A 30-day movement challenge to feel stronger and better in your body

Time to talk about January.

Photo by Maddi Bazzocco on Unsplash

Let’s talk about the New Year.

You know how annoying it is that taking a walk or doing a workout or drinking some water often actually does the trick to help you feel better? Setting new goals in January is, unfortunately/fortunately, a little bit like that. I’ll be sharing a whole lot more from this conversation soon, but as a quick sneak peek: I had a great interview with the behavior change expert Karin Nordin, PhD, about New Year’s resolutions for an upcoming story, and I was fully prepared for her to debunk the idea that it’s at all helpful to set them. Not so!

Dr. Nordin told me: “People like to say there’s nothing special about January 1st, [but] scientifically that’s incorrect. When we hit a time like January 1st, or our birthday, or a date that’s significant in our minds, our brains mark that as a temporal landmark. A physical landmark means ‘I am here,’ and we do that same thing mentally on a day like New Year’s or our birthday or the first of the month. We’re able to better say, this is who I was before and this is who I am becoming. There’s a separation of selves.”

I kind of get goosebumps thinking about this, to be honest! There’s a power in starting the New Year off on the right foot. Dr. Nordin calls it “the fresh start effect.” I also think there’s power in doing something else she recommended: trying on goals for size. Just like how much better it is to try on a few sizes of that sweater you have your eye on in the store to pick the one that fits perfectly, giving yourself some time to try out new habits can help set you up for success, she told me. (It’s also really freeing to just think about doing something for a month instead of a whole year. Even if you only end up doing that thing once or twice, hey: You did it once or twice! That’s awesome. And then, you can pick something else you’ll be able to do for longer, if you like.)

So here’s what we’re going to do (if you’d like to join me!). We’ll spend the next few days thinking about wellbeing-related goals we might like to set in the new year — we’ll talk about it in the HTM chat (edited to add: quick note here that the chat will be for paid subscribers only) — and then we’ll spend January trying them on a bit, again discussing our progress and reflections in the chat. How does it actually feel to go for a walk every afternoon, or do yoga on Sundays, or try 10 strength training workouts over the course of a month? Then, towards the end of the month, we’ll talk about how it all went and decide how we’d like to move forward.

Throughout January, I’ll also be sharing some insights from the New Year’s resolutions story I mentioned interviewing Dr. Nordin for. It’ll be going live in early January, and I learned so much from reporting it and speaking to a handful of very smart experts about some excellent goals to set and how best to work toward them. I’m hoping that some of what I discovered will support you on your own journey. I’ll of course also continue sharing weekly workouts throughout the month: Feel free to incorporate those into your goal-setting as well.

Here’s what I ask: that your goals be truly supportive of your wellbeing — not something that might send you down an unhealthy path, or cause you to feel guilty or ashamed or play the comparison game with others. And along those lines: When we talk about our goals here, whether in comments or in the HTM chat, let’s please leave potentially triggering numbers out of it. (Edited to add: Think pounds, calories, that kind of thing; let’s steer clear of those. Miles, reps, times per week or month are all good!) Your goals are your own, of course, and I don’t judge anyone for the goal they choose to set, but let’s remember the anti-diet, body-neutral ethos of this space and be respectful of the community. I also think pictures could be awesome (what cool sights or cute dogs are you seeing on your walk? which amazing new huge dumbbell did you just lift for the first time??), but again, be sensitive about what you share.

All you need to do for now is start noodling. I’ll begin some conversations in the chat over the next few days, and you can feel free to discuss in the comments of this post as well.

More soon, and happy almost New Year.

xo
Anna