Studies show that one third of Americans, roughly 34%, set new year’s resolutions every year while only a mere 9% tend to accomplish their resolutions. If you’re anything like the 25% of people who set resolutions and fall short, you aren’t alone.

While achieving a resolution as extreme as going to the gym everyday or drinking 1 cup of coffee instead of multiple cups is possible, some people would achieve their resolutions more if they started off with smaller goals. While having the desire to go to the gym everyday and eat nothing but a plant based diet may sound like the best thing to do, sometimes the smaller actions pay off better.

Here are five tips to get you in the mindset to achieve your new year’s resolution and have an amazing 2024.

• Go To The Gym More Often.

This is always on the top of every healthy habits story. The writer of that article tells you that your life will be better if you go to the gym every other day. But for a high school student who works and does extracurriculars that’s not always practical. On the surface exercise is great for keeping your body in shape, but at a deeper glance exercise can be beneficial to your mental health. It can reduce anxiety, depression, and negative moods. It also improves self esteem and cognitive function. So overall working out has more benefits than just staying in shape.

• Get More Sleep.

The CDC recommends high school students to get anywhere between 8 to 10 hours of sleep every night. Many students find that to be unattainable due to their busy schedules. Getting a minimum of 7 hours of sleep every night is beneficial in many ways. Some of the benefits include getting sick less often, lowering your risk for serious health problems including heart disease. Getting a sufficient amount of sleep also helps you to think more clearly which comes helpful for high school students. During your sleep, your cells are repaired and your muscles are rebuilt which leaves you refreshed. 

• Limit screen time

Limiting your screen time gives you more time to connect better with your friends and family. While for teens it is exceedingly difficult to put their cell phones down, it may have benefits in the long run. Cutting your screen time can improve your posture, reduce eye strain, lower your stress and can even decrease the rate of obesity. So maybe unplugging yourself from your device may be the route you want to take when achieving your resolution.

• Drink More Water and Less Soda/Sugary  Beverages

While sugary drinks like soda, energy drinks and sports drinks are good to you when you drink them, their lasting effects aren’t so great. So opt for water and if you’re one of those people who thinks water tastes gross, invest in some sugar free drink flavoring. A benefit that cutting sugary drinks proses is this, when you cut out the sugar in your drinks gives you more  room to fill up on food. It also satisfies your nutritional needs. Drinking water helps you by flushing body waste, regulates body temperature, helps maintain blood pressure, boosts skin 

• Practice Self Care(Kindness, Compassion and Gratitude)

As important as it is to set habits that benefit your physical health, taking care of your mental health is equally if not more important. Some benefits to practicing self care can include; reduced levels of stress, improved moods, increased productivity and energy. Self care can also prevent diseases and sickness. So be kind yourself and find some peace in self care whether that be in having a spa day or going to a sporting game you’ve wanted to or even reading a book if that’s your thing.