Stop Wishing, Start Doing: Your Blueprint for Effective Health Goals

January 7, 2026

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Summary

What Are Your Greatest Accomplishments?

Take a moment to think about your greatest accomplishments so far. They might be things like graduating from high school or college, raising a child, preserving a marriage, saving for a vacation or retirement, or completing a fitness challenge, for example.

Consider:

What allowed you to accomplish these goals?
How did it make you feel to accomplish these?

New Year’s Resolutions Tend to Be Short-Lived

Consider these statistics.

80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by the first week of February.
⅔ of gym memberships are unused by the end of the year
9.2% report achieving their New Year’s resolutions by the end of the year

Here are some possible reasons why resolutions may fall short.

They’re often not realistic. People may make them under atypical circumstances, such as after a holiday meal, or during time off when they are less stressed and it feels more doable to cook healthy and make time to exercise.
They can be too ambitious and overwhelming, or it’s hard to know where to start.
Results can be slow to come, which can lead to discouragement and giving up.
They may be too vague or abstract, and not have an action plan.

Health app use often stops before 100 days!

One review looked at studies of health app use. The studies included a total of half a million users of apps for health-related goals related to alcohol use, diet, tobacco cessation, physical activity, and mental health. Overall, a median of 70% of users discontinued use within the first 100 days!

Lark Members Who Stay Engaged Do Better!

Lark members who have more engagement with the Lark app are more likely to achieve greater weight loss results. In a Lark study, the following Lark members had the most weight loss.

Those who had more early engagement (more lessons in first 3 weeks)
Those who had more weigh-ins
Those who had more conversations with Lark

Give yourself a boost! Use Lark, sign up for coaching, and join our Facebook group!

Clear Steps to Increase Success Rates

You have an idea or a goal: 10%
You consciously decide you will do it: 25%
You decide when you will do it: 40%
You plan how you will do it: 50%
You commit to someone you will do it: 65%
You have a specific accountability appointment with a person you’ve committed to: 95%

“2-Minute Rule” for a New Health Goal

Have a step in mind that takes only 2 minutes. Here’s why.

Fogg MAP: Make ability (A) high so you do the behavior even if motivation (M) is low
Amygdala override: keep it easy so you don’t activate the amygdala fear response
Success spiral: a “win” triggers dopamine and feels good. More wins = more dopamine release
Fake it ‘til you make it! Act the part until you become the part.

Step 1: Write it down

Write it down to boost chance of success by 42%! The health goal I’m committing to is to:

Eat healthier
Lose weight
Lower A1c
Achieve physical activity guidelines
Lower stress
Get more sleep

Step 2: Choose an action

Actions should be specific, doable, and relevant. I can make progress by:

Adding vegetables to two meals a day
Ordering a salad instead of a burger
Drinking water, not soda, in the pm
Adding strength training twice a week
Taking a walk outside each day
Following a bedtime routine week nights

Step 3: Take 2 minutes

What is something you can do even on your most challenging day? No matter what, I can…

Thaw frozen vegetables
Put a glass of water on the table
Complete a 2-min circuit 2 x (5 squats, 5 lunges each side, 5 wall push-ups, 5 tricep dips on couch)
Breathe deeply 10 times
Turn off devices 30 minutes before bed