New Year, New Me?

New Year’s is a little bit of a drug.

There’s something about a new year that makes everything feel possible. The calendar flips and suddenly you can see the version of you who is consistent, confident, and not constantly starting over. The goal feels clear, and the plan feels simple and this time you “commit”. You decide this time is “different”. January shows up with that fresh motivation, and you decide to ride the wave.

At first, it goes well. You get in the workouts, you feel proud of yourself, and your confidence starts creeping back in. You catch yourself thinking, “Maybe I really can do this.” Then life happens. Not in a dramatic movie way but just in a normal way. Then real life starts doing what it does. Work gets busy, sleep gets off, and your schedule stops cooperating. You miss a day, then another, and the “I’ll restart Monday” promise shows up. Monday hits, you already feel behind, so you try to make up for it by going harder than you should. You end up sore, frustrated, and suddenly the gym starts feeling like punishment instead of something that helps.

And suddenly the goal that felt exciting starts feeling heavy. If that story is not you, honestly, amazing. You are phenomenal, and I mean that without any sarcasm. But if that story is you, welcome to the most normal club on the planet. A Forbes Health survey found the average New Year’s resolution lasts about 3.74 months, and only 1% of respondents said their resolutions lasted 11 to 12 months (Forbes Health).

So if you have tried, started strong, and fizzled out, it is not proof that you “do not have discipline.” It is proof that motivation has a limit, and most plans are built like they will never be tested by real life. This year, let’s do something different.

The Goal Is Confidence

A lot of people say they want weight loss, or build muscle, or a “better body.” But when you listen closely, what they really want is confidence.

• They want to stop feeling like they are always starting over.
• The ability to trust themselves again.
• To be able to feel comfortable in their own skin, and proud of the way they show up.

Confidence does not come from a perfect month. It comes from keeping promises to yourself, small ones, especially when you could talk yourself out of it. That is why the classic January approach fails. It is usually too intense, too strict, and too dependent on you feeling motivated. When the plan collapses, it hits your confidence right in the gut. You do not just lose momentum, you start doubting yourself. So the new plan is simple. We build confidence first, then we build results on top of it.

Start With Something You Can Actually Repeat

Most people pick a plan that matches their motivation level, not their current lifestyle. Motivation says: “Five days a week, let’s go!” Life says: “That is adorable. Here is traffic, stress, and a random appointment you forgot existed.”

This year, aim for a minimum that you can hit on a rough week. Not your best week. Your rough week.

For a lot of people, that is two strength workouts per week. Sometimes three. Sometimes it is one strength day and one longer walk day. The details matter less than this question: “Can I do this even when I’m tired and busy?” If the answer is yes, that is your starting point. Because consistency is not built by doing the most. It is built by doing the repeatable. And here is the sneaky secret: when you stop trying to win January, you start winning the year.

Make Your Goal an “Add,” Not a “Stop”

Most resolutions are basically self-scoldings.

• No more junk food.
• Don’t be lazy.
• Stop skipping workouts.
• I’m not going to fall off.

That kind of goal turns into a daily guilt fight, and guilt is not a good coach that leads to burnout

A better move is to focus on what you are adding.

• Add two workouts a week.
• A protein-forward breakfast most days.
• Walk after dinner.
• Some water before your second coffee.
• Consistent bedtimes twice a week, then build from there.

There is research behind this, too. A large-scale experiment on New Year’s resolutions found that people with approach-oriented goals, meaning goals focused on doing something positive, were more successful than people with avoidance-oriented goals. (Norcross). Your brain likes building. It enjoys to collect wins. It wants progress you can see and feel.

Plan for the Slip Before It Happens

Here is the hard truth, you are going to miss a workout at some point. That is not bad, that is just being a person with a life. The difference this year is what you do next. A rule I love because it is simple and it works is: never miss twice.

Miss once, fine. That is normal.
Miss twice, now you are training the habit of skipping.

So if you miss Tuesday, Thursday becomes the priority.  It doesnt become a punishment workout, not a  “I ruined everything.” Just getting back to the plan. This is also where confidence gets rebuilt. Not when things go perfectly, but when you prove to yourself that one miss does not turn into a full collapse.

Stop Treating “Back on Track” Like a Reset Button

A lot of people think “getting back on track” means they need to restart. A brand new Monday with a new and “improved” plan but that is just all-or-nothing energy in disguise. But “back on track” is not a restart, it is a return. You do not need a new system every time you have a messy day. You need one system you can return to over and over.

Think of it like this: If you are driving and you drift a little, you do not pull over, set the GPS again, and announce that you are beginning your journey anew. You just correct and keep going. That is the energy we want.

Keep the Workouts Simple, On Purpose

When someone has tried and failed a few times, they usually assume the solution is a more intense plan. Harder workouts. More days. More rules. But the real issue is usually friction. Too many decisions, too much complexity, too much “figuring it out” when you are already tired.

Simple wins here.

• A strength program you can repeat.
• Classes that you can plug into your week.
• The coach who tells you what to do when you walk in.
• Simple plan that does not require you to be a fitness expert to succeed.

This is why coached group training is such a cheat code for consistency. It reduces the mental load. It turns “I should work out” into “I’m going to class.” Less negotiating with yourself. More showing up.

Track the Wins That Build Confidence

If the only progress marker you use is the scale, you are going to have a rough time. Bodies fluctuate. Stress fluctuates. Sleep fluctuates. Water retention does weird things. The scale can be useful data, but it is not a great confidence builder on its own.

Track what you control.

• How many workouts did you get this week?
• Which days did you take a walk?
• What meals did you eat that felt supportive?

Those are confidence blocks. Stack enough of them, and you start believing yourself again. And belief matters. Research on New Year’s resolvers found that factors like self-efficacy, basically your belief that you can do it, predict better outcomes, and successful resolvers tend to use more practical behavior-change processes once the year gets going  (Oscarsson).

The people who keep going are not the people who stay hyped forever. They are the ones who build skills and a system they can actually follow.

What We’re Doing at Pure Function This Year

If you are reading this and thinking, “I have done the crash-and-burn thing before, I just want something that actually sticks,” that is exactly why we built our Signature Group Classes the way we did.

Right now, our strongest offer is simple:
Two weeks of Signature Group Classes for $49.00.

It is a low-pressure way to get back into a routine, rebuild confidence, and stop doing the whole “I’ll start again later” cycle.

If you want in, here’s the link

The Real New Year Win

The win is not a perfect January. The win is being able to say, in March, in June, in October, “I’m still doing this.” Not because you became a different person overnight, but because you finally built a plan that works for your actual life.

Start smaller than your ego wants. Make it repeatable. Plan for the slip. Return fast. Stack confidence. That is how “New Year, New Me” turns into something better. New year, same you, but with a system that finally has your back.

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Works Cited (MLA)

Forbes Health. “New Year’s Resolutions Statistics.” Forbes, 18 Dec. 2023. Forbes+1

Norcross, John C. “Auld Lang Syne: Success Predictors, Change Processes, and Self-Reported Outcomes of New Year’s Resolvers and Nonresolvers.” Journal of Clinical Psychology, vol. 58, no. 4, 2002, pp. 397–405. PubMed+1

Oscarsson, Martin, et al. “A Large-Scale Experiment on New Year’s Resolutions: Approach-Oriented Goals Are More Successful Than Avoidance-Oriented Goals.” PLOS ONE, 2020.