It's that time of year again! The new year is right around the corner, and with it comes a new year's resolution or ten. Most people will make new fitness or health-related resolutions in an effort to improve their lives. With so many new resolutions coming up this year, we wanted to give you some good ones that are actually possible to commit to. Want to truly see the new you? Here are our top 10 health and fitness new year resolutions that can help get your fitness, and life, back on track.

#1 Go To The Gym More Often

At the time of writing this in 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic is still in full swing. This means social distancing, wearing masks, and generally staying away from people. As you can tell, this doesn't play well with the gym.

If you truly want to commit to your new fitness resolutions, then the gym needs to be a part of that. While keeping common sense intact by sanitizing equipment and avoiding the touching of your face in the gym, you can maintain your health.

If you have absolutely no equipment at home, then the gym is a necessity. Aim to go 3-5 times weekly, during off-peak hours.

If you have equipment at home, aim for at least two of those days to be at the gym.

No matter your equipment status, try and make a schedule so that going to the gym becomes part of your daily routine for sustainable changes this new year.

#2 Eat More Fruits And Veggies For The New Year

It is no secret that eating fruits and vegetables is good for you. Half of your plate should consist of these healthy foods at every meal, as recommended by the USDA.

That being said, many people still don't reach this goal. The new year is a great time to start incorporating more fruits and veggies into your diet in order to improve your health.

Aim to have two servings of fruit and three servings of veggies per day. This could look like having an apple as an afternoon snack and adding broccoli or spinach to your dinner dish.

If you find it difficult to hit these numbers daily, try aiming for them over the course of the week instead. That way if Monday doesn't go as planned, you have six other days to make up for it.

If you still find it difficult, incorporating a high-quality greens powder into your diet can help. Field of Greens was formulated to do just that.

Either way, getting all those fruits and veggies is worth it for the new year!

#3 Learn To Cook

Disclaimer: we're not trying to open a can of worms here. But cooking is a true life skill that can make all the difference in you actually hitting some goals you set at the start of the year.

The fact of the matter is that you are likely to make very poor food choices if you wait until you are hungry to think of what to cook.

On the other hand, if you have a stocked kitchen and some recipes in your repertoire, you are much more likely to make healthy choices.

Learning to cook also has the added benefit of saving you money. Eating out is expensive, but cooking at home can be very affordable - especially if you use leftovers wisely.

The new year is a great time to start learning how to cook. There are plenty of resources available online, or you could take a cooking class at your local community center.

Once you learn how to cook, it becomes second nature, and making healthy food choices becomes that much easier.

Even better, make Tupperware your friend. Meal prep is next to godliness (sorry, cleanliness), and can ensure that you make healthy eating choices every time.

#4 For God's Sake. Eat Your Damn Breakfast

"I love to start my day with an empty tank", said no one, ever. Yet, this is what millions of people do every day.

It's no secret that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, yet more than half of Americans skip it.

This new year focus on getting a good dose of protein and carbs at every meal to regulate your blood sugar throughout the day. This will have you feeling more satisfied for longer periods of time and make those meals healthier as well.

If eating breakfast isn't an option (we know life gets busy with work and school), making sure snacks are healthy can keep your energy up until lunch or dinner rolls around.

Snacks like nuts, fruit, yogurt, whole-grain crackers all provide great sources of calories without lots of added sugar or preservatives commonly found in processed foods. On top Of this, they also come packed with health benefits that’ll help you crush your new year resolutions.

Beefy jerky is another excellent on-the-go option that provides a good source of protein without all the added sugars.

#5 Get Serious About Meditation

Meditation isn't some hippie craze that does nothing for you. In fact, the body of research on meditation has grown so much that it's no longer even doubted.

Meditation has been shown to improve brain function, reduce stress and anxiety levels, support mental health, lower blood pressure, enhance your immune system and even boost creativity.

Even better than sitting and watching a video is practicing guided meditation in person under the supervision of an instructor if possible. Most new year resolutions fail due to a lack of motivation over time so getting support from another person may be just what you need for this new goal!

The goal of meditation is to teach you appreciation. This new year, as you meditate and watch your breath flow in and out of your body try to focus on the simple things.

It may be a flower growing from the ground or dust settling onto a bookshelf. It really doesn't matter what it is so long as you appreciate it for all that it brings into your life. The new year will bring many new changes - don't let them go by without taking time every day to reflect on their significance!

At the end of the day, you need to take the good with the bad but keep moving forward nevertheless.

#6 Find An Accountability Partner

Who doesn't love competition? Having a training buddy, or accountability partner can help you achieve a lot fitness-wise.

When you have someone to help push you, it's a lot easier to stay motivated and on track.

This new year, find someone who is also interested in making some fitness changes and work together to achieve your goals! Not only will this make the process more fun, but you'll be able to support each other through the tough times.

If finding someone local isn't an option, there are plenty of online communities that can connect you with like-minded individuals from all over the globe.

There's no excuse not to have an accountability partner now - so get out there and find one!

#7 Go Alcohol-Free For One Month

January is the perfect time to embark on an alcohol fast. All the major festivities have passed, and it's back to hard work and healthy eating habits.

Giving up alcohol for just a month can have some amazing benefits for your health and fitness.

For one, it'll help you drop those extra holiday pounds in no time! Alcohol is loaded with empty calories that don't do anything for your body except make you gain weight.

It's also known to dehydrate you, which isn't good when you're trying to stay hydrated and healthy during the winter months.

Not drinking for a month will also give your liver a break from all the processing it has to do. Over time, this can lead to decreased inflammation and improve your overall health.

The best part is that it is easy for that one month to snowball into a longer period of sobriety if that's what you're interested in.

Challenge yourself this new year and go alcohol-free for the month of January! You may be surprised at how great you feel when it's all over.

#8 Set Small Goals

The worse thing that can happen is for you to feel like you started the year off by failing. Oftentimes, this happens when you set goals that are too adventurous.

This new year, set some small goals instead that you know you can achieve. This will help to boost your confidence and keep you on track for the bigger goals later on.

Start by writing out a list of things you want to accomplish this year and then break them down into smaller monthly or even weekly goals.

For example, if one of your yearly resolutions is to get in shape, your goal might be to go to the gym three times a week for January.

That's much more manageable than trying to go from zero workouts to six per week right off the bat! Whether your goals be to lose weight or just improve your fitness level, smaller goals are the way to go.

Smaller goals are also less daunting and make it easier for you to stick with them long-term. So don't be afraid to start small - you'll be surprised at how much more motivated it makes you feel!

#8 Positive Vibes Only

Negative self talk has a way of trickling down into everyday life. In fact, it's so pervasive that you might not even realize you're doing it.

This new year, make a conscious effort to only send and receive positive vibes.

What this means is that you should start by cutting out all the negative self talk from your life. This can be tough, but it's definitely worth it in the long run.

Positive reaffirmations and a can-do attitude can go a long way towards helping you achieve your new year goals. So the next time you find yourself thinking about how much of a failure you are, stop and replace those negative thoughts with something positive instead! Think of the fact that you achieved 10% more steps than yesterday, or anything to really show the strides you made.

As simple as this may seem, it can make all the difference in your new year's resolutions success rate.

#9 Set A Sleep Schedule

One of the best new year's resolutions you can make is to get more sleep. This may seem like an impossible task, but with a little bit of organization it can definitely be done!

The first step is to set a sleep schedule and stick to it as closely as possible. This means going to bed and waking up at the same time every day.

Sticking to a sleep schedule will help regulate your internal clock and also make it easier for you to fall asleep at night. You'll probably still have some sleepless nights, but don't fret - this is totally normal! Just try to get back on a regular sleeping pattern as soon as possible so that the new year's resolutions success rate stays high.

It's easy once you get the hang of it- if you feel like you've missed a few hours, make up for it on the weekend.

The most important thing is to be consistent so your body can get into a healthy sleep routine.

#10 Hydrate

Water is the source of all life. And yet, most people don't drink enough of it.

How much water do you drink every day? For new year's resolutions success rate sake, aim to up that number by at least two or three glasses a day over what you're accustomed to.

Water not only keeps you hydrated, but it also helps to flush toxins out of your system and keep your skin looking healthy.

Not a fan of water? Add some lemon or cucumber slices for extra flavor. Or try drinking herbal tea instead - this still counts as water technically!

Eventually, aim to drink at least eight glasses of water per day for optimal health. And if you find that you're struggling to hit this number, try using a water bottle tracker to stay accountable.

Just don't get your water fix from sugary drinks like juice or soda - these will only hinder your new year's resolutions success.

Final Words

It is important to remember new year resolutions are made in good faith. Don't beat yourself up if you don't get it right from the get-go. Take your time in setting new goals and don't be afraid to change them if you feel they're too daunting.

Building up positive self talk, creating manageable health goals, and staying hydrated will help you achieve all of your new year resolutions so that when next new years eve rolls around it'll be much easier for you to make new ones!