Making a Change in 2025? Start Here
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Working on being the best version of yourself this year? We love that for you – and we’re here to help. No matter which path you take, focus on the big picture first. It’s easy to get caught up in the hype, thinking the latest TikTok trend or those #WIEIAD videos hold the secret to a healthier, happier you.
If your journey includes a GLP-1 medication, you’ll want to read this blog, Taking a GLP-1? Support for Your Journey.
Whether you’re focused on holding steady, want to see how strong you can get or have a goal to drop some pounds, read on for 10 habits that help you build a strong foundation. From healthy sleep to hydration and calculating your daily calorie needs, we’ve got you covered.
1. Focus on hydration.
Your body is mostly water, so staying hydrated can help just about every aspect of your health. From regularity to cognition, energy to skin health, drinking enough fluids each day is a good habit. All beverages are hydrating – even caffeinated drinks, thank you very much – except for alcoholic ones.
Tip: Giving up sugary drinks like soda and alcoholic beverages is one of the easiest places to trim calories or swap in more nutrient-dense choices.
2. Prioritize protein.
This macro is having a moment! Your body breaks down protein into amino acids, which your body uses to make new and repair existing muscle tissue. Protein also takes longer to digest, helping prevent blood sugar spikes (which can happen when you eat sugary or starchy foods) and keeping you fuller for longer. It also helps reduce the hunger hormone ghrelin while boosting peptide YY, a hormone that makes you feel full.
Tip: For general health, we need about 0.35 grams of protein per pound of body weight. If we’re trying to boost muscle mass, that amount rises to 0.5-0.8 grams per pound, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. That’s 87.5-140 grams daily for a 175-pound person.
3. Build more muscle.
No, it’s not about getting jacked. Muscle is metabolically active, and it burns calories even at rest. Those who have more lean muscle mass will require more calories to carry out the basics each day. Weight loss can lead to a loss of muscle mass (due to the calorie deficit), but exercise can help offset it, creating a virtuous cycle. Age also leads to a decline, so every little bit of muscle-building work can help you grow older gracefully. Aim for at least 30 grams of protein at each meal, plus about 15 per snack, adjusted to suit your personal goals.
Tip: Swap your sugary or starchy breakfast for one that’s loaded with protein. That could look like adding collagen or protein to your morning latte, adding egg whites to your avocado toast or building a parfait with cottage cheese or Greek yogurt.
4. Reclaim your sleep.
Rest does not need to be earned, and it’s non-negotiable for your health. There’s a big gender gap here, with young women being the most likely to treat their sleeping hours like overdraft protection for their busy day. Adults need at least seven hours per night, especially when working on weight loss goals. Some studies suggest that if you’re dieting or eating at a caloric deficit, you’ll lose less fat if you sleep less.
Tip: When you make changes in diet and exercise, your body needs adequate healthy rest to catch up on all maintenance those plans require. Give yourself a bedtime and stick to it. Set an alarm on your phone to remind yourself it’s time to get ready for bed, and schedule the time in your calendar, as you would a work meeting. Don’t cancel on yourself!
Technically, fiber doesn’t provide calories – the human body doesn’t digest this nutrient despite its many benefits along the way. Fiber also helps boost satiety hormones while dialing down hunger ones. It takes longer to digest, so think of it like applying the brakes to digestion. Only plants provide fiber, so it tends to be found in nutrient-dense foods that are lower in calories naturally.
Tip: Depending on gender and age, your needs will vary from 19 grams to 38 grams of fiber a day. Research has shown that aiming for 30 grams daily might help support your weight goals.
6. Plan and prep your meals.
Trying to make smart choices about food when you’re hungry is no easy feat. Having at least a rough idea of what you’ll eat each day can help you minimize decision fatigue and budget your calories accordingly. Prepping a few basics each week – such as baked chicken or tofu, roasted potatoes and other root vegetables, whole grains like brown rice and quinoa and veggies that last awhile, like kale, carrots, celery and radishes – is a gift you can give “future” you to save time, energy and even money later in the week.
Tip: When you cool them after cooking, certain foods like rice, potatoes and pasta have more resistant starch, a type of prebiotic fiber that boosts gut health! And this type of fiber can potentially help you feel fuller.
7. Do the math – and translate the alphabet soup.
Knowing your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) can help you budget your calories each day. This number takes into account your metabolic rate, the calories you burn from exercise and other activities, the amount of energy it takes to digest your food, and how much it take just to keep you alive each day. From there, you can see how much you burn from exercise and how these numbers change over time.
Tip: The general rule for decades was that losing a pound of body fat required a deficit of 3,500 calories. Researchers now recommend using a calculator to customize your goals based on your lifestyle and activity level, age, gender, etc.
8. Track your food for some time.
Even eating a nutrient-dense, clean diet can lead to weight gain if you consume more calories than you burn on a regular basis. Eyeballing portion sizes, eating in front of a screen, or relying on takeout or prepared foods can all lead to eating more than you intended.
Tip: Commit to tracking your food for a week to get a general idea of what you consume regularly and where you can make swaps to get you closer to your goals.
9. Start intermittent fasting.
Also called IF, this is a diet or health plan that limits eating to certain hours of the day. Many people follow intermittent fasting to maintain a healthy weight, while others cite research that supports fasting for healthy energy, graceful aging or brain health.^ No matter what motivates you, make sure you’re keeping up with the essentials (electrolytes for hydration, amino acids for muscle health and fiber for cravings and hunger.)^ Fasting Today helps you do all three!^
Tip: Curious about fasting? Start with this guide, which covers the basics – including hydration, electrolytes and more.
10. Brush up on berberine’s benefits.
Berberine is a naturally occurring substance in some plants, including goldenseal and barberry. It’s been used in herbalism for centuries, and now modern science tells us that it is a natural metabolism booster.^ A series of double-blind studies found berberine to be influential for healthy weight management.^ So, if you’re looking for support with normal metabolism and healthy body composition, you might want to read more about it.^
Tip: Worried about the sustainability of Berberine? Look for formulas made from Barberry (instead of Goldenseal). We have two kinds, both sustainable), including an innovative Berberine Phytosome that offers 9.6x better absorption than standard Berberine extracts.^
No matter what your goal is this year, take it one step and one day at a time.
