Why February You Abandons January You
- healthfullyekat
- Jan 3
- 4 min read
For the last few years, every January I set the same health goals.
"Fix my gut."
"Balance my hormones."
"Get my energy back."
"Stop relying on three coffees just to function at work."
January Me felt unstoppable. I'd buy new supplements, meal prep containers, download a meditation app.
February Me? Quietly gave up and pretended it never happened.
A few weeks ago, I was talking to a friend who said something that stopped me cold: "I keep setting goals, but nothing actually changes. What's wrong with me?"
And that's when I finally realized: She didn't have a goal problem. Neither did I. We had a standards problem.
Why we keep setting goals we don't hit
Here's what I figured out after years of this cycle:
We love goals because they let us believe change is coming without requiring anything from us today.
A goal says, "I'm going to get healthier this year."
A standard says, "I'm not skipping breakfast today."
Goals live in the future. Standards live right now. And right now is uncomfortable.
So we defer. We tell ourselves we'll start Monday. Next month. After this project wraps up. When things calm down. But things never calm down.
Unfortunately, most people stay stuck in this cycle
I see this pattern constantly with the professionals I work with.
They blame work, stress, their schedule, kids, not enough time.
But that's not really it.
Here's what actually keeps high-performers stuck:
We confuse wanting something with committing to it. Desire feels like enough... until Monday morning hits and you're running late.
We rely on motivation. And motivation vanishes the second you're stressed, exhausted, or have back-to-back meetings.
We set vague intentions. "Eat better, sleep more, stress less" sounds great. It doesn't survive a chaotic Tuesday.
We set goals for a body we don't understand. Without knowing what your gut, hormones, or blood sugar actually need, your standards end up working against you.
The compounding cost of waiting
But here's the part that really got me:
When you keep deferring change, you're not just postponing it. You're actively making it worse.
That bloating you've been ignoring? It's not just annoying anymore. Now it's affecting your focus in meetings and making you avoid dinner plans.
That fatigue you keep pushing through with coffee? Your adrenals are more depleted. Your sleep is worse. The crash hits harder.
The deferred version is almost always worse than dealing with it now.
And Future You won't have more capacity to handle this. Future You will probably have less.
What happened when I stopped pretending
After years of this cycle, I finally did something different.
I stopped setting big health goals and started asking a harder question:
"What am I no longer available for?"
Not what I wanted to achieve someday. What I refused to tolerate today.
For me, it was: "I'm no longer available for feeling like garbage by 2pm every day."
That one decision changed everything. Because once I drew that line, my daily choices had to align with it.
No more skipping meals. No more three coffees on an empty stomach. No more pushing through when my body was screaming for a break.
Within a few weeks, everything shifted. Not because I set a better goal. Because I raised my standards.
The Standards Method
Here's what I do now:
Step 1: Decide what you're no longer available for
Write down one thing you're done tolerating.
Examples:
"I'm no longer available for 5-hour nights of sleep."
"I'm no longer available for running on caffeine until 2pm."
"I'm no longer available for feeling bloated after every meal."
That friend I mentioned? She said: "I'm no longer available for skipping meals."
Within three weeks, her energy completely changed. Not from a new goal. From one non-negotiable standard.
Step 2: Create 3–5 simple, doable daily standards
Here's where most people mess up—they try to overhaul everything at once.
Don't do that.
Pick 3–5 things you can actually maintain:
"Protein within 2 hours of waking."
"Coffee only after food."
"10–15 minutes of movement."
"Phone out of bedroom after 10pm."
Before you commit, ask yourself:
"Can I do this even during my most chaotic week?"
If the answer is no, adjust it until it's a yes.
Step 3: Align your standards with your biology
This is the part most people skip—and it's why their standards don't stick.
Most people:
Eat "healthy" foods their gut can't handle
Do workouts that stress an already depleted system
Use caffeine to mask blood sugar crashes
Follow generic advice that doesn't fit their biology
That's why it feels so hard.
But when you understand what's actually happening underneath—with real data—your standards become supportive instead of punishing.
Here's what happens when your standards match your biology:
You stop forcing health and start building it
Consistency becomes automatic, not exhausting
Your energy, digestion, and focus improve naturally
February You doesn't abandon January You anymore
The bottom line
My health didn't change when I set better goals.
It changed when I admitted what I was no longer willing to tolerate and built standards around that decision.
Goals create hope.
Standards create change.
Disclaimer: This post is intended for inspirational and informational purposes only, is not a substitute for medical advice, and is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease. Consult with your healthcare provider before making any changes to your routine.
