No perfection, no New Year magic — just patterns, awareness, and real data
There is less than a week left before the end of the year — the time when we traditionally rewrite our lists of goals and promises. They will definitely be written and thoughtfully considered. As for actually following through… I’m not so sure.
Statistics show that by February, the desire to “start a new life” or “lose five pounds” noticeably fades — and sometimes completely collapses.
That’s exactly why I became curious to look at my future not through intentions, but through real data. Before the New Year even started, I ran a small personal experiment. For 45 days, I tracked four new habits I wanted to introduce into my life.
Yes, I did it ahead of time — to see how a “new life” works without the magic of January 1st.
I chose four habits that were deeply personal and not extreme challenges. Technically, I could have started them on January 1st with the same enthusiasm. But I decided to begin earlier — for myself, and for you. Not to “fix” myself, but simply to observe the process and the results with honesty and calm.
HABIT #1
Breakfast does not start with sugar
At first glance, this doesn’t seem difficult. In fact, all of my habits were relatively simple — and that’s exactly why I was curious to see what difference they would actually make.
Why?
I really love good breakfasts. My ideal one is a proper sandwich or eggs. Keto-style, or with carbs — both work for me. I love eating something filling and then finishing with coffee and a small piece of chocolate.
But I don’t live alone, I don’t enjoy cooking, and the pantry — unlike the fridge — almost always contains something sweet: candy, cookies, desserts, chocolate in every possible form. So in the morning, when waking up feels especially hard, the choice was obvious: coffee and something sweet on the way.
It was a perfectly acceptable option. But I knew two things for sure:
— it wasn’t good for me;
— and I wanted a different kind of breakfast.
That’s why this habit came with real internal motivation. To make it work, I needed a bit of preparation: pâtés and guacamole, some bread or crispbread on hand, and various Mediterranean-style snacks.
Results after 45 days
45 days in a row. No breaks.
Sometimes I spent 15–20 minutes preparing breakfast. Sometimes I simply bought hummus and vegetables, and it took just a few minutes. Some days it was eggs and avocado. But during all that time, there were no sweet yogurts, no smoothies, no oatmeal with fruit or sugar. Just regular food — without added sugar.
I did this with genuine enjoyment. My body clearly appreciated that my brain made me pause before mindlessly consuming sugar. Over time, I also noticed that I needed far less sweetness in the morning — a single small square of chocolate was enough.
An unexpected bonus: these breakfasts helped me avoid snacking before lunch and even delay lunch altogether, simply because I stayed full much longer.
HABIT #2
No red meat
Why?
If the first habit was mostly a response to what my body was asking for, this one meant going against something I genuinely love. I love red meat — especially lamb. And, of course, a good steak. I rarely eat pork, feel fairly indifferent about chicken, and when eating out, I almost never choose vegan or chicken-based options.
At home, it was even more obvious. Red meat showed up in my meals almost seven days a week, usually veal prepared in different ways. At the same time, I was fully aware of a few things:
— my family and I needed more variety in our protein sources;
— this choice isn’t particularly eco-friendly;
— and, frankly, it has become expensive. The price of a good steak lately feels almost absurd — even at Costco.
Results after 45 days
37 days without red meat out of 45.
If it used to be seven days a week, it dropped to just nine days over a month and a half. For someone who truly loves meat, this felt like a very solid result.
It’s important to note that this period included two major holidays — Thanksgiving and Christmas. A few red-meat days fell exactly there. I consciously did not want to punish myself for stepping outside the rule. I knew that if I started blaming myself, I would abandon the entire experiment. My goal wasn’t discipline or restriction — it was observation.
In practice, it looked like this:
three days of red meat over Thanksgiving, a couple of burgers at a café, and a few days during Christmas. The rest of the time — chicken, plenty of different fish, eggs, and plant-based protein.
I ate with variety and genuine interest. I unexpectedly enjoyed simple dinners like sardines with quinoa and avocado. I cooked fish — something close to a homemade fish and chips — and made egg quiches. It was satisfying, flavorful, and far from boring. Many of these meals also worked perfectly well as breakfast the next day (see Habit #1).
HABIT #3
Morning movement
Why?
I live with several autoimmune conditions — arthritis, spondylitis, and lupus. They all require one very basic thing from me: I need to stay mobile and reasonably flexible in order to function well throughout the day.
In the past, I exercised from time to time, but it was never a daily habit. At best, two or three times a week. I wanted to return, at least partially, to the rhythm I had about ten years ago, when these conditions affected my body far less. Chronic depression, unfortunately, didn’t help with energy or motivation either.
I should clarify one thing right away: this wasn’t a “morning workout” in the traditional sense. It was a movement routine split into two parts across the day.
What it looked like in practice
In the morning, right after waking up, I did a short, gentle routine for my whole body — light stretching for my neck, shoulders, and arms. It took only a few minutes, required very little effort, and still helped set the tone for the day.
After several hours of sitting at my desk, it became important for me to stand up, get my blood moving, and shift my physical state. That’s when the second part came in.
My midday movement block started with 30 push-ups and squats, along with a few bends and stretches for my back. Gradually, I worked my way up to 40. This block took a bit more time than the morning routine, but for me it became a small reset in the middle of the day.
Results after 45 days
33 days with movement out of 45.
When I looked at my notes, a clear pattern emerged: most days without movement coincided with holidays. Three days around Thanksgiving, two around Christmas, and a few scattered days in between. Once it was a severe migraine; a few other days it was a mild seasonal illness.
Even so, I tried to stay gentle with myself. After a bad night or on days when I felt unwell, a couple of minutes were enough — stretching my neck, loosening my shoulders, lightly moving my body. It easily fit into the space between getting dressed and brushing my teeth.
What mattered most was the outcome. The tension in my neck eased, my back hurt less often, and my body began responding more calmly to physical strain. I was glad to see myself slowly returning to a habit that had once been a natural part of my life.
HABIT #4
No alcohol
Why?
I’m sure many people were expecting this habit — especially since promises like this are usually made after the holidays or starting January 1st.
I used to drink quite a lot. Alcohol became part of my evenings, dinners out (when I wasn’t driving), and an easy way to add something “special” to an otherwise ordinary day. If I was bored, I drank. If I was with friends, I drank. If I felt sad — I reached for a bottle.
I didn’t drink anything strong, but beer, cider, and wine were regular. That’s exactly why this habit turned out to be the hardest one. Going without red meat still leaves plenty of alternatives. Replacing the desire to relax and mentally “switch off” in the evening is far more complicated.
A creative person with a tendency toward depressive states and alcohol is not the most stable combination. For me, this was an honest — and probably the most challenging — experiment.
Results after 45 days
33 days without alcohol out of 45.
The pattern was similar to movement: alcohol showed up mostly during holidays and on a few days spent with friends. But the most important result wasn’t in the numbers. I stopped drinking alone, and I significantly reduced how much alcohol I consumed overall.
What used to be a regular part of my evenings became a rare exception — and in much smaller amounts. In most cases, no more than a single beer. On Christmas, I had about 100 grams of red wine and didn’t feel the need for more.
What helped
At first, it was difficult, so I looked for alternatives. For a while, my support came from indica-based tablets — a form of cannabis known for its more relaxing, sedative effects, unlike sativa, which tends to be more stimulating. That difference mattered to me, and it quickly became clear that sativa wasn’t a good fit.
I used them during periods when my health symptoms flared up, mainly to sleep better and respond more calmly to physical discomfort. One tablet in the evening created a mild, relaxing effect. I could read for a bit, let go of the tension from the day, and fall asleep. In the morning, there was no hangover and no lingering side effects.
Over time, I gradually replaced tablets with other evening rituals. Warm baths with salt became part of my routine — I make my own blend with essential oils and magnesium, which I also find calming. I returned to reading fiction, especially early 20th-century detective novels I had already read before, so there was no tension around the plot. Breathing exercises and short meditation sessions before sleep followed naturally.
At some point, I realized something important: what I needed wasn’t alcohol itself, but a state of relaxation. Once I found other ways to reach that state, my dependence on alcohol noticeably weakened.
FINAL REFLECTIONS
I might disappoint some people by saying this, but I completed only one of the four challenges perfectly. Still, giving myself permission to fail — and not to check the box on days when something didn’t work — allowed me to step back and look at my behavior with honesty.
I remain fairly vulnerable to social gatherings and holidays. In those moments, my self-control weakens, and I allow myself more. But looking at alcohol and red meat in particular, I noticed something important: even a small amount of awareness and restraint can reduce harmful habits by roughly two thirds. For me, that isn’t a minor success — it’s a meaningful win.
I’m increasingly convinced that habits don’t form through force. You can’t “fix” yourself with strict rules or sudden bans. Change needs to be gradual and non-traumatic — both for the body and for the mind.
The one thing I truly wanted to change — and felt ready for with both my body and my head — was breakfast without sugar. That turned out to be the easiest habit to build. All it took was a small shift in awareness. The habit formed naturally, because I actually wanted it.
This reflection helped me understand myself better. And I hope it helps you see something too: when it comes to building new habits, there is no simple divide between “success” and “failure.” Two thirds is not a loss — it’s steady progress.
Sometimes it’s better to change yourself by a few percent each month than to aim for perfection, stumble, give up, and return to the starting point feeling disappointed in yourself. Small, gentle changes tend to be far more reliable — and over time, they are the ones that truly become part of everyday life.
Lula
Petrichor Magic 
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