What You Will Learn

• The foundational health goals a registered dietitian nutritionist recommends focusing on in 2026

• Why visceral fat and chronic inflammation deserve attention as part of long-term health

• How everyday habits influence metabolic health, resilience, and overall well-being

• Why finding physical activity you enjoy supports consistency and whole-body health

A Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Shares Foundational Health Goals for 2026 (Part Two)

A new year invites reflection, especially on the habits that shape how we feel day to day. With 2026 underway, we turned to our founder, a registered dietitian nutritionist, for guidance on where to focus when setting meaningful health goals.

Last week, Kristin shared four foundational areas to prioritize as the year begins. This week, the conversation continues with a closer look at three additional areas that often fly under the radar, yet play an important role in how the body stores energy, responds to stress, and maintains resilience: visceral fat, chronic inflammation, and physical activity. 

These areas don’t always get top billing when we think about health goals, but they influence how the body functions in important ways—and that’s exactly why they belong among our foundational health goals for 2026. 

Pay Attention to Visceral Fat 

Visceral fat is the fat stored deep within the abdomen, surrounding vital organs. It’s different from subcutaneous fat, which sits just under the skin, and it has a much stronger connection to metabolic health. Higher levels of visceral fat are associated with insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and increased risk for cardiovascular disease.

What makes visceral fat particularly important is its metabolic activity. It releases inflammatory signals and hormones that can interfere with blood sugar regulation and appetite signaling. Over time, this creates a feedback loop that makes metabolic balance harder to maintain.

Supporting gut health, prioritizing fiber intake, paying attention to blood sugar patterns, and reducing ultra-processed foods all influence visceral fat levels. These foundational habits help regulate insulin response and inflammation, creating conditions that support healthier fat distribution over time. 

The goal isn’t rapid change—it’s addressing the underlying drivers that influence how the body stores and uses energy. 

Get Ahead of Chronic Inflammation

Inflammation is often thought of as a short-term response to injury or illness, but chronic inflammation is different. It can exist quietly in the background for years, without obvious symptoms, while still influencing long-term health. 

Research has linked chronic inflammation to serious conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, autoimmune disorders, and other health challenges people typically try to address much later.

Because it doesn’t always announce itself, chronic inflammation is easy to overlook. Many people don’t think about it until a diagnosis, persistent discomfort, or health setback brings it into focus. By then, it may have been influencing the body for quite some time.

That’s why reducing inflammation belongs on the list of foundational health goals. Paying attention to it earlier provides valuable insight into overall health and creates an opportunity to be proactive, rather than reactive. 

If you’d like to explore this topic in more depth, we break it down further here: Fiber Up: Addressing Chronic Inflammation. 

Find A New Physical Activity That Brings You Joy 

You’re going to read a lot of social media posts and articles about starting or improving your exercise routine, but Kristin’s tip should spark some inspiration.  This year, challenge yourself to find something new that moves your body and your soul! 

Take a dance class, join a hiking group, learn to paddleboard! The point is to move your body, learn something new, and be joyful! 

Here’s Kristin with her crew trying street hockey! She tells us that this new experience brings on laughter and increases the heart rate in a fun and exciting way! 

Did you know? Learning new things and staying active can actually help your gut bugs thrive. 

Here’s what the science tells us: when we challenge our brains and move our bodies, we stimulate communication along the gut–brain axis. That signaling influences the gut environment, supporting microbial diversity and balance. 

Novel activities, especially ones that spark curiosity, focus, or laughter, are linked with healthier stress responses, and a calmer stress response creates better conditions for the gut microbiome to do its job. 

In short, new experiences and movement don’t just feel good in the moment; they help create an internal environment where our gut bugs are more likely to flourish. 

So get out there, find a new physical activity, and challenge yourself (and your group chat) to something a little more adventurous and stick with it for at least 30 days. 

Closing Thoughts 

As we move through 2026, these foundational health goals offer a different way to think about progress. They remind us that meaningful change often begins with awareness, learning how nutrition and daily habits influence the body, paying attention to how it responds, where it feels supported, and where small adjustments can make a lasting difference. 

We hope our Foundational Health Goals for 2026 series has sparked inspiration to live just better.® every day. Here’s to a healthy, happy New Year!