January Health Challenge: 31 Inspiring Goals to Build the Healthiest You

Data suggest eight out of ten people who make New Year’s resolutions give up on their goals by…February 1st. And only 8% manage to sustain their new habit all year long.

One big reason for this, says Haley Perlus, PhD, a doctor of sport and exercise psychology, is that people don’t have a way to hold themselves accountable when things get tough—and unfortunately, it isn’t enough to simply want to change.

“Big changes and lofty goals do not occur like magic,” Dr. Perlus tells The Healthy @Reader’s Digest. “They take a lot of work, but it’s hard to do that on our own because change takes us out of our comfort zone and habits.” She adds: “The larger the goals, the more critical it is to have some outside structure and accountability, especially as time goes by after the ‘honeymoon’ phase of the excitement wanes and the challenges arise.”

Keep reading this article on The Healthy.