We’re about to transition into a new year and with that comes many plans and hopes for the months ahead. If one of your resolutions for 2025 is to make some positive changes to your lifestyle, you won’t regret it. When life gets busy, exciting, or stressful – you’ll need energy and physical stamina to tackle what comes your way. 

Dr. Monika Wells, internal medicine physician at Kaiser Permanente, shares that there are three important things to consider this year to help you thrive: your diet, your alcohol intake, and how much you exercise. But first, it’s important to recognize that each person is unique.

“Don’t compare yourself to others,” she said. “Healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes.”

Here are some key things to keep in mind, so you can be successful in reaching your health goals this year.

Ways to Transform Your Diet

The 2020-2025 dietary guidelines for Americans suggest an eating pattern with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and lean proteins.  

Dr. Wells said, “Healthy eating will help you achieve the right balance of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. These nutrients keep your heart beating, your brain active, and your muscles working.”

Making big changes to your diet can feel overwhelming at first, so to make it more manageable, consider starting with just one thing. For example, try adding more of your favorite fruits and vegetables to your daily diet, then work on integrating additional varieties into your meals. Or plan to cook and pack your lunches at home rather than getting fast food multiple times per week. In addition, “Consider your snacking tendencies and make healthier items grabbable, rather than reaching for greasy or sugary snacks that don’t really fill you up,” Dr. Wells shared.

“I recommend that people keep healthy snacks in the home,” Dr. Wells shared. “It’s common to get hungry and want something to eat between meals. If you surround yourself with easy access to healthy options—such as nuts, apples, a granola bar—you are setting yourself up for success.”

Changing your eating habits takes a deliberate effort and plenty of patience. Meal planning can help tremendously and will reduce your chances of giving into those cravings for pre-packaged to-go food.  

“Don’t overthink your meals too much,” Dr. Wells recommended. “Just try to eat real food—food that is not highly processed. A rule I like that helps a lot of my patients is the fewer legs a protein has, the healthier it is—no legs is better than two legs, which is better than four legs. So, fish or soy is healthier than chicken, which is healthier than beef. Try to get a range of colors into your diet—naturally of course, not through candies. And drink plenty of water. If you do these things, you’ll have made a great start toward healthy eating practices. You can always fine-tune later.”

Benefits of Reducing Your Alcohol Intake
It’s critical to keep a close eye on your alcohol intake, as it can significantly impact your physical, emotional, and mental health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends women have no more than one drink a day and men have no more than two. Even moderate drinking can have negative health effects and can lead to an increased risk of cancer or heart disease.

There are many benefits to reducing your alcohol consumption. Your mental clarity will improve, there is less risk of liver disease, depression, and high blood pressure, and cutting down alcohol can help you reach your weight loss goals.

How to Create an Exercise Plan That Sticks

Planning to lose weight is one of the most common New Year’s resolutions. Unfortunately, many people get frustrated when they don’t see quick results. Dr. Wells suggests thinking about losing weight in a new way.

She said, “Consider reframing your thinking about weight loss and exercise, shifting your goal from ‘I’ll lose 10 pounds’ to ‘I’ll do something physically active that I enjoy’. Instead of focusing on numbers on a scale, try focusing on a new number: 150. Health care providers recommend 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity physical activity for most people. Many studies show that 150 minutes per week will trigger the health benefits of regular exercise such as heart health and circulation, blood sugar, and energy, mood, and memory.”

Your journey to an energetic, healthier, and more active lifestyle in 2025 is doable!

To learn more about how Kaiser Permanente can help you reach your health goals,

visit kp.org.