5 Most Popular New Year’s Resolutions for 2020

Well, it’s official—2019 is now firmly cemented in the books of history. You know what that means, don’t you? It’s time to set some new year’s resolutions for 2020.

The most popular new year’s resolutions have remained virtually unchanged for decades now. According to a recent survey from Ipsos and Urban Plates, the top new year’s goals are—unsurprisingly—mostly centered around managing finances, eating healthier and getting more exercise.

While these resolutions may not be new or groundbreaking, that doesn’t mean they’re not worth doing. That’s why we’re taking a closer look at the top five new year’s resolutions for 2020 and dishing out our best tips on how to stick with them this year.

But first, here are a few things you need to know about the most popular new year’s resolutions for 2020:

• The three most popular new year’s resolutions were to manage finances better, be more active and eat healthier
• The best way to keep your new year’s resolutions is to set small, realistic goals for yourself
• Increase your chances of sticking to your goals by keeping track of your progress

We seem to set the same new year’s resolutions, year after year, only for them to fail. Let’s change that, shall we? Here’s a quick look at the top five most popular new year’s resolutions for 2020 and how you can finally make them happen.

1. Manage Finances Better

Want to get your finances under control this year? If so, you’re in good company. According to the Ipsos/Urban Plate survey, more than half of respondents said their goals were related to finances.

Whether you’re thinking about saving more money, paying down debt or cutting back your spending, the key to sticking with your financial goals is to make budgeting a habit. Once you establish a budget, tracking your money will be much easier. 

Consider downloading a budgeting app such as Mint to help you manage your finances. That way, you can easily identify areas where you can stand to cut your expenses. Spending money on an uncomplicated skin care system is reasonable. Spending money on an inflatable dinosaur costume—not so much.

2. Eat Healthier

Eating healthier in the new year is a commendable goal. It’s also one of the most difficult to keep for the long-term for reasons that may not necessarily be your fault.

You’re probably well aware that there are certain foods (French fries, anyone?) that make eating a downright pleasurable experience. According to a 2011 study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, consuming highly-palatable foods activates the chemical reward system in the brain, which overrides the body’s signal that enough food has been eaten and increases the likelihood of overeating (see claim: “…findings suggest that when motivation to eat is generated by the availability of highly palatable food and not by food deprivation, a peripheral activation of two endogenous rewarding chemical signals is observed.”)

If you want to make your healthy eating goals stick, remove unnecessary temptation of these dangerously-good foods by keeping them out of your kitchen. Instead, stock up on a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables that you can grab on the go. If it’s easily accessible, you’ll be more likely to make good decisions that won’t derail your goals of healthy eating.

3. Be More Active

Hoping to ramp up your fitness regimen in the new year? Good for you. Breaking a sweat each day comes with a slew of mental and physical health benefits that will get your 2020 off to an amazing start.

If you want to stick with your fitness routine this year, consider logging your exercises in a fitness diary. According to research presented at the Annual Conference of the British Psychological Society’s Division of Occupational Psychology, you can increase the chances of achieving fitness goals by recording your goals in a diary.

Researchers believe that one of the reasons keeping a fitness diary is beneficial is because it can make tracking mini-goals much easier, which ultimately leads to larger goals. Start logging your goals in a fitness journal and you’ll be one of the few people left in the gym by the time February rolls around.

4. Lose Weight

If your new year’s goal is to lose weight, do yourself a huge favor by skipping all the fad diets. Going on a restrictive diet where you can eat only a limited number of foods is almost guaranteed to fail.

Instead, you should download an app to track your food/calorie intake. Then, you should set realistic weight loss goals for yourself.

That last part is key to losing weight and keeping it off. According to a 2005 study published in Obesity Reports, women who had higher weight loss expectations were more likely to drop out of their weight loss program compared to those who set smaller, more reasonable goals (see claim: “…the higher the expectations, the higher attrition at 12 months.”)

5. Improve Mental Well-being

Taking care of one’s mental health is critical to living a happy, well-balanced life. If you’ve been busy catering to everyone else’s needs, it’s all-too easy to overlook your own.

In 2020, focus on prioritizing your mental health by practicing regular self-care. Start each morning with a meditation session. Take Fido for a relaxing walk.

Go ahead, pamper yourself with a mani-pedi. Yes, that includes all you guys as well. They have pedicures and manicures for men, you know.

If you have a hard time doing things for yourself, schedule your “me” time like you would any other appointment. Think of it as a date or a meeting with yourself that you can’t miss.

Making 2020 One for the Books

No matter how 2019 turned out for you, 2020 is a brand new year that is full of possibilities. If you want to make it one for the books, consider taking a different approach to your new year’s resolutions.

Remember to set small goals that are realistic and don’t beat yourself up if you fall off the wagon once or twice. With enough preservation and a lot of motivation, you can have your best year yet.

References

Hedonic Eating Is Associated with Increased Peripheral Levels of Ghrelin and the Endocannabinoid 2-Arachidonoyl-Glycerol in Healthy Humans: A Pilot Study | The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism | Oxford Academic. Accessed 27 Dec. 2019.

“How to Keep That New Year Resolution to Get Fit.” ScienceDaily, Accessed 27 Dec. 2019.

Weight Loss Expectations in Obese Patients and Treatment Attrition: An Observational Multicenter Study. - PubMed - NCBI. Accessed 27 Dec. 2019.