Guides to help you achieve your New Year’s resolutions

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A journey catered to you

Life Kit just launched its latest newsletter journey to help readers build muscle and get stronger. No matter if you already have a workout routine or are just starting your fitness journey, the team wants to show you that resistance training requires neither complex moves nor endless hours of effort. Life Kit‘s Guide to Building Strength will include expert advice on how to get started with gaining muscle, strength exercises to practice, assumptions that may hold us back but shouldn’t, and strategies to keep you going beyond the month and more.

Join the Guide to Building Strength newsletter series to start your journey.

If strength is not your focus for 2026 or you’re an overachiever who wants to tackle more than one resolution, we have options. Check out these newsletter series and all they have to offer to assist in your resolutions:

• Managing stress can be the key to thriving, which is why NPR went on a quest to help you reclaim your calm. There are a few simple strategies that can help you reduce stress and increase positive feelings. The Stress Less guide offers skills that you can practice and improve upon, which can help you cope better during challenging times.
• Looking to go alcohol-free this month for Dry January? It can be a challenging task, both personally and socially. But taking a short break from alcohol can help you improve your sleep, clear up your skin and more. Take on the challenge with these expert tips in Life Kit‘s Guide to Zero-Alcohol Month.
• Getting a good night’s rest is critical to your well-being, though it isn’t always easy to go to bed on time or sleep through the night. But 2026 is the year to put an end to bad sleep habits and get the optimal rest you need with Life Kit‘s Guide to Better Sleep.
• Kick your credit card debt to the curb! Try Life Kit‘s Guide to Paying Off Credit Card Debt to master expert strategies that slash your spending and supercharge your savings.

Looking ahead to 2026

The Trump administration and Congress are currently overhauling student loan borrowing limits and repayment timelines. In early December 2025, the U.S. Department of Education announced it had reached a settlement to end the popular Biden-era student loan repayment plan known as SAVE. Now, roughly 7 million SAVE borrowers will need to adjust their plans, as repayment options will undergo significant changes this year. Here’s what you need to know.

Since 1979, Toast of the Nation has celebrated the new year by showcasing premier live performances from around the world. To ring in 2026, the program is highlighting a variety of world-class sets, including Nicole Zuraitis in Las Vegas, Kassa Overall in New York and Sofia Rei in Croatia. The broadcast also features one of the late Jack DeJohnette’s final performances.

What awaits us in the world of pop culture this year? The Pop Culture Happy Hour team presents their annual predictions, tackling everything from the rise of AI and the future of RuPaul’s Drag Race to the next chapters of the Law & Order universe. Plus, they look back at their predictions for 2025 and see how things worked out.

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.