The deeply uncomfortable, way-TMI side effect of what I thought was a knockout January goal

(Plus, the hard-sounding goal that has so far been weirdly easy)

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

If you, like me, are a health journalist, you have probably received approximately 752 PR pitches this week about “Quitter’s Day,” which is today. Apparently January 10 is the date by which most people give up on their New Year’s resolutions. This is a very flimsy allegation, IMO, based apparently on data from fitness tracking apps (ugh) that register an overall decline in activity beginning January 10. And I hate it because it’s so snarky and smug — if you change your mind about a goal, you’re supposedly a “quitter” — when in reality, trying on new goals and changing course if they aren’t serving you can be a great way to approach behavior change.

Of course, if you started the year with a solid-sounding goal and already feel like it’s not achievable, it may be worth some deeper examination to figure out whether you might just want to adjust it instead of tossing it out entirely. In many ways, this is a more self-compassionate approach than engaging in an all-or-nothing mindset and beating yourself up for “quitting.”

A few questions to consider:

• Can I reframe what “counts”? (i.e. if the goal is to work out every day, would a 10-minute routine be doable even if a 30-minute routine isn’t?)

• Can I adjust the circumstances? (i.e. if it’s too tricky to get out of the house for a workout class, can I try an at-home video?)

• Can I make it more appealing? (i.e. if I’m dreading going outside for a walk, can I use my husband’s under-desk walking pad to stroll while I watch TV?)

• Can I work on rebuttals to my mental objections? (i.e. Karin Nordin’s great advice to prepare a statement for yourself like, “I’m too tired, and I can do hard things while I’m tired.”)

I’m about a week into my Try January goals (ICYMI, we’re trying on goals for the month to see how they feel, and supporting each other and swapping ideas in the Substack chat), and I’m not quitting yet, but I do think it’s a good time to check in on how things are going so far.

Ahead, I’ll share details on the five goals I’m working on, the fun (yet forgiving) way I’m tracking my progress, and the surprising (and, fair warning, slightly yucky) side effect I’m managing from one of them. Let’s dive in. Sorry in advance for the overshare.