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New year, new you… or not quite just yet.
Whether your resolution is big — lose weight, hit the gym five days a week, give up sugar — or a bit more manageable — eat more veggies, move more, go to bed earlier — you’ve probably decided today’s the day to get serious.
But if you want it to stick, waiting for another key date might just be better.
According to a Pew Research study published last January, 30% of Americans made New Year’s resolutions in 2024 — with 79% picking ones concerning their health.
Before the end of the month, 41% had admitted to breaking some or all of them.
Resolutions fail for lots of reasons, but you may not be doing yourself any favors by tying your hopes to the first of the year — especially if you’re hungover or still making your way through leftover holiday treats.
“There may be too much attention given to the New Year,” explained Hengchen Dai, a UCLA professor who led a study titled The Fresh Start Effect: Temporal Landmarks Motivate Aspirational Behavior. “Our research found there are repeated chances to achieve goals.”
In fact, the Monday after New Year’s may just be a better bet. That way, you get a double dose of the “fresh start” effect: It’s a new year, and also the start of a new week.
And the Christmas leftovers are long gone.
“Research we’ve conducted with support from experts at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health points to the beginning of the week as the optimal time to promote healthy behaviors,” Ron Hernandez, managing director for The Monday Campaigns, told Fox News.
“The data suggest that intentions for healthy behavior are synchronized on a weekly cycle, with Monday being the day people are most ‘open to buy’ health.”
If your goal is to lose weight, studies show you may be facing a rougher road if you start before the weekend.
A 2014 study found that many people’s bodies follow a regular pattern of weight changes throughout the week, with higher weights on Sunday and Monday and lower weights toward the end. The increase tends to start building on Saturday, and the decrease starts on Tuesday.
Starting a weight loss goal at the beginning of the week could sync your plans up with natural patterns — and increase your chances for success from week one, spurring further motivation.
And if Monday passes and you still can’t whip yourself in to shape? There’s still hope.
“Everyone heads to the gym on January 1, but the crowds usually dissipate by February as the initial motivation fades,” Dr. Holly F. Lofton previously told The Post.
“You should think about the steps you can take before joining a gym so your workout program sticks,” she added.
“Watching online videos allows you to set aside time for exercise and learn proper form and technique. Purchasing resistance bands or light weights can also help you get started. Then, you can head to the gym in the spring with a new mindset.”
