What is Quitter’s Day and when does it take place?

Along with a hangover, a tax return and a winter cold, January usually brings with it a warped sense that, as the clock strikes midnight, we will emerge a better and brighter version of our past selves.

As absurd as we know it is that we should “reinvent” ourselves come 1 January or master a new skill for the new year, setting a new year’s resolution is something that an estimated quarter of Brits do. And, unsurprisingly, most of these centre on bettering ourselves physically.

But many fitness-related new year’s resolutions – as optimistic as they may initially seem – are unlikely to have a very long shelf life, as people gradually fall out of routine just weeks into the calendar year.

And according to sports network platform Strava, there is a certain day on which people who have made fitness resolutions are most likely to give them up: the aptly-named Quitter’s Day.

This year, Quitter’s Day falls on Monday 17 January, two days later than in 2021.

Strava calculated the date of the occasion by assessing global athlete data from the past 12 months. The platform has more than 95 million members around the world, including 17 per cent of the British population uses it.

According to the company, in 2021 its users uploaded 1.8 billion activities onto the sports platform, covering a distance of 20 billion miles.

Michael Horvath, CEO of Strava, said: “Even as the global athletic community endured another year of pandemic disruptions and restrictions, we saw a persistent desire from athletes to stay connected and keep one another active.

“Athletes from every country on earth recorded and shared their runs, bike rides and lunchtime walks. And in turn, the community encouraged one another by doling out 9.6 billion kudos.

“Every effort counts on Strava, and our team is thrilled to provide a platform for anyone who sweats to connect with their peers, find new places to be active, set goals for themselves, create clubs and challenge their friends.”

Gareth Mills, UK country manager for Strava, outlined how “staying motivated” when attempting to exercise regularly “is the oldest and biggest problem in health and fitness”.

“At Strava, we believe that people keep people active which is why we connect athletes with like-minded athletes,” he said.

“For example, we know that those who exercise in a group record 10 per cent more activities the month after they join a club, and that cyclists going on group rides cover twice the distance of solo rides.”

If you're feeling disheartened about the prospect of not being able to maintain your new year's resolutions, remember you are not alone, as research has found it can take an average of 66 days for a new habit to take hold.

There are also several measures you can take to try and achieve to your aspirations.

According to a study conducted by the Dominican University in California, writing your goals down could significantly increase your chances of realising them.