Quitters Day: A Reflection

Just a few weeks ago, I heard a term that I’d never heard before: :Quitter’s Day.” In the only context that you can imagine; a client was lamenting the business of his home gym and looking forward to when everyone that had committed themselves to more consistent workouts in the New Year fell off. Maybe I’m late to the party, but the idea of an actual recognized ‘Quitters Day’ has been rattling around in my brain since then. 

Of course I’ve known that New Year’s Resolutions are often abandoned early on – turns out 80% of New Year’s resolutions are broken by the second Friday of January, thus, this is the recognized ‘Quitters Day.’ In fact, I’ve long since given up making actual resolutions due to my own difficulty in keeping them. But why do you think that is? Why are we SO BAD at resolutions? 

According to some resources (google), as many as 95% of New Year’s resolutions are in some way related to fitness. Whether it’s eating better, drinking more water, losing weight or going to the gym more. Naturally, this falls directly into my scope as a performance PT. One of my main goals in starting Streamline was to better help people meet their own fitness goals.

So why do people (I, I’m people) quit?

Maybe we’ve set unrealistic goals – try breaking big goals down into smaller bites so that they’re easier to manage. Make this your mantra: Progress, not perfection. Remember to celebrate the small wins!

Lack of a clear plan – if you (I) don’t have the tools in place to achieve your goals, it’s less likely you’ll (I’ll) achieve them. What do you need? Equipment? The world is literally awash with New Years deals right now. Need time? Put it on your calendar. Accountability buddies? Make plans to meet friends!

Physical discomfort or injury – Streamline Physio can come in hard here. Has your low back been giving you problems and you’re not sure where to start to get back to lifting? Do you have knee pain that’s preventing you from running? Shoulder pain that prevents you from joining that group that swims a couple mornings a week? You know where to find us.

Regardless of where you are now, there’s no better time to start taking care of yourself. Even if you’ve fallen victim to Quitters Day, we can help you remember why you set those goals in the first place. Maybe you want to be able to run to keep up with your kids. Maybe you need to be able to swim to work off the stress of the work day. Maybe lifting those heavy weights helps you feel more confident in your own body. 

As physical therapists, we can help identify potential obstacles that might have prevented you from fully achieving your goals previously, from long-utilized movement compensations to muscle imbalances or joint restrictions, we’ll figure it out and work on providing you with a comprehensive and personalized plan (with accountability!) to help you reach your goals. 

While resolutions may not be the thing, we all have goals that we’re working towards. Let us help you make 2025 the year of YOU!