Nourishing New Year’s Resolutions for 2026: Set Intentions You’ll Keep

2026 New Year Resolutions Worth Nourishing: Set Intentions You’ll Keep

Will you be making a 2026 New Year's resolution?  While there’s nothing wrong with New Year’s resolutions, at Ancient + Brave we believe they're more powerful when they focus on what truly matters - on cultivating a life worth nourishing, rather than fixing. 

This is an ethos embraced by Davina McCall and Joe Marler, who are choosing to swap restrictive New Year's resolutions for a commitment to living their life to the full.

No strict goals, no pressure to be perfect, just achievable daily rituals that support the unique, beautiful inner you that's already here.

"I think resolutions should be joyous, mine is to age disgracefully"- Davina McCall

Why the idea of a New Year’s resolution needs a rethink

The New Year brings with it the promise of fresh starts, clean pages and new beginnings. From the moment the clock strikes midnight on 31st December, the familiar noise begins. Diets. Shreds. Cleanses. Detoxes. Endless demands to be more optimised.

Whilst some still love to make a January promise to themselves, many are starting to step away from the idea of New Year's resolutions altogether. 

That’s partly because January is a notoriously hard month to navigate, but also because the ‘New Year, New Me’ narrative carries with it the message that something within you is broken and needs to be fixed. That you’re not enough. That if only you had more discipline or more willpower, you’d finally become ‘better’. This mindset, combined with punitive January wellbeing plans, can leave us feeling depleted, leading us to abandon our resolutions altogether.

That’s why at Ancient + Brave, we believe that New Year resolutions should be reframed from something you must do to something you tend to. A commitment to 
living your life fully and bravely by focusing on what truly matters.

Resolutions with longevity: Your nourishing New Year plan for 2026 

Prioritising your wellbeing as part of your New Year's resolution needn’t be restrictive. 

When you take the pressure off, a nourishing New Year plan can be supportive and satisfying - built around simple, intentional rituals that carry you through the year ahead.

Here are a few tips to help you begin your New Year wellness journey.

Step 1: Get to know yourself

What do you really need in 2026? 

Knowing what you truly need doesn’t come easily to many of us. For some, the voice within is almost impossible to hear, so instead we adapt, cope and power through.

But what if, this year, before signing up to the latest January wellness trend that our favourite podcast host swears “changed their life”, we begin the year by tuning in to what we actually need?

Practices which create space in your mind such as  yoga, meditation, and breathwork allow you to connect with your body - strengthening your understanding of your body's needs; when to push and when to rest, when you need space or connection.

Step 2: Know your why

This deeper understanding of yourself - how to nourish and build your reserves ties directly into your why - the purpose behind wanting to feel well in the first place.

We often choose aesthetic or numerical goals in January. Sure, they’re tangible, but  often they’re surface-level expressions masking something else beneath.

When you follow the thread beneath the initial goal, you discover your real why. These are intrinsic goals grounded in who you are and your hopes for your future self, not who you think you should be. Meaning that when you stumble, you’re far more likely to stand back up without criticism, shame or a sense of failure.

A wonderful tip when setting achievable January wellness goals is to use the phrase ‘so that I can’. This helps excavate what sits beneath the surface so that if you stumble, you’re far more likely to stand back up without criticism, shame or a sense of failure.

• I want to feel confident so that I can move through my life without second-guessing myself

• I want energy so that I can show up fully for the people and projects I love

• I want to have a better relationship with alcohol so that I can engage in the fullness of each day

• I want to move easily in my body so that I can feel powerful and enjoy time with my kids, my partner, and my friends

• I want to feel at home in myself so that I can use my focus and time for living

Intrinsic, after all, comes from the Latin meaning “goods for the soul.” Your why should feel exactly like that. nourishing, stabilising, powerful and deeply you. 

Step 3: Fill your cup 

Once you know your why and begin listening inward rather than outward, the question naturally shifts from “What should I do?” to “What would truly support me?”

What fills your cup is unique to you. It might be learning to surf or running a marathon. But it doesn’t need to be this grand. Often, it’s the smallest shift that makes the most impact. 

For some, it’s building strength and feeling powerful in their body. For others, it’s learning to cook nourishing food or carving out a calmer morning. 

There’s no universal formula. Your cup is yours alone. It may even contain things that fall outside the ‘wellness umbrella’, such as a hobby that brings you a pocket of joy.

And while your cup will always need checking and tending to, when it's full, everything in your life benefits from the overflow. From your patience to your presence, your relationships to your work, even your sense of awe and wonder. 

Davina McCall’s nourishing New Year resolution 

Ancient + Brave ambassador, Davina McCall’s why encapsulates this beautifully with her resolution to age disgracefully.

Davina’s not interested in moulding herself into a quieter, neater version of womanhood. Instead, she is stepping forward with the bold idea that ageing is something to celebrate, to push into, to enjoy with your whole being. 

To help support her rebellious compass point comes the practices and the daily Ancient + Brave rituals that she trusts to leave her nourished so she can show up in the relationships and the work she cares about without running on reserves. 

Less pressure, more nourishment: Rethink your resolutions

This January, instead of abandoning resolutions altogether or chasing the ones that leave you depleted by February, take a leaf out of Davina’s book. Ask what's better than a resolution?’ and subscribe to rituals that you can return to again and again, even when things don't run smoothly.