New Year’s Resolution: 2026 Edition

Every December I make a resolution for the upcoming new year. Along the way, I’ve resolved to say something nice to strangers, drink more water, pursue strength training, and embrace gratitude. Last year, I resolved to add yoga to my life.  

Well, in short, I failed. Which is proof of what I confess to my patients every day – I am not perfect.

I could blame it on the lack of a yoga mat (ha ha!). I could blame it on the fact that in the spring I over-did it in strength training and sprained my shoulder which set me back several weeks. I could blame it on the lack of time (for the happiest of reasons - my son got married this year!). But truly, I have no one to blame but myself.

After all, I have the Ali McGraw’s Yoga Mind and Body YouTube video saved on my favorites watch list. It’s even FREE! I have space to practice yoga in my house. I have not magically become more flexible, and my balance is most certainly not spontaneously better. A year older, if anything, I’m less flexible and less comfortable standing on one foot (even with my eyes open!).

So this year, I could say that I’m just going to pursue a simple do-over.  And I will most definitely still try to add yoga to my routine. But I think the better resolution for 2026 is to give myself some grace.  

Despite the confession of me not being perfect, I’m very much a closet perfectionist.  And that means I’m really hard on myself. Failure is not an option. So when I do fail I’m doubly disappointed – with actually failing, as well as with… myself.  

But I also have to remember what I preach to others every single day: “It’s not about being perfect, it’s about being better. Perfection is exhausting”. The reason I know how exhausting perfection can be is… from personal experience.  

So this year I’m going to try to follow my own advice and just aim to be better. Maybe I won’t adopt a full-on yoga routine, but I will try - and I will work hard to consider the trying part as the actual win. And, if I try enough times, I might just be able to report new-found flexibility and balance to you next year. 

Whatever your goal for yourself is this year, I encourage you to do the same and also give yourself some grace. Consider the trying as the win and success as a bonus. We can’t succeed if we don’t try. And sometimes we have to try more than once.

With warmest wishes for a happy and healthy 2026,

Elizabeth Klodas MD, FACC