New Year, Better Health Resolutions
New Year’s Day has always been a time for making new commitments for self-improvement– Gyms are packed, planners are full, and “new year, new me” is everywhere. But by February, many have already quit their resolutions. In fact, research shows that 80% have tapped out by the second week of January, making the second Friday of January, National Quitters Day.
Part of the problem is if your neighborhood doesn’t have safe sidewalks, fresh food, affordable clinics, clean air, or decent schools, your “personal” health plan is already starting from behind and willpower alone is not enough. What’s really failing is the system around you.
This year, instead of only asking, “What will I do for my health?” also ask, “What will I do for my community’s health?” In other words, we need public health resolutions.
Why Personal Resolutions So Often Fail
Most resolutions are built on the idea that if we just tried harder, we’d be healthier.
But think about what “try harder” looks like when you’re carrying the daily stress of discrimination, racism, or poverty: there’s nowhere safe to walk after work, you can’t get time off to see a doctor, or the only clinic nearby is overwhelmed, or the copay is more than your grocery budget.
For Black and marginalized communities, that constant strain has a name: weathering. Over time, the body “wears down” from living in unfair conditions. So when we make a list of resolutions that ignore those conditions, failure is blamed on character rather than context.
Public health resolutions start from a different place. They say, “The problem is not just you; it’s also the conditions around you. And we can do something to change those conditions.”
What Is a Public Health Resolution?
A public health resolution is a specific commitment to help change the conditions that shape health for many people in your community.
It connects:
Civic engagement (how you show up as a resident and voter),
Policy (the rules that quietly govern your life), and
Daily life (your street, your school, your clinic, your water, your air).
Instead of only thinking about losing 10 pounds as a personal health goal, a public health resolution asks you to think about the conditions that contribute to your health and what you can do about it to make you and others in your community be the healthiest they can be. Ask yourself, “What is one concrete thing I can do to get involved so that I am involved and informed about decisions affecting the health of my community? “
Thinking about your commitment to improving your health from a public health lens helps you meet your goals and benefits the community.
Four Public Health Resolutions You Can Make This Year
Here are a few examples you can choose from or adapt. Pick one to start.
1. “I will treat voting as a health behavior.”
We often talk about voting as a civic duty, but also see it as a health practice. Policy decisions shape community health goals by having the following:
Safe neighborhood parks, pools, and sidewalks
Open hospitals or clinics
Clean water
Affordable insurance
A public health resolution might be:
Check your voter registration this month.
Learn the dates of your local and primary elections (not just presidential).
Commit to voting in every election, even the ones many people ignore because those are usually the ones that hit closest to home.
2. “I will learn and speak up about one local issue that affects health.”
You don’t have to track every headline. Perhaps choose one of the following:
A redistricting fight that will decide who represents your neighborhood.
A proposed data center or industrial site that will increase pollution or strain water and power.
A planned hospital or clinic closure.
A change in your state’s Medicaid or insurance rules.
Your resolution could be:
Read about that issue.
Talk about it with a friend or family member—not as “politics,” but as a question about health and quality of life.
Make a phone call or send an email to an elected official about your concerns.
3. “I will strengthen my social connections on purpose.”
Love, friendship, and belonging can reduce stress and loneliness, improve mental health, and even increase longevity. Social activities and passion projects outside of work and obligations can buffer against weathering effects. Public health research agrees: connection matters.
A public health resolution here might be:
Join or re‑join one group (e.g., a church ministry, book club, card game, walking group, fraternity/sorority chapter, neighborhood association).
Or set a regular check‑in with “your people” so someone notices when you go quiet.
That’s not just “being social.” It’s building a health‑protective network.
4. “I will support one organization working on health equity.”
There are people and groups already fighting for cleaner air, better clinics, fairer maps, and more affordable care.
Your resolution could be to:
Make a small monthly donation,
Volunteer a few hours, or
Amplify their work online and in conversation.
Whenever possible, look for Black‑led and community‑based organizations (e.g., NAACP Legal Defense Fund, National Action Network and National Urban League) that understand what’s at stake for marginalized communities. Each has local chapters and programs where you can become involved to drive the agenda in your community.
Two Resolutions, One Story
Here’s how to make sure that we have the most impactful influence on our personal and public health: This year in addition to your personal health resolution, make a public health resolution such as those I’ve mentioned in this post. When you link your personal goals to a bigger purpose, you’re participating in a larger story about what your community deserves. Don’t quit!
Your Call to Action
The calendar doesn’t have to define your commitment to health. Start today! Before the week is over Do Something with M.E.:
Write one personal health resolution and one public health resolution.
Tell someone what you chose.
Put a specific date on your calendar for your public health action to increase the likelihood of it being done.
When it comes to our health, our individual choices matter. But we can maximize our efforts by making sure that conditions around us promote health equity. Let 2026 be our year to positively influence the policies and systems that decide how long and how well we all live.