New Year’s resolutions — they’re easy to make but easier to break. Why is it so hard to make the healthy changes that we know can help us feel better and live longer? And why is it so hard to make them last? Here’s help with making – and sustaining -- healthy changes.

Some of the most common New Year’s resolutions are losing weight, getting more physical activity, eating more nutritious foods, quitting smoking, cutting back on alcohol, reducing stress and sleeping better. No matter which healthy resolution you choose, research suggests that some common strategies can boost your chance of making the change a part of your daily lifestyle.

• Think baby steps rather than giant leaps. For instance, a resolution to lose 30 pounds may seem overwhelming. Instead, try setting smaller goals of losing five pounds a month for six months.
• Develop an action plan. You might decide to walk a half hour each day to burn calories. You might stop buying vending machine snacks. Or you might limit and keep track of your daily calories. Smaller, specific behaviors could help you meet your larger goal of losing 30 pounds.
• Prepare yourself for the challenges you might face. Think about why you want to make the change. Is it important to you, or is it mostly influenced by others — like your doctor, your spouse or a friend? Research suggests that if it’s something you really want for yourself, if it’s meaningful to you, you’re more likely to stick to it.
• Think of exactly how the change will enhance your life. Even small improvements in your physical activity, weight or nutrition may help reduce your risk for disease and lengthen your life. In one study, overweight or obese people who lost just 7% of their body weight slashed their risk for diabetes by nearly 60%. Keeping facts like this in mind can help you maintain your focus over the long haul.
• Set up a supportive environment. Think about the physical support you’ll need, like the right equipment for exercise, appropriate clothing and the right kinds of foods to have at home. Remove items that might trip up your efforts. If you’re quitting smoking, throw away your ashtrays and lighters. To improve your nutrition, put unhealthy but tempting foods on a hard-to-reach shelf, or get rid of them.
• Don’t forget social support. Research shows that people’s health behaviors — like smoking or weight gain — tend to mirror those of their friends, family and spouses. Enlist friends and family to help you eat better, to go on walks with you, to remind you to stay on track. Find things that are fun to do together, and you’ll be more likely to stick with it.
• Have a plan to get back on track if you start to slip. If you feel that your motivation is waning, think back and remind yourself why the change was important to you in the first place. Maybe you wanted to have more stamina, feel better, to be able to play with grandchildren. Recalling these personal reasons can encourage you to get back on track.

Of course, you don’t need a new year to make healthy changes; you can make them any time of the year. But New Year’s is an opportunity to think about the improvements you’d like to make and then take concrete steps to achieve them. Set realistic goals, develop an action plan and set it in motion. Make your new year a healthy one.