With just a few months left of the year, 2026 is just around the corner. What a better time to look back at the accomplishments you’ve had so far and start thinking about the things you still wish to achieve?
The beginning of a new year is the perfect opportunity to set yourself a challenge – a promise for self care and personal growth. So, here are some wellness-related ideas to get you inspired!
Couch to 5K
Running is one of the most popular forms of exercise in the world for a reason: it offers incredible benefits to both your body and mind. However, if you’re someone with no experience in running, getting into it can feel tricky. How far are you supposed to run? And how do you stay consistent?
Couch to 5K answers these questions for you, providing a daily training plan over 9 weeks. As the name suggests, this programme is created for people who do little to no exercising, building them up to running 5 kilometers without stopping. It starts slow, with short walks and runs as well as exercises, making the sessions just a little bit longer each time.
The beauty of this challenge is that it’s super accessible – all you need is a decent pair of trainers and a bit of determination. To keep yourself motivated, find a local 5K race that you want to participate in, making the finale of this programme that much more rewarding!
Walk the Camino de Santiago
If you prefer to keep a slower pace with more time for reflection, this walking holiday may peak your interest. The Camino de Santiago is an ancient network of pilgrimage routes, stretching across Spain, which draws thousands of people from all corners of the world. The point of the Camino is to walk from your chosen starting point (if you’re doing the full Camino Frances, this would be St. Jean) to Santiago de Compostela, the infamous historic town and the burial place of the Biblical apostle St. James.
The point of the Camino de Santiago is to explore your destination by no other means than walking. You will be covering 15-25 kilometers each day and your journey may last anywhere between a week and a month (depending on your chosen route). It is a taxing challenge, requiring a good level of physical endurance and mental strength.
However, the Camino is far from just a long walking challenge. It’s an immersive experience that can lead to profound personal growth and spiritual discovery. Along the way, you’ll meet people with stories as inspiring as the landscapes themselves. You find yourself reconnecting with yourself, the others and nature on a deeper level, and the results can be truly transformative.
If you want to challenge yourself to Camino de Santiago in the new year, Orbis Ways can help you plan this trip. As an experienced travel agency, specialising in walking holidays, they offer a selection of itineraries and take care of all the logistics, including accommodation, airport pick-ups, luggage transfers and more. All you have to do is start training for long walks before your big adventure!
The healthy eating Bingo
Nutrition is a hugely important part of our wellbeing, but one that can be difficult to keep up to when life gets busy. Instead of thinking of healthy eating as a diet full of restrictions, why not flip the narrative and try the nutrition Bingo challenge?
Here’s how it works: find or create your own bingo card with squares featuring various food goals. For example, “try a new fruit”, “cook a plan-based meal”, “drink a smoothie instead of coffee”, “eat a meal rich with omega-3”, “bake a healthy dessert”, “drink 6 glasses of water each day” and so on. Each time you achieve one, tick it off – just like in the classic Bingo game. Aim to fill the entire card by the end of the end of the week or month.
This playful approach makes healthy nutrition feel fun rather than a chore. It encourages you to eat a balanced diet and switch existing habits into better ones. The best part is how adaptable this challenge is, as you can design your own card based on the habits you want to change.
Start a gratitude journal
If mindfulness is something you want to improve on, there are also plenty of mental health challenges you can take on. Starting a gratitude journal, for one, can have excellent effects on your wellbeing. This challenge invites you to start your mornings by noting down three things you’re thankful for that day. They don’t always need to be really meaningful – you may be grateful for your warm bed or a friend you will be meeting that day.
This practice helps you rewire your brain to focus on what you already have, rather than lack. Over time, you will notice an increased sense of contentment in the little things, living your life in this moment. Mindfulness and simple joys are something we all tend to forget in our fast-paced routines, so starting the day with a gratitude journal acts as a gentle reminder.
The digital detox weekends
We are all guilty of spending way too much time on our phones, consumed by endless notifications and scrolling, forgetting to reconnect with the real world. If this is something you want to improve, set yourself a digital detox challenge. The rules of this challenge are completely up to you, as you may want to start slow and extend your time off-screen gradually.
For instance, you may dedicate one weekend each month in 2026, during which you will delete your social media apps. You can still use your phone to reach out to people or take images, if you wish, but there should be no scrolling. If a full weekend feels too daunting, start with a single day. Once you notice the benefits, you may find yourself wanting to do it every weekend!
The most important thing is to use this time intentionally. Perhaps there are hobbies that you want to rediscover, like sewing or baking. Maybe there’s a book you’ve always wanted to read or a language course you want to start. Or, you may simply enjoy unstructured rest, spending more time outdoors and with your loved ones.
A year that redefines “better”
Many people set themselves new year’s resolutions, but very few tend to stick to them. That is because they are often unrealistic or not specific enough. Instead, try to give yourself one or two different challenges, with a clear plan or set of rules that you can follow along. This will not only build sustainable habits towards bettering yourself, but also make self-care fun!
