Try 5 realistic rather than superficial fitness resolutions

January can be an excellent opportunity to reset, but many fitness resolutions - like sculpting a six-pack or losing a lot of weight - can be unrealistic or unsustainable.

- Anna Maltby

When taken to extremes, they can also end up hurting your body image, mental health and metabolism.

In 2025, consider a fitness resolution that has nothing to do with how you look. Focus on learning a skill, accomplishing a physical feat or simply building a habit. These can all help you develop intrinsic motivation, or the desire to pursue something because it is inherently satisfying or enjoyable.

The key is setting a goal that is the right size, said Karin Nordin, a mindset and behavior change expert. "I always recommend setting a goal that challenges you a little bit, feels a little intimidating and even scary," she said.

But it should not be so challenging that it feels impossible, she added. On a scale of one to 10 for how achievable it feels, she suggested aiming for a goal you would rate an eight or higher.

Nordin also recommended giving yourself a "prototype period" to help you refine a longer-term goal. You can tell yourself: "In January, these are the resolutions I'm going to try, like putting on a sweater in the store before you buy it." Maybe that is a month of a weekly Pilates class, or two weeks of a gentle warmup before each workout. See how it goes, and then decide if you need to readjust.

Here are five resolution ideas to get you started.

WORK TOWARDS A PULL-UP

Pull-ups help improve upper body, back and grip strength, as well as core stability, and they require mobility through multiple joints. They are a difficult exercise, but there are good ways to work up to a pull-up or to modify it to be easier.

Start with exercises to strengthen your biceps, triceps, lats, shoulders, hands and core, said Maillard Howell, a personal trainer and gym co-owner in New York City's Brooklyn borough.