Have you given up on your New Year's resolutions yet?

January 19th was "Quitter's Day."

According to new research from Strava the go-to site for uploaded exercise activity, 80% of people who make New Year's resolutions give them up by January 19th, hence the name "Quitter's Day."  (Haden, 2020)

I smiled when I read that because I had noticed the same thing based on my experiences in various health clubs.  But it does make me wonder if non-athletic resolutions have a longer shelf-life. 

Probably not.

Why?  Because it's hard to change.  Change frightens us, because we are always afraid of what we will lose.   And given the chance, after we change, we will go back to the status quo as soon as we can.

So what's the solution?  Think in terms of small sustainable changes.

So the couch potato who never works out, joins a gym, and swims every day is doomed.  On the other hand, the person who creates a new routine, by getting off the bus a stop early and walking home from there, can be successful. It's all about replacing one routine with another.

Give it a shot and maybe next year you won't be a quitter.

Haden J. (2020, January 3)  A Study Of 800 Million Activities Predicts Most New Year's Resolutions Will Be Abandoned On January 19: How To Create New Habits That Actually Stick.  inc.com.  Retrieved January 22, 2020, from  https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/a-study-of-800-million-activities-predicts-most-new-years-resolutions-will-be-abandoned-on-january-19-how-you-cancreate-new-habits-that-actually-stick.html