Forget 'new year, new me': 31 realistic, bitesized new habits for 2025

January is a great time to think about instilling good habits for the year ahead. That said, there is no point making overly ambitious resolutions that are impossible to keep. So, instead of setting unobtainable goals, try these bitesized, realistically sustainable good habits. They are mostly cheap, many are free, and every one of them is either backed by studies or, at the very least, has been tried and tested by experts in the relevant field.

We’ve compiled a list of 31 good habits – one for every day of January, so grab a pen and get ready to tick them off.

“A ride doesn’t just improve your fitness, it also has the potential to improve your mindset,” says sports psychologist and author Dr Josephine Perry. “A two-minute analysis after each ride means you’ll be continually learning and improving. Three questions to ask yourself are: one, what did I do well?; two, what could I have done better?; three, what do I want to focus on in my next ride?”

“Having protein before sleep provides a key opportunity to boost muscle mass and strength, recovery and overall metabolism,” states sports nutritionist Anita Bean. “According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition, consuming 30-40g of casein protein 30 minutes before sleep, combined with regular resistance training, can increase muscle protein synthesis throughout the night.” Good pre-sleep options include a protein shake or plain Greek yogurt.

If you’re a newbie to resistance training, start using your bodyweight before progressing to gym weights. Squatting hones movement patterns, helping to avoid injury and the muscle soreness that can negatively impact riding. “Begin with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width and rotated out five to 10 degrees,” says endurance strength specialist Chris Panayiotou. “Squat as if sitting back into a chair, maintaining control as you lower. Do eight to 10 reps per set.”

The UK government recommends meeting the minimum consumption of omega-3 oils by eating at least two portions of (preferably oily) fish a week. But according to sports nutritionist Anita Bean, athletes require more to help increase muscle protein synthesis. Up your intake of flax seeds, walnuts or salmon, or pick a supplement looking for ‘EPA’ and ‘DHA’ on the label. A daily dose of 1-3g of EPA and DHA – we need both – has been recommended for athletes.

To build and maintain muscle mass, it is recommended that masters athletes eat 1.4-2.0g per kilo of body weight per day, according to a study in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. This is almost twice that of the official recommended daily allowance (RDA) for the general population. The research recommends distributing these protein doses evenly throughout the day, every three to four hours. Suggestions for these doses include a handful of peanuts (7g), three tablespoons of low-fat strained Greek yogurt (15g) or a chicken breast (39g).

In their 2014 study ‘Strength training improves performance and pedaling characteristics in elite cyclists’, Rønnestad et al asked nine cyclists to perform endurance training alongside 25 weeks of heavy strength training, while another group did endurance training only. The researchers found no difference in VO2max between the groups, but the group that performed endurance training combined with strength work saw increases in peak power output during the Wingate test (a 30-second cycle test which measures anaerobic power and capacity), peak anaerobic power and mean power output during a 40-minute ‘all-out-trial’, while their torque peaked earlier in the pedal stroke.