The new year is upon us, and there’s no better time than now to start a new challenge and start working toward those goals you’ve been putting off!

This 5-day challenge is designed to help you stay focused and reach your goals with action steps and a plan for each day that you can stick to. When you start a new plan for the year, it can be isolating to think about doing it all on your own or trying to come up with action steps and ideas that resonate with your goals.

There are no drastic steps here, no cold turkey plan to help you reach those goals. Everything within this 5-day challenge is designed to be easily implemented into your daily routine! Gone are the days when you feel stuck in an unending loop of diet, binge, repeat.

Each step in this challenge is about refocusing on you and what your body really needs.

Let’s get started!

the plan

The idea behind this program is simple: within the first 5 days of the new year, you’re going to incorporate one new, healthy habit a day.

Simple, right?

These healthy habits are designed to replace bad habits that may have sprung up in your daily life. All those little actions and moments add up and create a habit or rut in your routine where it seems like everything starts to fall apart.



You might not even notice the bad habits! They can be small things you do each day that start to wear on your body and mind.

Even if you haven’t noticed before, take a moment to look through your routine. Where are the areas that need some work and extra attention?

isolating bad habits

All good habits have to start somewhere, and they often begin with the realization that a bad habit is holding you back from being the most successful version of yourself.

Isolating those bad habits is the first step toward creating new ones!

Take a few minutes before the start of this 5 day challenge to take stock of your habits. Comb through your morning and evening routines, take a look at what you do each day during work, and focus on any of the repetitive behaviors that are causing you to struggle.

Even if you can only find a few habits that aren’t doing the best things in your life, changing them can give you a whole new perspective!

How to create new habits

New habits are easier said than done.

When you’re in the process of replacing one bad habit with another, there are inevitably going to be hiccups along the way. Bad habits are often born out of convenience and convincing your body and mind that even though something is convenient, it doesn’t make it a good choice, and can be a hard fight.

Consistency:

The key to creating any new habit is consistency. You might not be over the top committed, but as long as you do your new habit instead of falling into the old ones, you’ve got consistency nailed! Eventually, this consistency will give way to habit, and you’ll find a whole new habit in place of the old one. It’ll become second nature in no time.

Accountability:

No matter how dedicated you are to creating a new habit, it can be hard to stay on the straight and narrow when it’s just you. Creating accountability for yourself is a great way to ensure the consistency you want with a new habit. Reach out to friends and family who can remind you of your dedication to creating this new habit. They can help distract you when temptations arise and offer encouragement when things are going well. There’s no reason to do this process on your own! Community is everything!

Creativity:

In the process of creating a whole new habit, some thinking outside the box may be required! Instead of simply doing what comes to your mind first, think creatively about your next daily habit. You never know what you’ll be capable of achieving if you don’t start thinking beyond what’s usual.

new year 5-day new habit challenge

With a whole new year in front of you, there’s no time like the present to switch up your old routine and habits for something new and more productive! The new year is going to be your most efficient yet!

Day 1: Drink more water

We seem to spend the majority of our lives slightly too severely dehydrated!

This dehydration can leave you with headaches, fatigue, and make it difficult to concentrate. See how that can end up affecting your whole day?

On the first day of the new year challenge, the goal is to start the day with a glass of water. Before you reach for the coffee, tea, or energy drink, drink a glass of iced water. If you want to up your game, make it a lemon water!



Throughout the day, make it your goal to drink 8 (you read that right!), 8 glasses of water! This will help you stay hydrated, stave off headaches, and keep you from reaching for those sugary snacks later on in the day.

TIPS FOR DAY 1

One of the simplest things you can do to help ensure you drink plenty of water on this first day of the challenge and throughout the year is to find a water bottle or glass that you really like. That might seem very simple, but if you like holding, reaching for, and carrying around a specific bottle, you’re more likely to reach for it throughout the day.

On top of having a water bottle you really like, keep a water log for yourself throughout the day. This can be as simple as a sticky note or as complex as a line in your bullet journal but keeping track helps you see if you’ve reached your goals and how you want to continue to improve.

Utilize low-sugar and low-carb water flavors. Sometimes another glass of water can be pretty boring. There are plenty of options for low-sugar and low-carb water flavors that you can add to spice things up!

Day 2: EAT MORE FRUITS & VEGGIES

After the holidays and feast after feast of high-calorie, carb-dense foods, it can leave you feeling stuck in a rut with your food choices.

On the second day of the new year challenge, the goal is to include more fruits and vegetables in your meal plan!



Fruits and veggies are packed with nutrients that our bodies need and crave. Not only are they filled with nutrients, but they’re also a great source of fiber. This fiber keeps you fuller, longer, and makes it unnecessary to reach for those sugar, carb-heavy foods that seem so appealing.

TIPS FOR DAY 2

Getting more fruits and vegetables in your diet can be difficult, but there are a lot of simple ways to ensure you get some in at every meal of the day! For breakfast, you can easily add fruits to yogurt or eat it whole, even if you’re heading out the door quickly.

After your workout or when you’re trying to eat something healthy without overdoing it on sugar and carbs, blend your fruits and vegetables into a smoothie. There are plenty of great recipes that include several different types of fruits and vegetables, so you get your daily dose but still get to enjoy a protein-packed smoothie!

DAY 3: GET ACTIVE

The holiday season can feel sluggish. You’ve been driving, sitting, eating, and just relaxing throughout this time, and it can be hard to pull yourself out of the loop and get back into being active!

Being active doesn’t have to mean hitting the gym 3 or 4 times a day. Learning to be more active and creating a new habit around that fact just means getting up and getting your body moving.

There are lots of ways to get active and start honing in on what your body can really do! No need to start running marathons or completely upending your life to get more active. Little changes in your daily habits mean a lot, and today is all about kickstarting your active side.

TIPS FOR DAY 3

When you’re in the process of creating a new active habit, start slow. It might be tempting to try going to the gym several times a day or learning to start running when you haven’t run since middle school. Start slow! Go for a walk at least once a day, or spend 15 minutes dancing around your kitchen. Do at-home workouts or start with a beginner yoga class for the low-impact exercises you need to get started.

Try to work out at the same time each day. Consistency is key with any new habit, and when it comes to getting active, working out at the same time each day sets the standard and puts you in the right mindset.

Going it all alone can be hard on your body and your mind! Find an accountability partner for your new active habit. This can be anyone from your partner to your friends to another family member. An accountability partner is there to encourage and help motivate you to keep getting up and getting active with each day of the new year!

DAY 4: LIMIT SCREEN TIME

No matter what your job may be or your favorite hobbies, there’s a good chance that you spend too much time on some form of a screen. From your phone to your laptop or the TV, screens are everywhere.



Taking a break from those screens is invaluable! Too much screen time can cause headaches, eye strain, and neck and shoulder pain. As a new habit, try as much as you can to limit your screen time to just 2 hours per day.

For some, it’s hard to take too many breaks since your job requires work on the computer. If you can’t limit the amount of time you’re staring at a screen, plan out your breaks so you can give your mind and body a break from the screen every hour or so.

TIPS FOR DAY 4



Set a timer. It might sound too simple to be true, but simply setting a timer for yourself, so you know your screen time is over can be a great asset in your habit-building journey!

Screens seem to constantly be surrounding us. We’ve got them tucked in our pockets, they line the walls of stores, and we spend most of our working time staring at one type or another. Make the conscious choice to go on a walk in nature without taking your headphones or your phone. Enjoy the sounds happening, talk with other people, or just enjoy the sunshine!

day 5: take a break

The nature of work and commitment in our daily lives often means we just go, go, go without ever pausing for a breath. Today’s challenge is all about teaching your body and mind that it’s okay to take breaks!

When you’re in the process of studying or working, you can feel like you’re on a roll, but you’re really just spinning your wheels. Taking a 5-10 minute break every hour or so can help improve your focus and concentration!

TIPS FOR DAY 5

You’re on a roll, things seem to be going well, which means it can feel like you’re wasting time on a break. Push yourself to get up and take a break. Don’t let yourself just keep working! Taking care of yourself can mean pausing your work and letting your mind rest.

Practice your self-affirmations during this break! A natural pause in your work or studying can be the perfect moment for some self-affirmations.

Takeaway

Starting a new habit takes effort! It won’t happen overnight, but with a 5-day jumpstart, the new year is going to be an outstanding one for sure!

Creating these new habits means staying consistent each day and with the first 5 days set out for you, the rest of the year is going to be easy. Simple changes make a huge difference and today is the day to start!