Sticking to New Year’s resolutions can be quite a challenge. According to a survey conducted by Forbes Health, only 8% of individuals manage to uphold their resolutions for more than a month.

Unfortunately, I find myself among the remaining 92% who struggle to maintain them.

The issue isn’t a lack of motivation. As an A&E doctor, I witness firsthand the consequences of poor lifestyle choices. These habits, accumulated over time, often lead to serious health issues like heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, dementia, and an escalating mental health crisis.

However, the demands of daily life often interfere. Balancing a full-time position as an NHS consultant, parenting five children, and caring for my 19-month-old daughter with learning disabilities quickly disrupted last year’s resolutions.

For the past two months, I’ve been trying a fresh strategy, aiming to avoid the typical New Year setbacks. This approach focuses on integrating small, practical habits into my life, complementing family and work commitments rather than clashing with them.

I believe I’ve found a winning formula with my revitalized morning routine. It has made me happier, calmer, and more efficient at work. I’ve noticed improved sleep, fewer bouts of illness, and relief from back pain caused by lifting my toddler. Plus, without obsessing over calorie counting, I’ve shed 8 pounds.

Crucially, I have more energy and so at the end of the work day, I can be with my family mentally as well as physically.

Longer term, I know from all the scientific evidence that these habits set me up for a longer and healthier life. And by making my biggest change of the day in the morning, I remove the familiar excuse of work exhaustion to do nothing.

Sure, some mornings I miss things. But most days I can stick to the following simple routine. My hope is that it might help you make small but healthy permanent changes to your daily routine, too.

Just 8 per cent of people manage to stick to their New Year’s resolutions for even a month. So Rob Galloway got ahead of the curve and changed up his morning routine two months ago

5.30am: Time to get up

OK, you don’t have to get up this early. But what is key is aiming to wake up after seven to eight hours’ sleep at roughly the same time every day. That consistency matters more than the exact hour. I like to be asleep by 10pm and awake by 5.30am – adapt the times to suit you.

The first change I’ve made is not to reach for my phone. It now stays in my office overnight and I use an alarm clock. So instead of doom-scrolling for up to an hour, I get up. And there’s good evidence for ignoring your phone. A study in BioMed Central Medicine last year showed that when people reduced smartphone use, including physically distancing themselves from their phones, they experienced significant improvements in stress, mood and sleep quality.

Next I put on my exercise kit, which is already laid out as I know from experience that if even one thing is missing, I probably won’t exercise. That isn’t laziness, it’s just one more mental barrier to exercise to overcome: and if I’m dressed for exercise, I end up working out.

Since my new regimen I’m managing to do some exercise virtually every morning.

Five minutes after (5.35am): Drink a glass of water

Most people wake up mildly dehydrated, and even a small degree of dehydration is associated with worse mood, increased fatigue and poorer concentration, reported the British Journal of Nutrition in 2014. I start every morning with around a pint of water. It’s nothing miraculous, but I’m starting to feel less foggy and more switched on first thing.

Six minutes (5.36am): Take pre-exercise supplements

I take two supplements to make the exercise more beneficial: first, beetroot, which is rich in nitrate which the body converts into nitric oxide. This in turn widens blood vessels and improves blood flow to the muscles. Studies show that beetroot improves your ability to do endurance exercise as well as lift heavy weights.

I also take creatine (3g daily), which has proven benefits for increasing muscle strength after lifting weights (stronger muscles also help with maintaining your independence with age and longevity, and cognitive function).

Rob gets up at 5:30am – but you don’t have to get up this early. What is key is aiming to wake up after seven to eight hours’ sleep at the same time every day

Seven minutes (5.37am): Brush teeth

Brushing your teeth twice a day is one of the simplest habits with big health pay-offs – plaque and bacteria can cause gum disease and inflammation linked to heart disease.

Don’t wait until after breakfast. Overnight, saliva production drops and bacteria multiply, leaving your mouth primed for plaque formation the moment you eat. Brushing clears that bacteria and coats the teeth with fluoride to protect enamel before it meets the acids in coffee and breakfast.

Ten minutes (5.40am): Stretching and stability exercises

I used to skip this bit, until I realised how important stability and flexibility exercises are – I do five minutes of each to stop aches and pains now, and to stop me falling over as I age.

Flexibility exercises (in my case, a short stretch routine or five minutes of yoga) help maintain range of motion, reduce stiffness and lower the risk of back pain. Stability exercises (slow squats, balancing on one leg with your eyes closed, and standing on your toes) train the small stabilising muscles around the ankles, hips and trunk, and just as importantly, the brain.

Since I’ve been doing this, my back is so much better.

20 minutes (5.50am): Mindfulness practice

I used to think mindfulness was mystic nonsense, but after reading the studies I’m now convinced by its benefits. It’s about noticing your thoughts, feelings (such as anxiety) and bodily sensations, learning to observe them without judgement while focusing on your breath.

This acceptance strengthens your ability to regulate emotions rather than being swept away by them.

Research recently published in Frontiers in Psychology found that just eight weeks of daily mindfulness (for five to ten minutes), significantly reduced stress and burnout in university students. I do this for five minutes.

25 minutes (5.55am): Coffee, journalling and planning

Regularly drinking up to three to four cups of coffee a day is linked to a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, liver disease, several cancers and early death

Social media is full of advice about why you should wait a full hour before your first coffee – because as your levels of the hormone cortisol naturally peak in the first hour after waking, having caffeine disrupts this process causing undue fatigue later in the day.

But this is based on misinterpretations of our hormone rhythms – and a recent review, in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, found that regular coffee drinkers develop a tolerance so normal morning cortisol patterns aren’t disrupted in any harmful way.

I’m a coffee addict and, as addictions go, it’s a great one to have; regularly drinking up to three to four cups a day is linked to a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, liver disease, several cancers and early death. Coffee also increases the beneficial bacteria in your gut.

My first coffee is timed for before my cardiovascular exercise as caffeine is one of the simplest performance aids we have – caffeine before exercise improves endurance, strength and power by reducing perceived effort and fatigue, according to a review of studies, published in 2021 in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.

Whilst sipping my coffee, I spend a few minutes writing some reflections on the day before, and my plans for the day ahead; there is good evidence that this kind of journalling improves emotional regulation, reduces stress and helps people feel more in control.

30 minutes (6am): Main exercise of the day

Both aerobic and anaerobic exercise matter: aerobic exercise – such as running, swimming or cycling – improves heart and lung function, while anaerobic exercise – including strength and resistance training – preserves muscle mass, bone density and helps control blood sugar and cholesterol. All these processes are affected by age and are closely linked to frailty and loss of independence.

Exercise-wise, I do whatever I can without beating myself up about it. Sometimes for anaerobic it’s a structured gym session. Sometimes it’s more improvised – squats holding my baby absolutely counts.

My aerobic exercise might be a high intensity 30-minute class from YouTube, or running (four miles) to work.

80-85 minutes(6.50-6.55am): Sauna or hot shower

After exercise, if I’m at the gym, I have a sauna, otherwise it’s a five-minute hot shower. A 2015 study in Finland found that people who used a sauna four to seven times a week had better blood pressure control (the heat cause the blood vessels to dilate and relax).

The first change Rob made is not immediately reaching for his phone. And there’s evidence that ignoring your phone leads to significant improvements in stress, mood and sleep quality

85-90 minutes (6.55-7am): Cold shower

This isn’t just bravado: cold-water immersion for 30 seconds to three minutes produces a significant long-term reduction in inflammation (linked to longer and healthier lives), reported the journal Public Library of Science last year. People who did it also slept better and had fewer days off sick.

The cold also activates brown fat, which burns energy rather than stores it – and regular cold exposure is linked with better blood-sugar control.

So I end my hot shower with 30 seconds of cold. I genuinely feel the difference – I’ve avoided the usual Christmas weight gain, which feels like a win.

90 minutes (after 7am): Breakfast

I eat breakfast as late as possible – helped by having a coffee and doing exercise first. This is a simple and realistic form of time-restricted eating (TRE) – eating within a certain time window to give your body a longer break from digestion, helping improve metabolic markers (for instance, cholesterol levels).

There’s decent evidence to support TRE: a major review, published in Nutrients in 2024, found it was associated with weight loss and improvements in risk factors for heart attacks, such as blood sugar levels.

At breakfast time Rob takes a few supplements including turmeric, apple cider vinegar, a probiotic and fish oil (omega 3s) pills

I’ve tried versions of time-restricted eating and struggled to stick to it, but it’s become much easier now that it’s built around habits such as coffee and morning exercise – rather than feeling like another rule I have to enforce.

Breakfast is low in carbs and high in protein and fibre: eggs and full-fat Greek yoghurt with nuts and berries (opt for frozen – so much cheaper).

I add wheatgerm (a rich source of spermidine, a compound linked to cell repair and longevity); chia and flax seeds (packed with fibre, which helps with blood sugar control, and omega 3s, for reducing inflammation and supporting cardiovascular and brain health); inulin (a fibre that ‘feeds’ beneficial gut bacteria and helps with blood sugar control); and psyllium husks (also packed with fibre).

I buy all of this in very large, cheap bags, tip them into one big container, and just add a couple of scoops each morning.

This keeps me full and energised for hours without the sugar spikes and crashes of ultra-processed breakfast cereals and bars – so I snack less and eat less for the rest of the day.

At breakfast time I take a few more supplements: turmeric for my aches and pains, apple cider vinegar to help blunt post-meal blood sugar rises, garlic for cardiovascular and metabolic health, a probiotic for gut function and fish oil (more omega 3s) pills.

I take vitamin D (a daily dose of 2,000 international units) for muscles and immune health, and berberine, a natural compound from barberry plants that behaves like a natural Ozempic – improving blood sugar control and helping regulate appetite.

And that’s it.

These steps aren’t about chasing a body beautiful, but about living a happier, healthier life now and ageing well later. Hopefully some will help nudge your own day into a healthier direction, too.

@drrobgalloway