How to make New Year’s resolutions stick

Welcome to 2023! Whether you partied last night or went to bed early, we’re all in the same boat: a new year means thinking about new year’s resolutions. 

This tradition dates back 4000 years, so it’s certainly stood the test of time. But are new year’s resolutions a good idea? Or simply a get way to set yourself up to fail? 

Perhaps science has something to say about this.

In this episode, Jonathan speaks with Tara Swart and Sarah Berry, who share techniques that will give you the best chance of sticking to your New Year’s resolutions. They also discuss whether these promises are a good idea in the first place. 

Tara Swart is a medical doctor, a neuroscientist, and the author of The Source: Open Your Mind, Change Your Life. She also has her own podcast, called Reinvent Yourself.Sarah Berry is one of the world's leading experts on human nutrition. She has personally run more than 20 randomized clinical trials looking at how humans respond to different fats.

Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide

Timecodes:

00:00 - Introduction

00:10 - Topic introduction

01:54 - Quickfire questions

02:32 - Making good choices for the New Year without it being hard work

04:28 - Why do we do New Year resolutions and is it a good idea?

07:07 - How to achieve New Year’s resolution goals?

09:18 - Scientific evidence about how to achieve goals

09:53 - What is neuroplasticity

16:02 - 4-step process to change your brain

18:36 - How to approach weight loss resolutions

23:07 - Avoiding dieting as a New Year’s resolution

25:49 - The science of habits

33:07 - Tips & actionable advice

40:02 - Quitting alcohol

43:26 - Summary

44:00 - Goodbyes

44:11 - Outro

Episode transcripts are available here.

Get Tara’s book here.

Follow Tara on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtaraswart

Follow Sarah on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drsarahberry/ 

Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/

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