10 Life Changing New Year’s Goals for Moms: Healthier Mind and Body

New Year’s Goals for Creating a Healthier Mind and Body: How to Set Goals and Stick to Them

If you are excited to get back on track and better your life, then you will want to keep reading. These 10 new year’s goals for moms will change your life and create a healthier mind and body!

I love the new year and all the possibilities of positive change and self-improvement. Though I try to set goals the beginning of each month, there is something special that happens when January arrives.

It’s important to harness that motivation when it strikes! But when the motivation subsides, you’ll want goals that will stick.

Do you want to know the secret to sticking to new year’s goals?

A common new year’s goal for most moms is to lose x amount of weight. Then the solution is usually a restrictive diet, supplement regimen, and a grueling workout schedule.

New Year’s goals that are too broad and too strict usually aren’t successful. Though weight loss is a fine goal to have, it will be hard to stick to unless you have the right mindset in place first.

The secret is having specific goals, and ones that are also geared towards creating a healthier mind as well as body. This is what will change your life and your year!

So, let’s get into 10 Life Changing New Year’s Goals for Moms that will create a healthier mind and body!

*Disclaimer – If you are a postpartum, pregnant or have any other health conditions, make sure you always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider. Content on this blog should not be considered a substitute for professional medical advice, expertise, or treatment. Also, this post may include Amazon affiliate links which means I would earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through the link. You can read my full disclaimer here.

1. More Time for Yourself

The first of the goals for moms that will create a healthier mind and body is to start by making more time for yourself. This can be very challenging for moms of littles especially, but this is necessary to achieve any of these goals.

It starts with acknowledging your own health as a priority and therefore making more time for yourself.

How to Make More Time for Yourself

Start by committing to following through with these goals!
Make exercise a priority and schedule it into your week.
Develop a self-care or wind down routine to help reduce stress.
Find hobbies or other activities for you to do that give you joy (writing in journal, painting, reading, thrifting, spending time with friends etc.)
Carve out the time to do these things. You probably won’t have time to do these things every day, but start by fitting in your priorities (like exercise) and then you can add in any additional activities.

2. Prioritize More Sleep

Who doesn’t want more sleep? Often hectic schedules and poor sleep routines make good sleeping patterns just inconsistent or lacking.

Prioritizing more sleep will give you the energy and recovery needed to tackle your days. Which means you’ll be more successful at following through with your new year’s goals and your to-dos.

How to Prioritize More Sleep

Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep a night.
Establish a nighttime routine to help you wind down.
Set a bedtime and stick to it! If certain tasks are keeping you from your bedtime, then find ways to move them around or ask for help for your partner.
Cut out social media or tv right before bed.
Write your to do lists or journal right before bed. This will help clear your mind!

3. Stop Comparing Yourself

The next new year’s goal is to stop comparing yourself to other moms.

Examples of comparisons are “I don’t know how this mom makes time for the gym when I can’t even keep up with housework”, or “She bounced back so quick after giving birth. I wish I could”.

These thoughts can be dangerous to our self-esteem and self-worth. If we want to grow in our own lives, we need to focus on just that. There is no room for comparison.

One of my favorite quotes is:

“Comparison is the thief of joy”
Theodore Roosevelt

With comparison clouding our minds there is no room for our own happiness to bloom.

Things to Remember to Help You Stop Comparing Yourself

No one has it all together. This mom has her own struggles she must overcome to get where she is. She just doesn’t share them.
Everybody’s journey is different. Due to this, we simply cannot compare ourselves to others.
Instead of comparing yourself, flip the thought into a compliment to her.
If there is something you admire about another mom, then maybe that’s something you can work towards too. Do it for you though.
If there is something that is triggering these comparisons, for example social media, then turn it off. Take a social media break or push the unfollow bottom. Instead follow accounts that lift you up and better your life.

4. Practice Positive Self-Talk

This leads us to the next goal – practice positive self-talk. If not comparing, we are creating negative thoughts about ourselves.

I’m just lazy, I’m not doing enough, I’m a bad mom, I’m not patient enough, etc. We are indeed our toughest critic.

However, to have a mindset that works for us and our goals we need to stop labeling ourselves with negative thoughts and instead speak positivity into our lives. It doesn’t matter what others think of us. It’s how we think about ourselves that mold who we are.

How to Practice Positive Self-Talk

Reframe negative thoughts into positive. For example, if you think, “I just don’t have the time to exercise, I’m always going feel uncomfortable in my body”. Reframe this to, “I can make the time because my health is important to me”.
Don’t say anything to yourself that you wouldn’t say to someone else.
If a negative thought comes to mind, evaluate where it is coming from, and respond with a positive affirmation.
Be a friend to yourself and treat yourself with compassion.
Keep positive affirmations in places you will see often (phone screensaver, written on a mirror, or posted on the fridge).

5. Eat More Plants

It’s important what we feed our minds, but it’s just as important what we feed our bodies. That’s why the next goals are nutrition related.

Instead of cutting out sugar or calories we are going to make eating more the goal. Starting with eating more plants!

How to Eat More Plants

Aim for 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
Include a fruit or vegetable in your breakfast and as snacks.
Eat fresh or frozen fruits or vegetables.
Cook more meals and meal plan!
Incorporate more side salads into your dinners.

6. Eat a High Protein Breakfast

It’s time to eliminate the highly processed carb filled breakfasts. Instead, have your first meal of the day reflect how you want to feel for the day!

Starting your day with a high protein breakfast will give you long lasting energy, help fight cravings and support weight loss, and will help you build and maintain muscle.

How to eat a High Protein Breakfast

Have a full serving (size of palm or 20-30g) of protein for breakfast.
Prep ahead some high protein breakfasts, like an egg and sausage scramble, egg muffins, or protein overnight oats.
If you are not a fan of eggs, try a protein smoothie, Greek yogurt parfait, or peanut butter protein pancakes.
Have some easy on the go options for busy mornings like protein shakes, Greek yogurt, or homemade protein energy balls.
Pair a fruit or vegetable and a healthy fat with your breakfast for even more staying power!

7. Drink More Water

The next life changing new year’s goals for moms for a healthier mind and body is to drink more water!

We don’t drink enough water. Being well hydrated will help your body and your mind function properly. Increased mood, mental clarity, and improved digestion are just a few benefits.

How to Drink More Water

Aim for half your bodyweight in ounces of water a day (and even more if you are exercising or breastfeeding).
Buy yourself a large water bottle like this one!
Always keep fresh water by you. Take it with you to work, to the gym, in the car, or shopping.
Set times on your phone every hour to remind you to drink.
Fill up the night before or place the bottle by the fridge so you remember first thing in the morning.

8. Move Your Body Everyday

Even if you are on a workout routine, you should try to get in some sort of movement even on your “off” days. This is because daily intentional movement is important for our minds and our bodies.

Moving your body everyday reduces stress, provides an outlet for emotions, improves your sleep, and much more.

How to Move Your Body Everyday

Aim for 30 minutes of activity a day or take short activity breaks between every hour of sitting.
This doesn’t have to look like going to the gym for an hour every day. It could be power cleaning, going for a walk, or doing a short yoga video. Get creative and just do it!
Aim for consistency of movement, not perfection.
Do short bouts of activity throughout the day instead of all at once.
If you have trouble with getting carried away with what you are doing, set timers on your phone or make a note in your planner.

9. Stretch More

Do you go through the same motions every day? Feel stiff when you wake up or after a long day only to go to bed and start it all over again?

This may be from little to no movement throughout the day or never moving your joints through their range of motion. Stretching reduces joint stiffness, helps back pain, increases blood flow, reduces muscle tension, improves posture, and more!

How to Stretch More

Focus on including short bouts of stretching every day versus longer sessions fewer times a week.
Include it into your everyday activity.
Stretch first thing in the morning when you wake up.
Find a 5-minute YouTube stretching video.
Take 5-10 minutes to stretch after your workouts, not before.

10. Slow Down

The final life changing new year’s goal is to Slow DOWN! I hope that some of these goals already emphasized the importance of slowing down through prioritizing rest, stretching, and taking care of your mind.

However, instead of just ticking these goals off your daily checklist, make sure to be intentional with each one as well as with how you use your time.

How to Slow Down

Practice gratitude daily. Take moments to stop what you are doing and think about what you are grateful for. This can also be prompted through journaling.
Play with your kids more. We can get wrapped up in our day to day and forget what’s most important – our kids! Stop what you are doing and play with them on the floor, play dress up, and laugh together.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, throw out the to do list, let the house get a little dirty, and do something that brings you joy. You can always come back to these things and a healthy mind comes first!
Unplug from tv, phones, or social media. Whatever takes up most of your time, take a break!
Get outside! Nothing says slowing down like getting outside to enjoy and appreciate nature without distractions.

10 Life Changing New Year’s Goals For Moms (Create a Healthy Mind and Body) Conclusion

It can become routine to focus our energy on physical goals, like weight loss. We often forget about other goals that are the foundation to a healthy life!

I hope you will adopt some of these life changing goals this year! Not only for a healthy body, but also a healthy mind.