Staying Healthy Together: Top 10 New Year's Resolutions for Families

Discover the best family new year's resolution ideas to stay healthy together. Explore 10 meaningful resolutions and how Thrive Healthcare supports family wellness.

2026 has just arrived, with hopes of positive change. While many of us set individual New Year’s resolutions for our own health, setting wellness goals as a family is powerful. When parents, children, and extended family members work toward shared goals, everyone feels deeper motivation and accountability, and the journey toward better health becomes a bonding experience.

This year, consider making wellness a family mission. Whether you're looking to move more, eat better, manage stress, or strengthen emotional connections, family New Year's resolutions create a supportive environment where everyone progresses together. In this guide, we'll explore the science behind family accountability, present our top 10 new year's resolutions that families can do together, and show you how support can strengthen your success.

How Family Members Can Help Each Other Follow Through with New Year's Resolutions

When New Year's comes, most of us set health goals alone, promising ourselves we'll hit the gym more, eat better, or get enough sleep. However, resolutions often fail when we lack support and accountability, and motivation starts to drop in February or March. 

When you share your goals with your family, you’re no longer just making a promise to yourself, but also to people you love. When they are invested in your success, and you're invested in theirs, you're motivated by commitment and trust .

The power of family unity in pursuing health goals goes far beyond simple motivation. When family members support each other's resolutions, you create a system of encouragement where small victories become family celebrations. Imagine knowing that every evening, your family is going for a walk together, or that your kids are excited to try the new healthy recipe you planned. This is the magic of New Year's resolutions done together. Mutual support is shown in countless ways:

• Practical support: Family members can help with meal prep, remind each other to move, celebrate progress, and solve problems together. When one person struggles, others step in to help navigate challenges.

• Emotional support: Sharing goals with your family creates emotional accountability, as you know they want to see you succeed. This emotional bond is often more motivating than willpower alone.

• Environmental support: When your household is structured to support wellness goals, success becomes easier. Healthy foods stocked in the fridge, exercise equipment available, or family time scheduled for movement can remove barriers to making healthy choices.

• Modeling and inspiration: Children learn most powerfully through observation. Parents who model healthy behaviors are teaching their children that wellness is a lifelong value. Similarly, watching your teenagers commit to fitness goals can inspire you as parents to renew your dedication to your own goals.

Committing to a family New Year's resolution for health together, you also strengthen bonds, create traditions that last beyond the year, and teach your children skills they'll carry into adulthood.

10 Health New Year's Resolutions a Family Can Do Together

Ready to transform your family's wellness this year? Here are ten achievable and meaningful resolutions designed for families who want to get healthier together.

1. Commit to weekly family movement sessions

Family fitness doesn't require expensive gym memberships or complex workout plans. It simply requires moving together intentionally.

Choose one or more activities your family genuinely enjoys, like walking, cycling, hiking, dancing, playing sports, or swimming, and schedule it regularly. Aim for at least one hour of combined movement weekly, whether that's a single 60-minute hike or three 20-minute family walks.

There are a lot of free family activities in Singapore, from parks to beaches to community centers. Movement together builds strength, improves cardiovascular health, boosts mood, and creates joyful shared memories. Start with what feels sustainable; a 20-minute family walk is better than a planned two-hour hike you probably won’t do. Eventually, you can work up to the WHO recommendation of at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week.

Pro tip: Let different family members choose activities in rotation, ensuring everyone feels heard and engaged.

2. Plan and prepare nutritious meals together

Forming eating habits as a family creates positive food associations and practical cooking skills that last a lifetime.

Designate family meal planning and cooking times. Involve children in choosing recipes, making grocery lists, and preparing meals. Aim for homemade dinners at least four nights weekly, with intentional nutritious ingredients.

When families prepare meals together, they control ingredients, practice healthy habits, and enjoy the experience of cooking as bonding time. Kids who help prepare food are far more likely to actually eat it, and to learn that healthy eating is creative and delicious.

Pro tip: Start with simple recipes requiring minimal ingredients. As confidence builds, gradually explore more complex cuisines together.

3. Establish consistent sleep and rest routines

Sleep is the foundation of every other health goal, yet it's often the first thing people sacrifice. 

Establish a consistent family bedtime routine. This might include a screen-free hour before bed, calming activities like reading or gentle stretching, and everyone heading to bed within a similar timeframe. Consistency matters more than whether it's 9 PM or 10 PM. Adequate sleep improves immune function, emotional regulation, academic performance, and physical recovery. 

Pro tip: Make the wind-down hour enjoyable rather than restrictive. Audiobooks, board games, journaling, or gentle yoga can all be part of a screen-free wind-down routine.

4. Reduce screen time and create tech-free spaces

In our hyper-connected world, intentionally stepping away from screens strengthens family connection while improving sleep, focus, and mental health.

Designate specific screen-free times (like dinner) or screen-free spaces (like living rooms). Establish family agreements about device use, and lead by example as adults.

When families reduce screen time together, they create space for conversation, imagination, and genuine connection. Children develop better attention spans, families communicate more effectively, and sleep quality improves across the board.

Pro tip: Replace screen time with alternative activities your family actually finds engaging, not as punishment for screens, but as genuinely attractive options: board games, drawing, puzzles, etc. 

5. Practice mindfulness and stress management together

Mental health is just as important as physical health. Make managing stress a shared family practice.

Introduce simple mindfulness practices, like guided breathing, meditation, or journaling that family members can practise together or individually. Start with just five minutes daily. You may even use online videos or mobile applications to guide you. You can also practise gratitude by sharing one thing each person is thankful for during dinner.

Mindfulness reduces anxiety, improves focus, enhances emotional regulation, and creates space for family members to process emotions together. Teaching children stress management skills while managing your own stress creates an emotionally healthier household.

Pro tip: Apps like Calm or Headspace offer family-friendly guided meditations, making it accessible for various ages and attention spans.

6. Explore free family activities that Singapore offers

Singapore provides remarkable free or low-cost options for family activities. Research and participate in free community fitness classes, nature-based activities, or recreational programs offered through ActiveSG, Health Promotion Board (via the Healthy 365 app), or local parks. Try one new free activity each month.

Engaging with your broader community while pursuing family wellness creates social connections, exposes your family to diverse activities, and normalizes healthy living within your neighborhood. Plus, many of these activities are genuinely fun.

Pro tip: Check out free family fitness resources provided by Singapore's Health Promotion Board like Active Family Programme, Active Family Junior, Start2Move, and Mall workouts.

Read more: Wellness for Families and How to Stay Healthy Together 

7. Prioritize hydration and reduce sugary beverages

Simple dietary shifts can create significant health impacts. Establish a family water intake goal, like eight glasses daily per person. Invest in reusable water bottles and make hydration visible and appealing. Gradually reduce sugary drinks, replacing them with water, herbal tea, or naturally flavored water.

Proper hydration improves energy, concentration, physical performance, and metabolism. When the whole family participates, it's normalized as healthy behavior rather than a restriction imposed on one person.

Pro tip: Make water interesting with cucumber slices, lemon, or herbal infusions. Let kids decorate their water bottles to increase excitement.

8. Create family wellness challenges and celebrate progress

Aside from daily habits, occasional friendly competition and celebration keep motivation high throughout the year.

Set monthly wellness challenges your family pursues together, like "No-added-sugar month," "5000 steps daily," or "Discover and experiment with three new healthy recipes a month". Track progress visually with a family calendar or chart, and celebrate milestones with rewards.

Turning healthy activities into games makes wellness fun, provides regular goal-setting opportunities, and creates celebration moments that reinforce positive behaviors.

Pro tip: Let family members take turns choosing monthly challenges, ensuring everyone's interests are represented.

9. Establish regular family outdoor time and connection with nature

Nature exposure improves mental health, encourages movement, and provides natural stress relief.

Schedule regular outdoor time, like weekend park visits, hiking, gardening, or simply spending time in nature. Aim for at least a few hours weekly of engaging with outdoor spaces.

Nature exposure reduces stress, improves mood, encourages physical activity, and provides experiences that calm the nervous system. Families who spend time outdoors together develop stronger connections while improving physical and mental health.

Pro tip: Make nature exploration a treasure hunt by learning to identify local plants, birds, or insects together.

10. Commit to annual health screening and preventive care

Be proactive, not reactive. Schedule annual health screenings for all family members, appropriate for their age and health status. Keep up with vaccinations, dental care, and vision checks. Use these as opportunities to discuss health openly as a family.

Preventive care catches potential issues early, establishes healthy relationships with healthcare professionals, and normalizes health monitoring as a positive practice rather than something to fear.

Pro tip: Make health appointments a gentle conversation starter; ask each family member what health goal they'd like to focus on for the coming year.

How Thrive Healthcare Services Can Help Your Family Thrive

While family support is powerful, professional guidance can push your results and ensure your wellness approach is tailored to your family's unique needs and circumstances.

Comprehensive Physiotherapy 

Thrive Healthcare offers physiotherapy services designed for almost every life stage, from young adults  through to elderly family members. Whether someone in your family has experienced an injury, manages a chronic condition, or is recovering from surgery, our physiotherapists create personalized programs supporting your family’s New Year's resolution goals.

Our team can assess each family member's movement impairments, identify areas for improvement, and design programs that work for your family's lifestyle and schedule.

Sports Physiotherapy and Performance Optimization

For families with athletes or active members, sports physiotherapy prevents injuries while optimizing athletic performance. We work with families to ensure people develop and perform proper movement patterns that protect them throughout their sports careers and as they age.

Our sports injury rehabilitation also helps family members recover from injuries, returning them to the activities they love safely and efficiently.

Caregiver Training and Family-centered Care

For families supporting elderly or injured members, caregiver training ensures that support is provided safely and effectively. We educate family members on proper lifting techniques, mobility assistance, and exercises that accelerate recovery while preventing caregiver injury.

Home-based Programs for Realistic Family Wellness

Understanding that busy families don't always have time for clinic visits, Thrive Healthcare offers home physiotherapy programs tailored to your space and schedule. We design efficient and effective rehabilitation plans that fit into your family's routine, whether that's quick morning movements or evening routines.

Personalized Assessment and Progress Tracking

Our physiotherapists conduct comprehensive assessments identifying each family member's current fitness level, movement limitations, and health goals. From there, we collaborate with your family to set meaningful new year's resolution targets that are realistic, achievable, and motivating.

Regular check-ins with our team will provide external accountability that goes hand in hand with family support. We track progress, adjust programs as needed, and celebrate milestones alongside your family.

Ready to Make 2026 Your Healthiest Year Together?

The New Year offers a starting point for families ready to prioritize wellness together. With the ten resolutions outlined above, supported by professional guidance from Thrive Healthcare, your family can build habits that transform health, strengthen bonds, and sustain wellness for generations to come.

Contact Thrive Healthcare today to schedule a consultation. Our team will work with you to assess your family's current health status, understand your goals, and design a comprehensive rehabilitation plan that brings your family's New Year's resolution to life.