What moves the needle for most people when it comes to wellness? January resolutions come in with an emotional roar and then drop out with hardly a hiss. Our brains scream at us to fix everything with some lofty goals and remodel our lives in 2026. The problem isn’t that these goals are wrong. It’s that they’re vague, moralized, and often disconnected from how the body and brain work.

So instead of another set of resolutions, I want to offer something more useful this year: ten research-backed insights from recent science that actually help people make decisions that stick. Not trends. Not hacks. Just what the evidence keeps pointing toward.

1. Muscle Is Protective (not just cosmetic)

One of the clearest themes in recent healthspan research is that skeletal muscle acts like a protective organ. Adequate muscle mass is associated with better glucose control, lower injury risk, improved cognitive resilience, and greater independence as we age. This means that we have a considerable amount of control over our health because we can all build muscle.

The beauty of this is that it reframes strength training away from aesthetics and toward function. The goal isn’t to look a certain way. It’s to remain capable.

2. Total Protein Intake Matters More Than Perfect Timing.

Fortunately, the old idea that protein must be eaten in a narrow window has largely fallen apart under scrutiny. The muscle fairies don’t come and strip your gains away at the 61-minute mark. What consistently matters most is adequate daily protein intake, spread across meals in a way that feels sustainable.

Timing can be personalized, but obsessing over it often adds stress without additional benefit. Eating enough protein regularly supports muscle, appetite regulation, and recovery far more than chasing precision.

3. Blood Sugar Stability Affects Mood More Than We Thought.

Research continues to link large blood sugar swings with irritability, fatigue, poor focus, and increased anxiety. This doesn’t mean eliminating carbohydrates. It means pairing them well and having whole foods that contain fiber rather than the stripped-down, quick-digesting, ultra-processed foods.

Meals that include protein, fiber, and fats slow digestion and reduce dramatic spikes and crashes. When blood sugar is steadier, the nervous system tends to behave better too.

I always suspected this, but now I know it to be true: Sometimes “emotional regulation” starts with lunch.

4. Walking After Meals Is Underrated.

Short bouts of light movement after meals, such as walking for 10–15 minutes, consistently improve post-meal blood sugar control. This doesn’t replace strength training or higher-intensity exercise, which remain critical for muscle and metabolic health.

But it does highlight something important: you don’t need to do everything at once. Different forms of movement serve different purposes.

5. Sleep Regularity May Matter More Than Sleep Duration.Recent studies suggest that going to bed and waking up at consistent times may be as important as total sleep hours. Irregular sleep schedules are associated with worse metabolic and cardiovascular outcomes, even when total sleep time looks “adequate.”

What I like about this is that it reframes sleep away from perfection and toward rhythm. The body likes patterns. It feels safer when it can predict what’s coming.

6. Social Connection Is Biologically Protective.

Loneliness is increasingly recognized as a physiological stressor, not just an emotional one. Research links social isolation with higher inflammatory markers, increased disease risk, and faster biological aging.

Connection doesn’t need to be constant or dramatic. Regular, meaningful contact appears to matter more than the size of your social circle. I guess health is a contact sport after all.

7. Stress Isn’t the Villain . . .

I am rather convinced that stress itself is unavoidable (and I bet you are too). As a matter of fact, we put stress on our stress by beating ourselves for being stressed. We need to stop that nonsense.

In the end, though, it turns out that what predicts poorer health outcomes is how long the body stays activated. Prolonged stress responses, without adequate recovery, wear down systems over time.

Practices that help the nervous system downshift, such as breathing (especially the physiological sigh), walking, time in nature, or simply stopping earlier in the evening, help mitigate stress. Also, safe and healthy relationships are great for stress reduction, so there is another win for #6.

8. Ultra-Processed Foods Derail our Mind and our Belly

I know you’re thinking that this is where I take away your Oreos forever. Don’t worry, I think an Oreo every now and again might feel amazing, I just want you to know the truth about them. Ultra-Processed Foods (UPF) are going to mess up your hunger signaling and encourage you to eat. They’re more like that fun “friend” who encourages that 5th glass of wine but is not there in the morning when you have to figure out how to drag yourself to work (and foods that are minimally processed or as close to how they are found in nature, are the friend that gets up at 5am to workout with you and does not make fun of your protein shake).

Beyond calorie content, ultra-processed foods strongly activate reward pathways in the brain while often failing to produce lasting satiety. This combination increases food seeking (that is why that cupcake did not stop the cravinf). When they do crossover studies where they put whole foods versus UPF’s, study subject consistently eat more during the ultra processed food arm of the study.

9. Consistency Beats Intensity Almost Every Time.

Across exercise, nutrition, and sleep research, moderate actions repeated consistently outperform intense efforts applied sporadically.

In other words, the body adapts to what it sees often, not what happens occasionally. This is why waiting for motivation to kick in is not the most successful path. Action creates momentum, and that can be small actions, done over time. That is the secret sauce to longterm health and wellness.

If something only works when motivation is high it is not a long-term solution.

10. Curiosity Improves Adherence Better Than Motivation.

Behavior research increasingly supports what many coaches already observe: people stick with changes longer when they’re curious, not punitive.

Asking “What happens if I try this?” leads to more sustainable behavior than “I should be better.”

Health improves when it feels collaborative instead of corrective.

A Better Kind of Resolution

I would like to make a gentle suggestion. If you’re setting intentions this year, consider this one: build a predictable, supportive relationship with your body. You do this by picking one or two big rocks (like focusing on hitting your protein or getting in 2-3 workouts a week) and sticking with them over time. Once those are dialed in, add in one more change. It is not a sexy process, but it works and it is a long term solution.

If you want some support with those resolutions or just want to make a request for a topic, please email me at [email protected].