how so many people seem to venture outside of the state for vacations, without ever having experienced the beauty that’s in their own backyard. If you’ve never explored the region you live in, then why not make it a new years resolution to take a staycation this year. Hop onto TripAdvisor and search for the top attractions in your own city or state – you might be surprised.
23. Experience as many different modes of transportation as you can
This is a fun goal that I did back in 2010. Over the course of the year, I traveled via:
- Foot
- Car
- Bicycle
- Tram
- Boat
- Metro
- Bus
- Plane
- Camel
- Horse
24. Go on a “learning vacation”
A learning vacation is a vacation where you spend some (or a lot) of your time learning a new skill. For example, you may go on a language immersion trip to France where you spend a few weeks learning how to speak French . Or you might go on a gourmet cooking vacation in Italy or a “Planet of the Apes” tour in Borneo.
25. Visit a world-famous landmark
The Eiffel tower, the Statue of Liberty, the Pyramids of Giza, the Empire State Building, the Great Barrier Reef, Mount Everest, Victoria Falls, the Great Wall of China…
There are hundreds of famous landmarks in the world. Some of them may only be a few hours from where you live, while others might require a trip across the world. But why not start crossing them off your list this year?
26. Plan 5 weekend getaways
A memorable vacation doesn’t always require you to take two weeks of work and to travel across the world. This year, why not plan 5 weekend getaways? Depending on where you live, you’re likely to be just a short plane ride from lots of great destinations. If a weekend plane ride doesn’t sound appealing, then just google “your city + day trips” or “your city + weekend getaways” and see what you find.
Other New Year’s Resolutions to Consider
27. Learn a new language
More and more of the world’s population is becoming bilingual. If you only speak English, then consider learning a second language this year. Learning a new language will open you up to a whole new culture and greater travel experiences.
28. Read at least 12 books
Do you know what Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerburg all have in common (besides being billionaires?) They’re all avid readers. In fact, most of the world’s most successful people all regularly devour books. As they say, knowledge is power.
Books to read this year:
29. Watch less TV
Instead of spending hours in front the TV every evening, go for a family stroll around the neighborhood, read a book, do some yoga, meal prep some healthy food for the week, play board games with the family, write in your journal, etc.
30. Start a daily meditation practice
Meditation has been scientifically proven to have significant health benefits. Try waking up a little earlier every morning and starting a 5-minute meditation practice.
31. Wake up an hour earlier
Use this extra hour to create a morning ritual, go for a run, journal, read, meditate, spend time in nature, or just think and plan your goals for the day.
32. Floss daily
There’s a reason why the dentist reminds you floss every time you see them. Flossing helps to remove the bacteria that causes cavities and tooth decay that a toothbrush can’t remove. Floss daily and decrease your risk of needing dental work done.
33. Wear sunscreen every day
Melanoma is serious and deadly, and not something you want to risk getting just for the sake of having tanned skin. Wear sunscreen on your exposed skin every day, and use a foundation and/or moisturizer with SPF 15 or SPF 30 in it.
34. Make your bed every day
Making your bed in the morning helps to set the tone for the rest of the day (you’ve already achieved something) and gives you something extra to look forward to at the end of the day (a cozy, made bed to snuggle into.)
35. Become more organized
36. Practice one random act of kindness every week
37. Donate to your favorite charity
38. Cut back on social media
Too often we fall into the comparison trap when we’re spending mindless hours scrolling through Facebook and Instagram. And you know what they say, “comparison is the thief of all joy.” Try to limit your social media to 10 minutes a day, just enough to check up on the people you care about, send a few messages, update your status, post a picture, etc., then log out.
39. Declutter your closet
Go through all your clothes and shoes and either donate or sell on ThredUp everything you don’t wear anymore
40. Start your own YouTube channel
This could be a fun hobby, a way to share your knowledge and expertise on a certain topic, or even a way to make some extra money.
41. Create a “signature meal”
Create and master a meal that you’re known for being the best at making
42. Learn one new, healthy recipe every week
43. Eat one extra piece of fruit every day
44. Only shop the perimeter of the grocery store (that’s where the healthy stuff is!)
45. Spend 10 minutes a day connecting with nature
You might spend some time barefoot in the grass, on your back porch listening to the birds, or outside at night gazing up at the stars.
46. Grow your own herbs
Fresh herbs are delicious and growing them yourself is not only fun and rewarding, it’s much cheaper than buying them from the grocery store. Plus, you know they’re free from nasty pesticides.
Resource to grow your own indoor herbs:
47. Create a morning ritual
A morning ritual can go a long way in helping you set a positive tone for your entire day. Your morning ritual doesn’t have to be anything extravagant. An example might be: wake up 30 minutes earlier than normal. Perform 5 minutes of stretching, make your bed, enjoy a cup of herbal tea, spend 10 minutes journalling.
48. Start foam rolling
Foam rolling is an excellent way to help relieve tension in your muscles, and it’s something you can easily start doing at home.
49. Create a vision board
Vision boards have become increasingly popular recently, and that’s because they work. When you create your vision board, include anything and everything that inspires you and helps to motivate you. Make sure you display your vision board somewhere you’ll see it every day, and don’t just make it and forget about it. Be sure to look at it daily and allow it to inspire you.
50. Go the doctor for a full health checkup
This is something we should be doing every year, but most of us don’t. Make it a point in 2018 to go and see your doctor and get a full checkup done. Mention any health concerns you have to your doctor – it may save your life.
51. Create your own personal mantra
Your own personal mantra is a sentence or phrase that you repeat to yourself daily, or more often. There’s no wrong or right way to create your own mantra, and there is no wrong or right personal mantra. Just like the name suggests, it’s completely personal. However, our thoughts become our reality, so this year, decrease the negative self talk and creating a positive personal mantra.