Have you ever set a goal for yourself – like eating healthier, drinking more water, starting an exercise routine, a meditation practice, or getting more sleep— only to fall off the wagon just a few days later?

I think we can all agree that we’ve been there before at some point in time, especially around the new year when it’s common to set a whole list of resolutions and see them go out the window by February.

Conventional wisdom says the problem with sticking with these goals is the lack of willpower. Meaning people who are bad at resisting temptation have a lack of willpower, or they’re just lazy or unmotivated. This idea comes with a lot of negative emotion – shame, guilt, feelings if not enough.

But is this really true?

Research now suggests that people who are better at self-control don’t necessarily have more willpower. Instead, they have two key advantages:

1. They have better habits

2. They structure their environment in a way that reduces the need for willpower.

For example, if you do the same activities, (like exercise or meditate) at the same time each day, those activities become a habit, and they no longer require willpower or self-control. Think of brushing your teeth, it doesn’t require willpower, you do it because it’s a formed habit.

Likewise, if you don’t keep junk food or ice-cream in your pantry or freezer, you won’t have to exercise the willpower to avoid eating it.

Creating healthy habits and a supportive environment is the KEY to achieving your health goals, whatever they are. Too often we focus on the WHAT – “what ‘diet’ should I eat?”, or the “what type of exercise should I do?” without paying enough attention on the HOW – “how can I stick with that diet or exercise program?”

For instance, if you want to start drinking more water, keep water by your side at all times. Keep a glass by your bedside table as a reminder to drink first thing upon waking. Invest in a large water bottle that you can keep by your side – your desk, car, etc., that you only have to refill 1-2x a day where you can actually keep track throughout the day. Set a reminder on your phone every hour throughout the day as a reminder to sip.

If you’ve got a whole list of new year resolutions, I challenge you to hone in and prioritize what is most important to you? How do you want to FEEL in your body and show up in the world? Go for quality > quantity, and dig into the HOW. How are you going to stick with these goals?