How To Avoid Being A Quitter This Quitters Day!
Each year, the second Friday of January marks ‘Quitters Day‘. It is noted for the substantial number of people who call it quits on their New Year’s resolutions.
Last January, Duolingo surveyed 2000 adults who pinpointed 10th January (the second Friday of the year) as the day that 32% of them broke their pledges to learn a new language.
Duolingo is not alone in this – in 2019, Strava found that 80% of resolution-makers have given up by this point.
Sticking to your resolutions is all about creating new habits. We often seem to think that a new year is filled with magic that allows everything to fall into place without putting in much effort ourselves. Unfortunately, this is not the case. We trap ourselves into a cycle of thoughts where we don’t really need to do anything, it’s just the new year; it will work its magic! And then we disappoint ourselves when we don’t immediately see the results we’ve been wanting but not been working for.
According to Time Magazine, as many as 80% of people give up on their resolutions by February, with just 8% sticking to them for the full year. We want you to be in that 8%, so we’ve laid out how to set yourself up for success this January and turn those resolutions into a habitual lifestyle.
Tip: Be mindful that you can adjust your approach to your resolutions. You don’t need to give them up entirely! Sometimes just reframing how you’re looking at them, and what you need to do to reach them can do the trick.
How we can help?
On average, it takes more than 2 months before a new behaviour becomes automatic (66 days to be exact). The time it takes a new habit to form can vary a great deal depending on the behaviour itself, the person, and the circumstances, so give yourself time to adapt and settle in, and most importantly, enjoy the process!
We’ve put together some helpful tips to keep you tracking towards what you’re working on and avoid being a quitter this Quitters Day:
Create a schedule: Establish a consistent workout schedule. Treat your exercise time as non-negotiable – pop it in your diary and incorporate it into your daily or weekly routine. Consistency helps to build habits.
Get yourself a training buddy or book a class ahead of time: This will make you more accountable and less likely to drop out at the last minute – no one wants to pay a class cancellation fee!
Make it enjoyable: Choose activities you enjoy to make exercise a positive experience. You’ve heard of joyful movement – now make sure that’s what you’re participating in. If you’re not enjoying something, ask yourself why, and try to combat that. You won’t love everything, but sometimes you’ll find that with a bit of adaptation, you might enjoy it more! Slow down your running to a more comfortable and appropriate pace, reduce the weights you using so you can complete reps and reduce the resistance on your bike.
Exercise is personal to you, so make sure you’re tailoring your regime to yourself, and not your peers.
Try to keep it varied, as this will also help to keep things interesting and challenge your body in new ways.
Invest in the right gear: Having comfortable and appropriate workout gear can make the experience far more enjoyable. Treat yourself to quality shoes, clothing, or equipment as a commitment to your fitness journey. It doesn’t have to break the bank, but it can help you feel more motivated and committed.
Define clear nutrition goals: you may have a main goal such as fat loss or gaining muscle. However, it can be helpful to have other areas to strive to work on, that contribute towards your main goal. This may include trying to have a more varied diet, trying foods you do not usually eat or even simply eating more fruit and vegetables.
Schedule regular check-ins: whether with yourself, a nutritionist, or a PT (if you require a little added support), to evaluate your progress, adjust your goals if needed and celebrate the positive changes you’ve made!
Break your goals down: Set yourself smaller goals and targets within your main goal to help keep motivation high, and feel like you’re steadily ticking along. You can use one of the many habit tracker apps out there to help with this! Tracking small wins can have a huge influence on whether you make progress towards your goals, so making use of these tools may be hugely beneficial.
Remember, sustainable changes take time, and being patient with yourself is crucial. By incorporating these tips, you can foster accountability and make meaningful strides toward your health goals to help turn a healthy day into a healthy week, a healthy month, then year, then life.
Of course, if you’d like more time to focus on your other goals, we’re more than happy to take care of your nutrition for you! Use the code BLOG60 for £60 off your first week of FFF deliveries.
Fresh Fitness Food provides personalised meal plans delivered straight to your door. We ensure not only that you have the nutrients you need to support your goals, but also that you have the time usually spent shopping, cooking and washing up, to engage in your favourite festive activities. To discuss which nutrition plan is right for you, book a call with our in-house nutrition team here.
Order today and start smashing your goals with personalised nutrition! Sign up today with the code BLOG50 for £50 off a 5-day trial.
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