Did you keep your new year's resolution to stay fit?

Do you ever get that guilty feeling, the one that pops up when you know you should be exercising, especially when you remember those New Year’s resolutions about getting fit and staying fit?

Well, it’s January 2026. Looking back on 2025... how did you do?

If you’re anything like me, the answer is: not great.

At the start of last year, I had all the usual aspirations: visit the gym three times a week, splitting one session between swimming and strength work. But as the year went on, my attendance became, shall we say, inconsistent. There’s always a reason (or excuse) not to go.

Living in Kent, the spring and summer time were actually pretty decent, so I can’t even blame the weather. My go-to exercise is cycling, and recently I met up with a friend who’s gotten back into it after years away. In his youth, he was a keen cyclist. Now, he’s back to riding 30 miles in a single trip. Impressive.

But what really impressed me was how he maintains that level of fitness, especially when the weather is far from ideal. I was secretly hoping he'd say something like, “Oh, I only go out when it’s perfect cycling weather.” Instead, he said, “I’ve got a cycle roller trainer at home, so I can keep practising and stay fit even when I can’t get outside.”

That got me thinking.

Why We Give Up on Fitness Resolutions

I did some research, and it turns out the main reason people give up on their New Year’s fitness goals isn’t complicated: the goals themselves are too vague and built on shaky foundations.

Resolutions often sound like this:

• I’ll go to the gym three times a week.
• I’ll lose X kilograms by March.
• I’ll bench press X kilograms by June.
• I’ll eat more healthily.

These goals are big, bold, and usually missing something essential: the small steps needed to get there. Without those steps, progress feels slow, life gets in the way, and it’s easy to get discouraged.

The truth is, resolutions often fail because they don’t address our habits, the real drivers behind lasting change.

Focus on Habits, Not Huge Goals

If your goal is to lose a certain amount of weight by March 2026, start by asking yourself: What habits are getting in my way?

Maybe you snack on cereal bars, chocolate, or crisps between meals. Why do you reach for them? Is it the crunch? The convenience? The sweet hit?

If it’s the crunch, try swapping for healthier alternatives like raw carrots or bell peppers.

The key is to make small, manageable changes, not revolutionary changes.

It’s worth remembering that forming a new habit can take up to 2.5 months, so don’t beat yourself up if your 2025 resolutions didn’t go as planned.

Instead, make your 2026 resolutions about changing habits, not chasing big, vague goals. If you do that, by the time December rolls around, you’ll be able to say:

“Yep, I did it.”