Photo: my personal trainer giving me push-ups advice

I think that New Year's resolutions are a great idea. However, it's important to be realistic about the changes that you want to make in your life. It is said that it takes 21 days to form a new habit, so one of the keys to sticking to your New Year's resolution is to be patient and consistent. As they say, Rome wasn't built in a day. 
 

One of the habits that I want to get into this year is going to bed and waking up early. I'm pretty good at waking up early, but I'm usually too tired to get out of bed because I stayed up late the night before. My goal is to get out of the habit of watching YouTube or Netflix before I go to sleep and read a book instead. I love reading, but don't do it as much as I'd like to these days.
 

I also want to stretch and work out more often. I go to the gym every now and then, which gives me enough energy to get through the week, but if I really want to get into shape, I should probably try to fit more exercise into my schedule. I'd like to get into the routine of stretching first thing in the morning and doing mini workouts at home throughout the day. Who needs a personal trainer when you have kids to motivate you?
 

What are your New Year's resolutions? Do you think you can stick to them?
 

Note: Expressions like 'get into the habit of' and 'get into the routine of' are commonly used by native speakers when talking about lifestyle changes. If you'd like to learn more of these phrases and practice using them in conversations, please check out my 'Speak like a native' lesson page for more details.