Episode 20Dec 22, 2025· 4:36

Stop Waiting for January 1st to Change Your Life | Why 'New Year, New Me' Fails Every Time

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About this episode

Ashley Grant argues against New Year's resolutions and the habit of waiting for arbitrary dates to start fitness or lifestyle changes. She questions why people delay starting weight loss, gym routines, or healthier habits until January 1st, and points out that life disruptions — losing a job, a pet, or a loved one — can derail those plans, leaving people waiting another full year. She shares her own experience…

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Who this episode is for

This episode may resonate with you if:

You've been telling yourself you'll start getting healthy in January, but deep down you know you've said the same thing every year and nothing has changed.

Something happened — a loss, a job change, a hard season — that derailed the plans you finally committed to, and now you feel like you have to wait for another 'right moment' to try again.

You're stuck in a cycle where every excuse to delay feels reasonable in the moment — wrong month, wrong week, wrong hour — and you're starting to notice how much time has passed.

You want to make a real change but the idea of a total life overhaul feels overwhelming, and you're not sure you can actually commit to something that big.

You're someone who needs permission to start on a random Tuesday in March instead of waiting for a symbolic date — and you're a little tired of the 'new year, new me' culture around you.

Questions this episode wrestles with

Why do I keep waiting for the 'right' moment to change my habits?

open question

Ashley raises the question but doesn't fully explain the psychological pull — she just names it as giving yourself an excuse, asking 'what are you waiting for? Like, really?'

"Because every second that you wait, you're giving"

Does a setback mean I have to wait until next year to try again?

answered

Ashley says no — her answer is to treat every single day as a new opportunity to start, not just January 1st.

"think it should. I think that what we should do is treat every single day as a new day, a new opportunity to start. So that's what I want"

Is there something wrong with starting on a random Tuesday with no special reason?

answered

Ashley shares that her own start date — July 14th — wasn't tied to anything intentional, and says what mattered was the decision itself: 'I'm going to make the change today, right now, I'm getting serious.'

"change today, right now, I'm getting serious."

What do you do when life falls apart right when you were finally going to start?

open question

Ashley raises the scenario — losing a pet, a loved one, a job — and asks whether that means you're back to waiting a full year, but she doesn't work through how to actually restart after that kind of disruption.

"something happens. Maybe you lose a pet or you lose a loved one or you lose your job or something happens that just completely wrecks your plans to finally get in shape. Does that mean you have to wait until the next year? To start? I don't"

Setting expectations: This episode is not a breakdown of why New Year's resolutions fail psychologically, nor does it offer a structured system for building habits. It's a short personal monologue from Ashley about why she started her own fitness commitment on a random July day — and her opinion that you shouldn't wait for January 1st to do the same.

Tone & style

Ashley opens by rejecting the idea that January 1st is a meaningful starting line, uses her own July 14th decision as an illustration that the date was incidental — what mattered was deciding to get serious that day — and lands on small, consistent changes as the alternative to waiting for a perfect moment.

Personal experience and opinion. Ashley shares her own stance and story, not research or professional guidance.

toneCandid & motivational

focusAshley pushing back on 'new year, new me' by sharing that she started her own 100-day fitness commitment on a random July Tuesday — because the date was never the point.

stylesolo_monologue

energymedium_high

complexitybeginner

pressure Levelmedium

emotional Textureurgent, personal, encouraging

Notable quotes

"Because every second that you wait, you're giving"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"something happens. Maybe you lose a pet or you lose a loved one or you lose your job or something happens that just completely wrecks your plans to finally get in shape. Does that mean you have to wait until the next year? To start? I don't"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"so happened that whenever I started getting serious on July 14th, 2025, it just happened to be a month till my birthday. It wasn't a deliberate"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"what I'm talking about is small changes. Don't do new year, new me. Do I'm changing my life and I'm doing it one step at a time because I am committed. I am serious. I mean it. And this"

— Famous Ashley Grant

Episode transcript

Organized into 4 chapters — open any part to read the full text.

0:081. Why Ashley Rejects 'New Year, New Me'Ashley introduces the episode's premise: she doesn't subscribe to the 'new year, new me' mentality and questions why people wait for an arbitrary date to start changing their lives.1:352. What Happens When Life Wrecks Your January PlansAshley points out that life events — losing a pet, a loved one, or a job — can derail New Year's plans, and asks whether that means you have to wait another full year to start.2:413. Ashley's July 14th Decision and What It Actually MeantAshley shares that she started her 100 days of fitness on July 14th — a month before her birthday — not as a deliberate milestone but simply because she decided to get serious that day.4:034. Small Changes Over Overnight OverhaulsAshley wraps up by encouraging simple, consistent changes — swapping soda for water, candy for something healthier — rather than dramatic overnight transformations.

Open full transcript

Mentioned in this episode

personFamous Ashley Grant

The host of More Movement Please, who shares her personal experience starting a 100-day fitness commitment on July 14th, 2025 — a month before her birthday — as the central example in the episode.

Key themes

Rejecting 'New Year, New Me'

Ashley says she doesn't subscribe to the new year, new me mentality and doesn't think listeners should either, framing it as an excuse to delay starting.

Waiting for an arbitrary moment

Ashley questions why people wait for a specific date — New Year's, a new hour, a birthday — rather than starting the moment they decide they want to change.

Life derailing January plans

Ashley raises the scenario where something — losing a pet, a loved one, or a job — wrecks the New Year's plan, and asks whether that means you have to wait a whole other year.

Treating every day as a new start

Ashley's answer to derailed plans is to treat every single day as a new opportunity to start, rather than waiting for the next calendar milestone.

Ashley's July 14th decision

Ashley shares that she started her 100 days of fitness on July 14th — a month before her birthday — not as a planned milestone but simply because she decided that day to get serious.

Small changes over overnight overhauls

Ashley advocates for simple, consistent swaps — water instead of soda, something healthier instead of candy — rather than trying to overhaul everything at once.

Committing to what you can actually do

Ashley frames the goal as doing something you can genuinely commit to, not going crazy with dramatic changes that won't stick.

Connected episodes

Shared experience

The 100-day fitness challenge origin

#5The Days You Don't Want to Work Out Are the Most Important | Fitness Discipline Over Motivation

Contrast

100-day challenge vs. lifestyle change

#61Drop It, Keep It, Add It: A Trainer's No-Guilt Approach to Eating Better

Contrast

Sustainable commitment vs. daily hour goal

#76What Happens After Day 365? My Plan to Keep Moving