How to keep up the fitness motivation after the January high

I’ll be honest with you: I’ve fallen for the wellness trap more times than I’d like to admit.

You know the one. January arrives, and suddenly you’re convinced this is the year you’ll become that person who goes to the gym five times a week, meal preps on Sundays, and wakes up at 5am for meditation. The apps get downloaded. The gym membership gets activated. The optimism feels real.

Then February hits, and it all quietly falls apart.

Here’s what I’ve learnt: over 80% of people who sign up for a gym membership in January give up within just a few weeks. My pattern looked exactly like the statistics, 3-4 gym sessions a week dropping to once or twice, then fading to nothing. But it wasn’t just the gym. The whole ecosystem shifted. The takeaways increased. The comfort food appeared. The energy tanked.

I used to think this was a motivation problem. Turns out, I was looking at it completely backwards.

The Conversation You’re Not Hearing

Your nervous system, sleep patterns, movement habits, and mental health are having a conversation without you. They’re constantly talking to each other, influencing each other, creating feedback loops you only notice when everything’s already gone sideways.

When I miss a few gym sessions, my energy drops. When my energy drops, I reach for sugar. When I eat more sugar, my sleep suffers. When my sleep suffers, my mental health declines. When my mental health declines, I withdraw from friends. When I withdraw, I feel worse. And round it goes.

The science backs this up. Every 100g of dietary sugar intake per day is associated with a 28% increase in the incidence of depression. Sugar affects your mood by messing with blood sugar levels and triggering inflammatory responses in your nervous system. It creeps in without you noticing the consequences, until suddenly your energy’s gone and you’re ignoring messages from people you care about.

These are your early warning signals. Pay attention to them.

Why Gentle Movement Beats Intense Workouts

I used to think harder was better. Push through. No pain, no gain. All that rubbish.

But here’s what actually works: light activity has the strongest link to boosting mood and energy the next day, outperforming both moderate exercise and extended sitting. On days when you walk instead of sit, do chores instead of collapsing on the sofa, you’ll feel better tomorrow.

Not everything needs to be a workout.

The research shows that light activity; walking, gentle movement, even housework leads to better feelings the next day when it replaces sedentary behaviour. This isn’t about training for a marathon. It’s about intentionally moving your body in gentle ways throughout the day.

When life gets busy and work piles up, the intense gym sessions are the first thing to go. But a 15-minute walk? That’s sustainable. That’s the difference between a routine that lasts and one that burns out by Tuesday.

Action Creates Motivation (Not the Other Way Round)

This might be the most important thing I’ve learnt: waiting for motivation is a trap.

I used to think I needed to feel motivated before I could start exercising, eating well, or being social again. But it works the opposite way. When I get active, eat properly, and connect with people, the motivation follows. The energy returns. The desire to keep going appears.

A 26% decrease in odds for becoming depressed occurs for each major increase in objectively measured physical activity, the equivalent of replacing just 15 minutes of sitting with 15 minutes of running, or one hour of sitting with one hour of moderate activity like brisk walking.

The neurochemistry is clear. Exercise increases brain norepinephrine and dopamine levels. It alters receptor density in areas of your brain involved in feelings of energy and fatigue. When you stop moving, your energy plummets. It’s not laziness. It’s biology.

You don’t need to wait until you feel like it. You need to start, and the feeling will catch up.

Regulating Your Nervous System Without the Jargon

Nervous system regulation sounds complicated. It’s not.

When chronic stress, trauma, or burnout keep your body stuck in overdrive, your system struggles to return to baseline after activation. You’re constantly on alert, even when there’s nothing to be alert about. Your body thinks it’s in danger when you’re just sitting at your desk.

The good news? You can steer your nervous system towards balance using specific, simple techniques.

Dr Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist at Stanford University, teaches something called the physiological sigh. Take two inhales through your nose, followed by a long exhale through your mouth. This rapidly reduces stress and calms your nervous system.

I use this when I notice the early warning signals kicking in. When my energy drops. When I start withdrawing from messages. When the takeaway menu starts looking too appealing.

It takes 30 seconds. It works.

What Actually Sticks

Sustainability beats intensity every single time.

The people who maintain healthy habits aren’t the ones doing everything perfectly. They’re the ones who’ve built routines that adapt to life’s demands rather than adding pressure and guilt.

I’ve stopped aiming for the ideal version of health. I aim for the version that survives a busy work week, dark winter evenings, and the occasional pizza on the sofa. Because that’s real life.

Having something to aim for helps. A holiday. A rest period. A weekend away. These give you a reason to keep going when the January buzz has long since faded.

But the foundation is simpler than you think:

• Move gently and often rather than intensely and occasionally

• Notice your early warning signals – energy drops, social withdrawal, food choices shifting

• Take action before you feel motivated. Motivation follows movement, not the other way round

• Regulate your nervous system with simple breathing techniques when stress creeps in

• Be honest about sugar and alcohol. It all affects your mood, hormones, and energy more than you realise

The interconnectedness of your health means you can’t fix one thing in isolation. But it also means that improving one area creates positive ripples everywhere else.

Start small. Move a bit. Breathe properly. Notice the patterns. The rest will follow.

You don’t need to become a wellness guru. You just need to show up for yourself in ways that actually work.