Published: 15th December 2025.
Last updated: 15th December 2025.
Author: Cara Sherratt.

 

 

Live Better for Yourself

New Years Resolution Ideas for Physical Health

Set a challenging physical objective

Kick off the year by pushing your physical limits, if you’re feeling ambitious this year! Discover a new challenge that excites or motivates you to push physical boundaries. Whether it’s running your first 10K, mastering a new sport or climbing mountains – there are plenty of challenges to choose from. Even if you set a goal that feels out of reach, document your progress and consider that your win, no matter how close you get. See what organised challenges are available to sign up to, here. Get fit and support a cause.

Concentrate on nutrition and improving diet

Fuel your body with purpose by paying a little more attention to what you eat in 2026. You can aim to add more unprocessed foods, increase your water intake or start to include a vegetable with every meal. In your quest to make changes to your diet, why not consider joining on of the many schemes that run in the new year such as Veganuary or Dry January?

Give sleep the attention it deserves

Sleep is the foundation of both your mental and physical wellbeing, yet it is often overlooked. Make 2026 the year you prioritise better sleep habits and establish solid bedtime routines. There are several things that can affect quality and quantity of sleep that can be a great place to start when looking to improve how you feel in your day-to-day life. From limiting screen time before bed to cutting down on late-night snacks, whatever you can do to sleep better, your body and brain will thank you.

New Years Resolution Ideas for Mental Health

Commit to learning something new

Embrace the fresh start that the new year brings by diving into a subject, hobby or skill that you’ve always been curious about. Whether it’s a new language, learning to play an instrument or gaining a professional certification, learning keeps your mind sharp and your perspective fresh. Add some momentum to your year by learning new skills that benefit others, whether that’s by booking a course with us here at St John Ambulance, or finding a new way to add to a creative suite that you’re on the way to mastering. If you’re short on time, take a look at cheaper and more flexible E-learning options to gain new skills from home.

Dedicate more time to self-care

Self-care is a powerful way to develop systems that feel like a treat, that directly work to improve your mental well-being. Make self-care a non-negotiable part of your routine by carving our time for activities that recharge you or revamp your mindset. Consider spending some time in the new year to focus on enhancing your emotional health through areas such as personal hygiene, environment, rest, healthy inputs and outputs to directly improve the way you feel.

Organise your environment

A clutter-free space supports a clutter-free mind, so they say. Start by organising your workspace or by decluttering your home or digital environments. Whether you are creating an organised environment for one or multiple rooms of your home or just organising that kitchen cabinet to throw out those expired tins that have made their way to the back to perish. Digitally, why not consider finally deleting the hordes of photos or emails that you’ve been meaning to deal with on your phone or laptop? Organising your environment is a great place to start to give yourself some breathing room into the next year.

 

Live Better for Those Around You

Pledge to spend some time volunteering

Giving your time to help others is one of the most rewarding resolutions that you can make. Volunteering not only supports your local community, but it can also bring a sense of purpose and connection to your life. Combine special interests such as caring of pets and consider supporting your local animal charities or take a love for helping others to discover what volunteering opportunities might be available in the First Aid space. Whatever you choose, even small acts of kindness can make a big impact to yourself and those around you.

Organise some fundraisers

Take your drive to make an impact and combine it with something fun, creative or challenging. Choose a cause that you are passionate about and design a fundraiser, or join an organised event, to bring people together to drive positive change. Whether it’s donning the oven gloves and organising a workplace bake sale or tying up your laces for a charity fun-run, fundraising not only helps to encourage healthy habits but it also raises awareness for important causes. Foster a spirit of generosity or aim for a sense of achievement in completing a pre-set goal, be inspired this new years and see what you can achieve.

Visit loved ones more often

Sometimes, there is no better way to improve your mood by visiting someone who remains close to your heart. Strengthen your relationships and make more time for the people who matter most this New Year. Regular visits with family and friends can nourish your emotional well-being and create shared, lasting memories for everybody involved. In a world where everyone is busy, make more of a conscious effort to prioritise moments of connections and create deeper bonds with your nearest and dearest Why not combine some New Year goals and gather a group together to take on fundraisers, volunteer, or get kids involved with good causes through youth programmes.

 

Live Better for the Environment

Spend more time outdoors

Reconnecting with nature provides a wide variety of benefits. Whether you choose to reconnect with natural environments or base a new hobby around your love for the outdoors, there is plenty you can do to support yourself and the natural world. From following initiatives that support local wildlife, to simply spending more time in your own garden, fresh air and natural surroundings are proven to be mood-boosters. Appreciating the beauty around you can lead to a decrease in stress and improve overall health.

Put more energy into your environmental outputs

Resolutions could also involve taking active steps to reduce your environmental outputs, benefiting you, others and the world we live in. Take some time to evaluate both your inputs and outputs to conserve resources and contribute to a healthier planet. Whether you commit to recycling as much as possible, reducing single-use plastic consumption, choosing more eco-friendly travel options or start composting, every small action makes a positive environmental difference.

Set targets to improve your environmental impact

Start your eco-friendly intentions by setting manageable, or measurable, clear and achievable goals. Whether it’s reducing your carbon footprint and using smart metres to track progress or by conserving water, defining your targets can help you stay motivated. By creating personal trackers or downloading an app, track your progress to stay motivated and view your progression towards a greener lifestyle.

 

Live Better – and stick to it!

To truly achieve your goals and move towards a better way of living, start by setting reasonable goals for your resolutions and celebrate consistency and progress rather than perfection. Build in a solid review process that involves regular check-ins to reflect on your journey and celebrate wins as necessary. Focus on actionable lifestyle changes and feel empowered to adjust your journey if required. Take the opportunity of the new year to support both your mental wellbeing and physical health, balance sustainable good habits and do what you can to elevate those around you.