Making New Year’s Resolutions Stick: A Sustainable Approach to Health and Fitness in 2026

msalt75
5 days ago
6 min read

Author: Martin Salt, Personal Best

As the new year approaches, it’s natural to feel motivated to “do things differently”, to lose weight, get fitter and feel more in control of your health. The problem is that most New Year’s resolutions are built on a burst of January enthusiasm rather than a realistic plan. We aim for huge changes, demand instant results and then feel like we’ve failed when life gets in the way.

If you’ve watched your resolutions fade by February more than once, you’re not alone. The good news is that lasting progress doesn’t depend on willpower or punishment. It comes from small, consistent changes and a structure that helps you keep going when motivation drops.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through a more sustainable way to approach your health and fitness in 2026 and explain where working with a personal trainer can make life easier, especially if you live around Sandhurst, Yateley, Fleet or Ascot.

Why Most New Year’s Fitness Resolutions Fail

On paper, January looks like the perfect time to start again. In reality, many resolutions fall over for the same reasons:

The goals are vague (“get fitter”, “lose weight”) rather than specific.
The plan is all-or-nothing, intense workouts, strict diets, and big restrictions.
Life is busy and unpredictable, so rigid plans are hard to stick to.
We rely on being “motivated”, which naturally fluctuates.

When you put all of that together, it’s no surprise that people feel like they’re “back to square one” by spring. The problem isn’t that you’re lazy or lack discipline. The problem is the plan.

Beware the Quick-Fix Trap

Every January, there’s a wave of marketing for “miracle” solutions: crash diets, extreme bootcamps, fast fat-loss promises and 6-week “shreds”. They sound appealing because they offer certainty and speed. But they often come with a hidden cost.

Aggressive programmes can:

Leave you exhausted and injured.
Create a binge, restrict cycle with food.
Ignore the reality of work, family and stress.

They might produce short-term changes on the scales, but they rarely help you build habits you can see yourself keeping in six months. Real progress is quieter and more gradual. It fits around your life, rather than taking it over.

How to Set Health and Fitness Resolutions That Actually Stick

Behavioural science consistently shows that small, achievable changes are far more effective than drastic overhauls. Most people don’t struggle because they “lack willpower”; they struggle because their goals are vague, too big, or don’t fit around real life. These four steps are the foundations I use with clients to help them build habits they can actually keep.

1. Set Clear, Realistic Fitness Goals

Vague goals like “get fitter” or “lose weight” rarely lead to lasting change because they don’t tell you what to do or when you’ve succeeded. Instead, aim for specific, measurable actions, such as:

Walking for 30 minutes, five days a week.
Strength training twice weekly.
Improving mobility to reduce aches and stiffness.

These are all actions you can put in a diary and tick off. They also scale up or down depending on your starting point. You might begin with 10, 15 minutes of walking and build from there.

It also helps to connect your goal to a meaningful reason: more energy for work and family, better confidence in your clothes, or staying active and independent as you age. When your goals are tied to something that genuinely matters to you, it’s easier to keep going on the days when motivation is low. Writing your goals down and keeping them somewhere visible significantly increases your chance of success.

2. Build Habits Gradually

Trying to change everything at once often leads to overwhelm. Big overhauls feel exciting in week one and exhausting by week three. A more effective approach is to start with small steps:

Add a short daily walk.
Swap one sugary drink for water.
Include one extra portion of vegetables per day.

Once those feel normal, you add the next layer. This is where habit stacking is useful, linking a new habit to an existing routine so you don’t have to think about when to do it. For example, stretching while the kettle boils, doing your walk straight after school drop-off, or doing a short mobility routine before your usual TV time. The easier a habit is to start, the more likely you are to repeat it.

3. Track Progress Beyond the Scales

Weight alone doesn’t tell the full story and it can be demotivating if it’s the only thing you look at. Instead, track improvements such as:

Increased energy levels.
Better sleep quality.
Improved strength or mobility.
Reduced joint pain.

These are the changes that matter most to day-to-day life, and they often show up before big changes on the scales.

If something isn’t working, adjust it. For example, switch from running to low-impact training if joints feel uncomfortable, or break longer workouts into shorter, more frequent sessions if your schedule is busy. Progress isn’t a straight line; being willing to adapt keeps you moving forward rather than abandoning your plan altogether.

4. Create Accountability

Accountability is one of the strongest predictors of long-term success. Most people find it much easier to stick to a plan when someone else knows about it.

That might mean sharing your goals with supportive friends or family, joining a community where others are working towards similar changes, or scheduling regular training sessions so exercise is a fixed part of your week rather than an optional extra. When you’ve put something in the diary, and especially when you’ve committed your time or money to it, you’re far less likely to skip it when motivation dips.

For many of my clients, this structured accountability is the missing piece. They don’t need a perfect plan; they need a realistic one, plus someone to help them stay on track and make sensible adjustments along the way.

Where a Personal Trainer Fits In

You can make progress on your own, but there are times when working with a personal trainer is genuinely helpful, particularly if you:

Don’t know where to start or what’s appropriate for your age, fitness level or health.
Have tried several times before and struggled to maintain momentum.
Are worried about injury or managing medical conditions.
Or simply want someone to take the planning off your plate.

A good personal trainer will:

Help you set realistic, specific goals.
Design a programme around your current fitness and any limitations.
Teach you safe techniques so you avoid injury.
Progress your sessions gradually so you keep improving.
Provide structured accountability, so you don’t drift away from your plan.

That’s the approach I take with my clients at Personal Best: calm, structured and tailored, not shouty or extreme.

How I Support Clients Locally in the New Year

If you’re based in or around Sandhurst, Yateley, Fleet or Ascot, you have a few options for working with me:

At-home and outdoor sessions, if you prefer to train in your own space or nearby.
Gym-based sessions at énergie Fitness in Sandhurst if you like equipment and a familiar environment.
Short, focused programmes, for example, a kickstart block to get you moving again and confident in the basics.

A typical New Year start might look like:

An initial chat about your goals, medical history and current lifestyle.
A first session to assess movement, fitness level and confidence.
1-2 weekly sessions that combine strength, cardio and mobility.
Simple “homework” habits, such as walking targets or short routines you can do without equipment.
Regular reviews to keep things realistic as work and life change.

The aim isn’t to see how hard I can push you in January. It’s to build something you can still imagine doing in April, June and beyond.

Your Path to a Sustainable 2026

This year, you don’t need a complete reinvention. You need a plan that respects your life, your body and your priorities, and that you can see yourself following when the New Year buzz has faded.

Start small. Make your goals specific. Adjust when real life gets in the way. And, if you’d like guidance and accountability from someone who works with real people in your area rather than “before and after” campaigns, I’d be happy to help.

If you’re in Sandhurst, Yateley, Fleet or Ascot and want to talk through what a realistic plan could look like for you, you’re welcome to get in touch, and we can see whether we’re a good fit.