With a new year shortly upon us, you might soon start to think of what resolutions you’re going to make come January — after you thoroughly enjoy the food and festivities of the holiday season, of course. If you plan to make at least one New Year’s resolution, you’ll be in good company. At the beginning of 2024, Pew Research Center found that around 30% of American adults planned to make at least one resolution, with half reporting that they would make more than one.1 Despite the majority of Americans’ eagerness to make a resolution, sticking with it to the end of the year isn’t a common outcome. Just 9% of people report following through with their resolutions throughout the year.2
Of those who made resolutions, 79% said their resolution was focused on their health — making it the most common resolution category.1 While the first health-related goals that come to mind may be losing weight and exercising, there’s a lot more than that to the entire category of health and wellness. Wellness, in addition to meaning being in good health, is described more generally as building and practicing healthy habits in order to increase both mental and physical health. Wellness, then, isn’t so much a specific, measurable goal like weight loss or exercising, but more of a routine, ongoing healthy way of living. Wellness isn’t just about physical health either; it encapsulates many aspects of health and self-care: physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional, too.
When it comes to the variety of subcategories that overall wellness entails, think of all the habits you can add to your wellness goal: exercising, eating healthier, taking vitamins, taking care of minor injuries when they happen, and practicing mindfulness. Simple ways to work towards those goals are getting good quality sleep, better nutrition, drinking water, reducing stress, mindfulness, staying active, stretching, and strength training, to name a few.
If a wellness goal is something you’ll be working towards in 2025, consider putting together a New Year wellness kit to help keep you accountable, motivated, and on track to not only consistently work toward your goals, but to stick with them through the entire year and beyond. A wellness kit should be personalized with items to help you reach your specific goals.
Here are some ideas of things to keep in your New Year wellness kit to help keep you motivated. Include some things for daily use, some to keep you prepared, some to remind you to take time for yourself and some things that make you feel good.
Pill organizer
Keep your vitamin goals on track with a pill organizer to help make taking vitamins easier and to help you remember to actually take them. Taking vitamins consistently and routinely will help their effectiveness.
Compression wraps
If exercise is part of your wellness goals, injuries may occur — especially if you overdo a workout or have improper form if you’re new to exercising. When an injury occurs, be prepared to care for it with a compression wrap, which can help with a minor injury like a sprain or strain. Compression is the third step in the RICE method for minor injuries like these, so have these on hand to be ready. Compression, along with icing, helps reduce inflammation and improve oxygen flow in the blood.
Hot & cold compress
Muscles can get sore from exercise or injury, so keeping a hot & cold compress on hand to tend to injuries or sore muscles will help you recover quicker and keep you active and mobile.
Exercise equipment
Small, versatile pieces of exercise equipment like a yoga mat, dumbbells, resistance bands, or a jump rope can give you an easy way to stay active, even if you can’t leave the house. Doing short, simple movements is better than doing none at all!
Journal or planner
Keep track of exercises or wellness milestones, set goals, jot down thoughts, or practice gratitude. All of these are steps in the right direction of mental wellness.
Bath salts
Epsom salts are made of magnesium sulfate and can help relax muscles and relieve pain. Use Epsom salts in a hot bath when you have sore or cramping muscles
Hot tea
Health benefits vary between kinds of teas, but in general, they can boost immune health and combat inflammation as well as help you calm and relax.
Affirmation notes or mindfulness cards
Another way to practice mindfulness, and gratitude or to keep up your confidence and motivation.
There are several ways you can set yourself up for success in your path to wellness. First and foremost, plan ahead. Write down ideas of what your wellness journey will entail. Think back on past failed resolutions and why they failed, then make plans of what you’ll do differently to succeed this time. Make sure to be realistic about your goals. For example, if you’re not currently exercising, it could be hard to go straight into a 5-day-a-week workout routine. While it’s a more specific and measurable goal, it can be hard to keep yourself motivated to get a workout in as much as you’d like. Instead, if you build a New Year wellness kit with a broader goal of taking daily steps toward better wellness, the myriad of options to stick with that goal becomes easier.
Wellness and self-care go hand-in-hand. Studies have shown that self-care can reduce anxiety, depression, stress, and frustration while increasing concentration, happiness, energy, and more. It can also help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer.3 So while your New Year wellness kit can help you keep up with your New Year’s goals, it is also beneficial for your physical health and your overall wellness.
References
1. Pew Research Center New Year’s resolutions: Who makes them and why. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/01/29/new-years-resolutions-who-makes-them-and-why/
2. Drive Research New Year’s Resolutions Statistics and Trends [2024] https://www.driveresearch.com/market-research-company-blog/new-years-resolutions-statistics/
3. Southern New Hampshire University What is Self-Care and Why is it Important For You? https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/health/what-is-self-care