Letters to You: January 4, 2026

When You're Tired of Starting Over

Dear You (starting over… again),

It’s January 4th. How are you feeling about your resolutions?

If you’re like most people, you made some promises to yourself on January 1st. Maybe you committed to working out five days a week. Maybe you vowed this would be the year you finally get in shape, lose the weight, transform your body.

And maybe, just maybe, by January 4th, you’re already feeling behind. You missed yesterday’s workout. You ate something you “shouldn’t” have. You’re exhausted and the idea of maintaining this intensity for 361 more days feels impossible.

Here’s what I want to tell you: you’re not starting over. You’re continuing.

I know that sounds like semantics, but stay with me here.

Every January, we’re sold this myth that we need to become completely different people. That January 1st is a magical reset button that erases who we were and allows us to become who we “should” be.

But you’re not a phone that needs factory resetting. You’re a human being who has been living and learning and adapting all year long. You don’t start from zero just because the calendar changed.

Think of it more like, you’re building on everything you already know about yourself.

You know what types of movement feel good in your body. You know what time of day you have the most energy. You know which commitments you can realistically maintain and which ones set you up for failure.

That’s not starting over. That’s wisdom.

So what if instead of making resolutions that ignore everything you learned about yourself in 2025, you made commitments that honor that knowledge?

What if instead of vowing to work out every day (knowing that’s unsustainable for your life), you dedicate time to three movement sessions per week that you can actually maintain?

What if instead of committing to dramatic transformation, you commit to progressive improvement (small, incremental changes that compound over time)?

In Pilates, we talk about progressive load. It means gradually increasing challenge in a way your body can adapt to. You don’t jump from beginner to advanced overnight. You build systematically, honoring where you are while working toward where you want to be. Progression is earned through the process.

That’s how sustainable change works. Not dramatic overhauls. Not starting from scratch. Progressive load applied consistently over time.

You’re not starting over. You’re progressing.

And that’s so much more powerful.

Happy New Year and thanks for being here!