Whether you plan to be more active, get more sleep, or simply be more present, creating new habits is easier with the Google Pixel Watch and the Fitbit app .¹  “Setting a New Year’s resolution to focus on positive wellbeing is one of the smartest things we can do,” says Elissa Epel, PhD, Professor and Vice Chair in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, and an expert on stress and aging.

Whatever your goals for the new year, the Google Pixel Watch can help, with nudges, support, and record-keeping that will make it easier to get started and keep going on your wellness journey.

Studies show a third of adults² are sleep deprived and half of us have trouble falling asleep, so it makes sense that sleep goals are common. “Sleep is connected to essentially every aspect of health, so getting enough sleep is going to help reduce your risk of virtually every health problem,” says Jennifer M. Mundt, PhD, Assistant Professor and Director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Lab and Training Program at Northwestern University.

But getting more sleep – and even knowing how much you’re actually getting – can be a challenge. This is where the Pixel Watch comes in. Wear your watch to bed to get a Sleep Score , which is based on your heart rate, the time you spend awake or restless, and your sleep stages.¹ Sleep Score helps you understand your sleep each night and lets you see trends over time in the Fitbit app. Then you can use these insights to build healthy habits to get better rest. Want to go deeper into the data? Fitbit Premium offers a more detailed breakdown of Sleep Score, like an analysis of heart rate during sleep, or you can check out your Sleep Profile to see your sleep trends over the past month across 10 key sleep metrics and both are included for six months with your Google Pixel Watch.³

You can also use the app to set sleep goals and schedule cues to wind down or go to bed. “Establishing a new routine takes time, and at first it can help to set external reminders such as an alarm that reminds you to get ready for bed or to turn off the TV,” says Dr. Mundt. 

Another key to success is to make it easy on yourself. “Start small with a goal that seems manageable, such as getting to bed 15 to 30 minutes earlier each day,” she says. “Consistency is really important with sleep, so another good place to start is to just get a consistent wake time every day of the week.” Every little bit counts.

After the indulgences of the holiday season, the new year is a natural time to get moving again. Whether you want to get more steps each day or run a marathon, the Pixel Watch can help keep you motivated and track your progress. 

Lenny Bons is aiming to hike more in the new year around New York City where he lives. He plans to use his Pixel Watch to count his steps and mileage, discover new trails with Google Maps,⁴ and monitor his heart rate and see his fitness levels over time – all from his wrist. The Pixel Watch’s Emergency SOS features will also help keep him safe as he’s out exploring.⁵

The Pixel Watch can help you keep tabs on workouts and see your progress over time. It has 40 exercise modes and tracks how hard you’re working with Active Zone Minutes, based on your heart rate. And if you’re looking for ideas on how to get moving, the Google Pixel Watch and Fitbit offer more than 200 video and audio workouts in the Fitbit app via Fitbit Premium.³

As with anything, you want to make sure not to overdo it. The Daily Readiness Score in Fitbit Premium lets you know how ready your body is for working out, or whether you need time to recover. 

The Pixel Watch can support mindfulness goals, too. “Changing our relationship with stress can be done with small changes each day,” says Dr. Epel. “Even adopting one new wellness habit can make a huge difference.” In the Fitbit app, choose a weekly mindfulness goal, set reminders to complete a mindfulness session, reflect on your stress level, and more. Plus, Fitbit Premium provides more than 200 mindfulness sessions from partners like Calm, including meditation, yoga, and relaxation.

But how do you actually track stress levels and progress? There’s a daily Stress Management Score calculated using more than ten factors across responsiveness, exertion balance, and sleep patterns. You can see trends in how your body responds to stress and how the actions you take affect your overall stress level. “Daily stress becomes a habit we are used to and we may not even notice it anymore,” says Dr. Epel. You can use this score to gain some insight into your stress level and plan whether to take on a lot that day or take a break. 

And the effects are cumulative. “When we feel less stress and more wellbeing we are more able to stick to the health behaviors we want,” says Dr. Epel.