The Anti-Resolution Guide: 26 Things That Actually Work
Pick one. Or five. Or just read for the dopamine hit of feeling like you’ve got options
Happy New Year!
I’m writing this from Florianópolis, Brazil!
I’m about 3 weeks into our year-long adventure through Latin America with my husband.
We left Singapore (home for 18 years), bounced through Miami, Buenos Aires, and Uruguay, and are now settling into a month of beach, Brazilian BBQ, samba, and figuring out what “slow travel” actually means.
So the past few weeks, I’ve been practising what I preach: doing less.
Self-hibernating.
Giving myself space while everything changes.
It’s been wonderful. And also, honestly? I’ve been itching to get back to work.
Last week I almost caved. My inbox was overflowing, I felt behind, I started drafting a newsletter at 6am from the couch of my Montevideo Airbnb…
Then I caught myself. That familiar “I should be doing more” energy.
The same energy that burned me out in the first place…
So I closed the laptop. Went for a walk. And reminded myself that rest isn’t the obstacle to a good year. It’s the foundation.
Which brings me to this: my first newsletter of 2026!
And if you’re new here (yay, welcome!), let me tell you what you’ve signed up for.
I’m a health coach, but not the kind who’ll tell you to wake up at 5am, drink celery juice, or manifest your way to wellness.
I’m more interested in what actually works.
The unsexy stuff. The evidence-based stuff. The things you can do in your real, messy life.
So instead of resolutions (which fail 90% of the time, by the way), I’m giving you 26 things that actually work.
Science-backed. BS-free. No guru energy. Just practical experiments you can try, tweak, or ignore entirely.
Pick one. Or five. Or just read for the dopamine hit of feeling like you’ve got options.
2026, let’s go.
Noemie x
MINDSET & MENTAL WELLBEING
The 21 days to build a habit thing? Complete bullshit. Made up by a plastic surgeon in the 1960s who was watching people adjust to their new noses. Real research says 2-3 months minimum. So if you’re not nailing it by February, you’re not failing. You’re just human.
Being kind to yourself after you fuck up makes you MORE likely to try again. Self-criticism? It paralyses you. Makes you want to give up entirely. I learned this the hard way. Compassion isn’t soft. It’s strategic. It keeps you in the game.
You cannot hustle your way out of burnout. I spent years trying. Recovery requires rest, not more striving. Not another productivity hack. Not “optimising your morning routine.” Doing less isn’t laziness. It’s the actual treatment.
Anxiety isn’t just in your head. It’s in your lungs. When you feel the spiral starting, don’t try to think your way out - you can’t. Breathe your way out. 2 short inhales through the nose, one long exhale through the mouth. It’s called physiological sighing and it’s the fastest biological off-switch for stress. Sounds too simple to work. Works anyway.
Before asking “what should I add?” try “what do I need to stop?” You’re probably just full. Overcommitted. Over-optimised. Burned out from doing All The Things. Sometimes the answer is subtraction, not addition.
Loneliness is as deadly as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Let me say that again: loneliness kills. In 2026, treat friendship like a muscle, not a luxury. Text someone right now: “Miss you. Got 8 mins for a call?” Low stakes, high reward. Your nervous system will thank you.
HABITS
“Temptation bundling” increased gym attendance by 51% in studies. Pair your “should” with your “want.” Favourite podcast ONLY during walks. Guilty-pleasure TV ONLY on the treadmill. Make it a package deal and suddenly exercise feels less like punishment. I do this with trash reality shows and the rowing machine. Works every time.
Start so small it feels almost silly. “Floss one tooth” beats “floss daily.” When you make it tiny, willpower becomes irrelevant. You can’t fail at one tooth. And once you’re there with the floss, you’ll probably do more. But you don’t have to. That’s the magic.
Big January goals fail because they’re designed for Fantasy Self. The one who wakes at 5am, meal preps on Sundays, and never gets tired. Design for Actual You. The one who’s knackered on Tuesday. The one who sometimes can’t be bothered. That’s who needs to be able to do the thing.
Your phone is designed to be a slot machine. It’s literally engineered to keep you scrolling. Turn your screen to greyscale. Make Instagram boring again. It’s the easiest 40 minutes of scrolling time you’ll buy back without needing an ounce of willpower.
Stop saying “I’m trying to eat less sugar.” Start saying “I’m not someone who eats processed sugar.” Behaviour follows identity. Every small action is a vote for who you’re becoming. Cast better votes. You’re not trying to change. You already are changing. Act like it.
MOVEMENT
“Exercise snacks” are real science now. 3x 1-minute stair climbs per day. No gym clothes required. No shower needed. No excuses. Just take the stairs like you mean it a few times. That’s it. That’s the whole intervention.
Walking right after eating is genuinely powerful. 10 minutes of movement post-meal helps your muscles soak up glucose without needing extra insulin. Flatten the spike, feel better, aid digestion. The humble post-dinner walk is massively underrated. I do this every night.
The exercise you actually enjoy predicts whether you’ll stick with it better than the “optimal” exercise you’ll abandon by March. Fun wins. Always. I don’t care what the fitness industry says. If you hate it, you won’t do it. Find something you don’t hate.
You don’t need to be a bodybuilder, but you do need to lift heavy things. Twice a week. That’s it. Muscle is your metabolic armour. It absorbs sugar, protects your bones, keeps you independent as you age. Future you will thank you for starting now.
You don’t need a gym to extend your life. Research shows 3-4 minutes of “vigorous intermittent lifestyle activity” (sprinting for the bus, taking stairs 2 at a time) reduces mortality risk by 40%. Stop overthinking it. Just move fast, briefly, a few times a day. It counts.
NUTRITION
Fibre changes your gut bacteria within 2 weeks. But whole-food fibre (beans, vegetables) works differently than supplements. The package matters. Your gut bacteria can tell the difference between actual food and powdered nonsense. Eat real food.
95% of dieters regain weight within 2 years because your biology fights restriction. Metabolic slowdown. Hormone changes. Relentless hunger. The whole fucking works. Want something that actually sticks? Ditch the rules. Eat when you're hungry. Stop when you're satisfied. Radical, I know.
Intuitive eating is linked to lower binge eating, better weight stability, and less depression. It’s evidence-based, not “giving up.” It’s learning to trust your body again after years of ignoring its signals. Radical concept: your body might actually know what it needs.
Stop starting your day with sugar and caffeine alone. Anchor your morning with protein. It keeps energy stable and prevents the 3pm crash where you’re face-down on your keyboard wondering where your life went wrong. Eggs, yoghurt, protein shake, whatever works. Just get it in.
Throw away the food scale. Your hands are the only measuring tool you need. Palm = protein. Fist = vegetables. Cupped hand = carbs. Thumb = fats. Portion control that scales to your actual body, without the obsessive maths or disordered eating vibes.
SLEEP
Sleep regularity matters MORE than duration. Consistent sleep and wake times beat obsessing over hitting 8 hours. Your body craves routine more than perfection. Pick a wake time and protect it like your life depends on it. Because your health actually does.
5-10 minutes of morning light is free sleep medicine. It sets your internal clock for better sleep tonight. Coffee on the balcony counts. But here’s the thing: windows don’t work as well. The glass filters out the wavelengths you need. Get actual outside light on your face.
“Orthosomnia” is anxiety from obsessing over sleep tracker scores. Ironically, trying to perfect your sleep makes it worse. How you FEEL during the day matters infinitely more than what your Oura ring says. Stop letting a device tell you how rested you are.
Skip the melatonin. It’s a hormone, not a vitamin. For sleep, try magnesium glycinate instead. It calms your nervous system and lowers body temperature, which is exactly what your body needs to fall asleep naturally. 200-400mg before bed. Genuinely a game changer.
Can’t nap? Try NSDR (Non-Sleep Deep Rest). It’s a way to reboot your brain in 20 minutes without actually falling asleep. Lie down, put on a guided track (YouTube has loads), zone out. It replenishes dopamine and lowers stress. Productivity fuel disguised as rest. I use this all the time when I’m travelling.
That’s it. 26 things.
Pick one. Just one. Start embarrassingly small. See what happens.
I’m writing this from a beach in Brazil, reminding myself daily that rest isn’t the obstacle to a good year. It’s the foundation.
You don’t need to do all 26. You don’t even need to do half. You just need to do ONE thing differently.
2026 isn’t about becoming someone else. It’s about designing a life that actually works for who you already are.
Much love,
Noemie x
Love this!
Noemie, your advice on embracing rest instead of chasing productivity is good to hear. It’s so easy to get caught in the whirlwind of “I should be doing more,” and yet, those moments of self-hibernation are often where the real magic happens. - It gives our brain and intuition a chance to catch up on where we are and what we really should be focusing on. When you're hustling, you miss those subtle signals and usually end up where you don't want to be.