New Year’s resolutions: Staying healthy in 2025

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — With the new year in full swing, so too are new year’s resolutions. 

This week we have the tips you need to keep those resolutions, including one of the most popular ones—to eat healthier and exercise more.  

“I think they’re great as long a they’re achievable and nothing too drastic,” Personal Trainer Simon Howell explained. 

Howell says the big mistake a lot of people make when carrying out that resolution is starting too strong.  

“If you do too much all at once, you’re body’s not going to react the way you might want it to,” Howell said. 

The Global Health and Fitness Association said 12% of new gym sign-ups happen in January, but only 1 in 5 of those members stay until the summer.  

Although—Howell said—you don’t need a gym to exercise. He said going on runs or doing push-ups is a good place to start.  

“Implementing cardio of course, implementing weight training, but the biggest thing is nutrition,” Howell noted. 

Dietician Sara Parrish said when it comes to eating healthier, you have to start with a realistic goal. She said if you try to drastically change your diet it isn’t always sustainable in the long term.  

“What do we do then? We revert back to whatever we were doing before. Completely revert back. We don’t find that middle ground,” Parrish explained. 

Parrish added if you aren’t already—be sure to drink plenty of water every day and balance the levels of proteins and carbohydrates you eat.  

Although—she said—you shouldn’t think about what foods to cut out of your diet, but what you can add in, like implementing fresh fruit or vegetables.  

“Don’t find that it’s beneficial to put any kind of emphasis on restriction, cutting specific things completely out of our diet. Those types of diet plans are typically not sustainable,” Parrish noted.  

Additionally, instead of thinking about your physical health in terms of weight, Parrish recommends monitoring more precise indications of health, like muscle mass, blood pressure, or cholesterol levels. 

“I try to really help my clients see that their health and how they feel, their physical and mental health is more important than a number on the scale,” Parrish said.