“Habit Stacking” Hack Helps New Year’s Resolutions Stick

By Dr. Scott Olson, ND Posted January 11, 2025

We’ve all been there. January 1st rolls around, and we boldly declare, “This is the year I’m going to lose weight!”

But by the second Friday of January, most well-intentioned resolutions are already gathering dust. There’s even a name for it… National Quitters Day.

In fact, a report by Strava a few years ago shows that nearly 80 percent of New Year’s resolutions are dust by mid-January. And other research finds that only nine percent of folks who make resolutions feel they’re successful at keeping them.

Keep reading to find out WHY this occurs. And, more importantly, I can tell you how to not fall victim to this quitter’s trend.

The reason so many of us fail at our resolutions is simpler than you might imagine. Resolutions, such as  “lose weight,” are far too vague. It’s like saying you want to “get rich” without having a financial plan.

But you can dramatically increase your chance of success by breaking that big, overwhelming goal into tiny, manageable daily actions.

The key is something scientists call “habit stacking,” which links new healthy behaviors to things you already do automatically daily.

Here are some examples of specific healthier-eating related micro-habits:

• Put your fork down between bites
• Add one handful of vegetables to whatever you’re already eating for lunch
• Drink a full glass of water before your morning coffee

These tiny actions might seem too small to matter. However, research shows that people who focus on specific, actionable habits are three times more likely to achieve their health goals than those who only set vague resolutions.

This approach works so well because you’re not relying on motivation (which is notoriously unreliable). Instead, you’re building new neural pathways—literally rewiring your brain to make healthy choices automatically.

Here are some suggestions on how to transform common, vague New Year’s resolutions into concrete daily habits:

Instead of “eat less sugar,” try:

• Wait 10 minutes before eating anything sweet and see if you still want it
• Keep fruit in a bowl where you normally put snacks
• Add cinnamon to your morning coffee instead of sugar

Rather than “exercise more,” choose:

• Do five squats while brushing your teeth
• Take one flight of stairs instead of the elevator
• Park in the farthest spot from every store entrance

Instead of “eat better,” make it:

• Start every meal with something green
• Eat protein first at every meal

The beauty of micro-habits is that they’re nearly impossible to fail at. Can’t do five squats? Make your goal one. Can’t wait 20 minutes? Wait for five instead. The goal is progress, not perfection.

Remember, every big change starts with a small step. Those tiny actions repeated daily, add up to remarkable transformations over time.

The best part is you can start right now. Pick just ONE micro-habit and link it to something you already do every day. Make THIS the year you stick to those resolutions.

P.S. Seven hidden culprits behind your weight gain.

Source:

Oscarsson, M., Rozental, A., Andersson, G., Carlbring, P. (2017). New Year’s resolutions: A large scale randomized controlled trial. Conference paper, Oral presentation with published abstract, 11–11.

Written By Dr. Scott Olson, ND

Nearly 25 years ago, failed mainstream medical treatments left Dr. Olson in constant pain – and his health in ruins. And that’s when he did something REVOLUTIONARY. He began his career in medicine – and dedicated his life to uncovering the true, underlying causes of disease.
Through his innovative medical practices in Tennessee and Colorado, Dr. Olson has helped cure countless seniors from across America of arthritis… heart disease… diabetes… and even cancer. All without risky prescription drugs or painful surgeries.

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