Only a few short weeks ago, we rang in the New Year. We anxiously counted the minutes until the clock struck midnight, and “poof,” we were magically transformed into the most aspirational versions of ourselves. Well, maybe it didn’t entirely go down that way.
If your social media feeds were anything like mine, you were constantly being hit with New Year’s “goals” content through December. My feed was flooded with creators instructing me to sign up for a marathon or to book a three-month stay in a never-before-visited country. While setting aspirational goals for the New Year can be fun, completely upending your life on January 1st is most likely unattainable and will leave you disappointed and defeated.
Here are the three New Year’s resolutions that I have actually stuck to. Even better, I have already seen results, which is a great confidence boost.
Celebrate 2025 right with these realistic New Year’s resolutions.
Read 10 Minutes Every Day
I am sure most of us would define our relationships with reading as “it’s complicated.” Reading for leisure is hard to come by in college. We are bombarded with academic readings throughout the week, so once we’ve finished our homework readings for the day, reading anything else seems like a chore. So, to realistically add reading for pleasure into your 2025 routine, start with reading for 10 minutes each day.
It may seem small, but small habits can completely change your lifestyle. Reading for 10 minutes a day will remind you of the joys of reading for fun, and you’ll slowly find yourself picking up a book on the bus or during downtime in your dorm.
I recommend incorporating those 10 minutes into your bedtime routine. That way, this resolution will also keep you off your phone before you go to sleep, killing two birds with one stone.
Start Interval Running
According to my social media feed, running has become an “it girl” activity in 2024. My feeds are plagued with marathon running content, running clothes hauls, and even “run with me” reels. While running a marathon is an incredible life goal, it’s probably unrealistic for a new runner who’s just looking to spice up their workout routine in the New Year. So, if you’re looking to start running in 2025, I recommend starting with interval running.
I began running last spring after about a 6-year hiatus. Besides the annual Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot (yes, I am from one of those families) I had not run since my high school field hockey days. Naturally, my body was not used to running, and I quickly realized that I needed to ease into it to be successful.
Interval running is a great way to introduce (or re-introduce) your body to running. There are tons of different interval running routines you can find on social media. My favorite is from BrettsBites on Instagram.
You can spend as little as ten minutes on the treadmill, running for 2 minutes and walking for 1 minute or up to an hour, running and walking as you see fit. Buccleuch Park just off College Ave is my favorite spot to run.
By the end of the month, your body will be able to sustain running for a longer period of time, so maybe that marathon doesn’t feel so far in the future.
Book a *Sensible* Trip
A New Year’s goal I’m sure we’re all familiar with is “travel the world.” I mean, who wouldn’t jump at the chance to pack their bags and gallivant around Europe for months on end? As a broke college student with only meal swipes to my name, it’s probably unrealistic.
However, there are plenty of ways to travel affordably, and booking a trip at the start of the year will give you something to look forward to as you battle the cold and gloomy winter months. My advice: find dates throughout the year that you are available to go on a weekend trip, whether during spring break, over the summer, or even looking ahead to fall break, and put those dates into Skyscanner. Using this site, you’ll put your departure airport in (most likely for us Jersey girls being Newark Airport), and it will scan for the cheapest destinations. I have bought flights from there for literally $30.00, and it will introduce you to destinations you may not have thought of otherwise.
For spring break, I’ll be headed to Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia for some much-needed sunshine.
You’ll get a taste of “seeing the world” through an affordable weekend away, and you can even invite your mom or friends to add in some bonding time.
Whether we welcome it or not, time always passes, and the New Year rears its head every year like clockwork. It’s exciting to imagine all of the ways you can change in the New Year, but don’t let the unrealistic standards bring you down. No matter how you started 2025, even if it’s the same as you did in 2024, New Year’s Day isn’t the only opportunity for growth. Any day is a great day to try something new.