How Fitness Keeps Getting New Year’s Resolutions WRONG & How To Fix It

Every January, fitness braces for the same cycle. Motivation is high, schedules fill up, and “this year will be different” is everywhere. And yet, by February or March, many of those same clients have disappeared. A Forbes Health/OnePoll survey reported that only 8% of people stick with their resolutions for more than one month, and most drop off in the early weeks.

It’s tempting to blame discipline, willpower, or commitment. But research tells a very different story. The problem isn’t that people don’t care enough it’s that the way we approach New Year’s resolutions is fundamentally flawed.

Behavioral scientist Dr. Katy Milkman, author of How to Change, explains that the New Year works as a “fresh start” because it psychologically separates our past failures from our future self. This can be incredibly motivating. However, the mistake fitness professionals often make is assuming that motivation alone is enough to sustain long-term change.

Milkman’s research shows that fresh starts boost intention, but they don’t automatically change behavior. When goals are overly ambitious, rigid, or disconnected from daily life, the motivation spike fades quickly. People fall back into old habits not because they failed, but because the system failed them.

This is where fitness resolutions often go wrong. We push aggressive programs, dramatic transformations, and “all-or-nothing” approaches right when people are least prepared to handle them.

Stress Isn’t the Enemy, But How We Train Through It Matters

This challenge becomes even clearer when we look at the work of Dr. Alia Crum, whose research focuses on mindset and stress. Crum’s studies show that stress itself isn’t inherently harmful; rather, our beliefs about stress determine how it affects our health, behavior, and performance.

When people believe stress is damaging, they’re more likely to feel overwhelmed, fatigued, and disengaged. When they see stress as something that can be managed or even used constructively, they show better resilience and outcomes.

Now think about how New Year’s fitness resolutions are usually framed:

• Burn off holiday weight

• Fix your body

• Make up for last year’s “failures”

• Push harder, do more, don’t miss a workout

This messaging doesn’t reduce stress it amplifies it. For someone already juggling work, family, health concerns, and fatigue, the gym becomes another source of pressure rather than support. The result? Inconsistency, guilt, flare-ups of pain, and eventual dropout.

Where Fitness Professionals Miss the Opportunity

Many fitness pros unintentionally reinforce this cycle by focusing almost exclusively on:

• Calorie burn

• Intensity

• Aesthetic outcomes

• Short-term compliance

But lasting behavior change requires something different: approaches that feel sustainable, adaptable, and supportive of real life.

This is where DVRT (Dynamic Variable Resistance Training) and our Myofascial Integrated Movement (MIM)system offer a powerful alternative, especially during the New Year.

Why DVRT and MIM Work When Resolutions Fail

Instead of chasing perfection or extreme outcomes, DVRT and MIM focus on integration, adaptability, and resilience.

From a behavior-change perspective, this matters because:

• The movements are scalable, reducing fear and intimidation

• Success is measured by capability, not punishment

• Sessions can be shorter, more flexible, and less disruptive to life

From a stress and mindset perspective, MIM is especially powerful. Rather than treating stress as something to “burn off,” we help clients regulate their nervous system through movement. Breathing, positional awareness, and integrated strength work allow people to feel better during and after training not depleted.

This aligns directly with Dr. Crum’s findings: when people experience stress as manageable and purposeful, engagement improves. Exercise becomes a resource, not another demand.

Building Habits, Not Just Hype

Dr. Milkman emphasizes that successful habit change relies on reducing friction and increasing immediate rewards. DVRT and MIM do exactly that.

Instead of telling clients they need to work harder, we:

• Help them move better right away

• Reduce pain and stiffness early on

• Build confidence through achievable progressions

• Reinforce wins that show up in daily life

When someone feels stronger getting off the floor, more stable carrying groceries, or less tense after a session, the reward is immediate. That’s what keeps people coming back long after January.

A Better Way Forward for the New Year

The New Year doesn’t need more extreme programs. It needs better systems.

Fitness professionals who understand behavior science and stress psychology have an opportunity to lead differently. By using DVRT and Myofascial Integrated Movement, we can meet people where they are physically, mentally, and emotionally while still helping them build strength, conditioning, and long-term health.

New Year’s resolutions don’t fail because people lack discipline. They fail because the approach ignores how humans actually change.

When fitness supports life instead of competing with it, change stops being seasonal—and starts becoming sustainable.

That’s not just a better New Year’s strategy. It’s a better future for fitness.

Want to learn more how to help people reach their best both mentally and physically? Don’t miss our upcoming Myofascial Integrated Movement Building Longevity, Resilience, & Strength webinar for FREE HERE January 8th at 2pm EST.