Did you have a New Year’s resolution on 1 January? Well, according research by Strava, produced from its 36 million members and 98.3m activities, today (17 January), the third Thursday of the New Year, is Quitter’s Day - the day you’re most likely to lose motivation to see them through.
It’s the average across the gender and age spectrum; If you’re a man, you’ve probably already quit and if you’re woman, on average, you'll keep your resolutions two days longer. If you’re any sex between 18-29, you’ll keep your motivation longer than the national average. Don’t feel too smug, youngsters – you’ll burn bright through this weekend before bailing like the rest of us on Monday.
It’s not all bad news, though. Using the same methodology, Quitter’s Day is five days later than it was last year. But still, five days? It’s not a lot is it? Perhaps it reveals the folly of sudden attempts to change entrenched habits merely because the Earth has completed another revolution of the Sun.
The data, gathered for Strava’s Year in Sport report, showed ways to prolong your resolutions. These include:
Goal setting: 94% of athletes who set goals remain active nine months later.
Join a Club: Being social leads to a significant increase in overall activity. Athletes who join a club are three times more active than non-club members.
Vary Your Workouts: Activity uploads more than double when athletes change their workouts. Discover another activity type and start varying your workout routine.
Incorporate Indoor Activities: Athletes who shared indoor activities to Strava uploaded 323% more total activities in the past year versus athletes who only uploaded run or ride activities.
Be social: When athletes exercise in groups, they tend to go 21% further and those workouts last 10% longer. People who exercised in a group increased their average distance by 21.4% versusthose who exercised on their own. This was even more so for UK cyclists - for example, solo cyclists averaged 28.6km per ride, whilst those who rode as part of a group averaged 49km per ride.
