A gentler way to tackle January

‘I LOVE January’ said no one ever. In fact, January is in desperate need of a rebrand. Collectively considered the worst month of the year (especially by Brits) with 31 cold days of dietary restrictions, gruelling workouts and dry skin, it’s also a booming month for health, fitness and wellness brands. According to the Global Wellness Institute, in 2023 the wellness market was worth $6.3 trillion - a whopping 26% more than pre-pandemic spending. But is this a ride we’re being dumbly taken on by brands? And do we need to be quite so hard on ourselves?

We’ve all seen the memes of stark empty gyms in December vs January’s, stacked to the rafters with wild-eyed newbies manically attempting to sweat off their December decadence. In fact, 12% of new gym memberships happen in January but statistically, while the membership (an average price of £40 per month) remains, the attendance drastically drops by March.

And a study by nutrition tracking app MyFitnessPal found that the average date we abandon our new year’s health fads is 16th January, largely because they are too restrictive and boring. Basically, unsustainable for a month let alone a whole year.

Supplements are another ball game altogether as more and more influencers document the avalanche of daily tablets they seemingly now can’t live without. This time last year, videos captioned #supplements on TikTok had been viewed 5.7 million times with the UK spending an average of £14.99 per month on vitamins and superfoods. However, comments from many nutritionists over the years, as the demand for supplements soars, clearly states the same advice: “if you eat a balanced diet, you should get all the vitamins and minerals you need, without a supplement”. 

Maybe we could rebrand January as the month we’re a little gentle on ourselves. Instead of spending a small fortune, getting up at 5am and self-flagellation for missing a work-out we could transition from December and allow ourselves that one chocolate, have a drink even. Just don’t drink eat the box or drink the bottle. Now that sounds sustainable…doesn’t it?