Staying Motivated After New Year’s Resolutions Fade

Did you know that last Friday was a holiday? Well, it was a few, actually. It was National Word Nerd Day—one that I can personally get behind. It was also National No Pants Subway Ride Day—one that I cannot.

But it was also Quitter’s Day.

For those who aren’t familiar with this special holiday, Quitter’s Day marks the point where most people have already given up on their New Year’s resolutions, as calculated by fitness app Strava. So if you’re still sticking with your goals, that means you’ve done better than average.

I know it isn’t easy. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone for a walk during the first days of January and marveled at all of the people out on the trail in their fancy athletic wear and their pretty new shoes, only to see their numbers dwindle as the days passed. After all, those first few days are exciting and fun. You’re determined to start the year off right—with new goals and new habits. It’s all go big or go home. But after a while, the excitement of going big starts to wear off, and the prospect of going home actually sounds really nice.

So how do you keep it up? How do you stay motivated and stick with your new routines after that initial New Year’s resolution energy fade?

1) Show Yourself a Little Grace

The point of this month’s walking reset challenge is to give yourself some grace. It’s not about taking an all-or-nothing attitude. It’s about committing to do something good for yourself. It’s about doing your best—and maybe doing a little better tomorrow.

If you miss a walk, that doesn’t mean that you’ve failed. Instead of taking a couple of missed walks as a sign that it’s just not going to work for you, shake it off and start again tomorrow.

2) Rethink (and Maybe Even Shrink) Your Goal

People tend to be over-ambitious when they’re setting their goals—and then, when the reality of actually living up to those ambitious goals sets in, they simply give up. Because…what’s the point if it’s impossible?

If you’re struggling to stick to your goals, it might be time to rethink those goals. If your goal was to walk three miles a day, maybe you need to try for one mile a day. Or maybe start with 10 minutes a day and add a few more minutes each week, until you’re where you want to be.

Remember: what’s important is building a habit—and that won’t happen if you give up because you demanded too much of yourself from Day One.

3) Consider Your Why

Okay, talking about your why might feel a little…buzz-wordy. It may feel cheesy. But it also works. So feel free to change the terminology but stick with the practice.

Why did you set these goals in the first place? What do you want to get out of your walking routine? And, maybe more importantly, what do you need to get out of your walking routine?

If you started walking for the vague reason of “getting fit,” maybe that’s just not enough. Maybe you need the time to yourself. Maybe you need to clear your head and breathe. Maybe you need it for your own mental health. Think about what’s important for this season in your life—and keep that in mind when you’re thinking about backing out. And believe me: when you stick with it, you’ll find that the benefits are so much greater than you expected.

4) Stack the Benefits

So you’ve got a goal and you’ve got a why, but you’re still struggling to stick with your routines. Maybe it’s because your why seems so…nebulous. Those benefits might seem so distant and unreachable. So boost your motivation by pairing your walks with something your really enjoy.

You know how you rarely have time to enjoy your coffee? Grab it to go and enjoy it on your walk, where no one can interrupt you.

Do you have a favorite podcast? Make a point to listen to it only while walking. Or listen to audiobooks by a favorite author. That way, you’re tying your new habit to something you already love.

At some point, your daily walk might turn into that something you really want. But, until then, stacking the benefits can keep you going.

5) Change It Up

Sometimes, the same walk every day can get…boring. And once you get bored, you’re more likely to give up. So it’s important to keep things new and different and interesting. Change up when and where you walk. Find a few different paths—trails, parks, neighborhoods, even the local mall. Walk inside, outside, and on the treadmill. And if you need a little extra motivation, ask a friend to join you every once in a while. Having someone to talk to helps to make the miles fly by.

6) Track Your Progress

Keeping track of your progress will help you see how far you’ve come. Personally, I track my daily distance; it write it down in my walking planner and color in the miles on my challenge sheet. But I’ve been doing this for a while. Walking isn’t a new adventure; it’s an old habit. So you might need to do things differently.

When you’re just starting out, maybe it’s not about how far you walked but that you walked. Instead of keeping track of your miles or your calories or whatever other picky details someone might tell you to track, just track your consistency.

I’m resharing this month’s challenge image. It’s super simple: just cross off the number when you go for a walk on that day. Any walk. You don’t have to walk for a certain time or distance—or a specific pace. Just walk. And be proud of yourself for every single day you can cross off.

7) Just Show Up—and Then Do a Little More

Showing up is the key. Doing something, no matter how small that something may be. It’s not always easy to find that motivation to go longer, go farther. Sometimes, you just need to show up and talk yourself into doing the bare minimum.

On days when I’m struggling—when I drive myself to the trail but just do not want to get out of the car—I sometimes play a little game with myself. I’ll tell myself, “You don’t have to go for a long walk. Just make it a couple of miles.” There are some days when those two miles are all I can do. But, more often, I’ll get moving, and all of the blahs just fall away, and I’ll keep going for my usual four.

For you, it might be “Just walk for five minutes.” Or “Just go a half mile today.” You might surprise yourself by doing more—but, if not, you still showed up. And that’s something to be proud of. Put a big, bold X on today. You did it.

8) Keep Showing Up

Once the new shoes get dirty and the new clothes don’t feel quite so special, it’s easy to let those resolutions fade away. But you don’t have to.

Just keep showing up for yourself. One day at a time. And if you miss a day, you can restart tomorrow.

If you keep showing up, that one day will turn into two. Those two will turn into a week. That week will turn into a month. And, before long, that seemingly impossible new habit will become something you couldn’t imagine a day without.