The GutFit Nutrition Podcast · Leigh Merotto, Dietitian | IBS, Gut Health and Fitness Expert

37: New Year, New Intentions: 9 Steps to Health and Fitness Goals You’ll Actually Stick With

·32 min·2 clips

Leigh says only 9% of people complete resolutions, while 43% quit by the end of January.

1. The GutFit Nutrition Podcast episode 37 focuses on New Year health and fitness intentions for 2026. 2. Leigh Murado hosts the episode as a registered dietitian, gut health expert, long-distance runner, and movement enthusiast. 3. The episode asks how to turn January goals into plans people can actually keep. 4. Leigh cites a resolution stat that only 9% of people complete their resolutions. 5. She also says 23% quit by the end of the first week and 43% quit by the end of January. 6. Her first response is to treat resolutions as intentions and goals with better intention. 7. She says she reflects each year across financial, physical, spiritual, mental, and social health. 8. She also says she now groups annual goals into career, business, and economic; personal development; contribution; and toys and adventure. 9. Her personal examples include reading one full book per month or 20 pages per day and hiking a new national park. 10. She says realistic behavior change matters more than chasing only external or aesthetic outcomes. 11. Step one is reflection using a notebook to rate social, physical, spiritual, financial, and mental health from 1 to 10. 12. Step two is identifying one behavior change per area so the plan stays manageable. 13. Step three uses Tony Robbins' "pain and pleasure" idea to connect helpful behaviors with positive outcomes. 14. She gives examples like exercising three mornings a week to feel energized, more in control, and more confident. 15. Step four asks listeners to write the pain of inaction, such as more lethargy, lower fitness, and worse gut symptoms. 16. Step five uses SMART goals, including a sample plan for three workouts per week at 7:30 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. 17. Step six asks for a confidence rating from 1 to 10, with 7 or higher as her target for realism. 18. Step seven adds accountability through reminders, calendar blocks, friend support, communities like Strava, and coaching. 19. The episode is practical, coach-like, and heavily step-by-step, with repeated prompts to write things down and revisit them monthly. 20. People planning New Year's fitness, gut health, or habit goals will get the most from it, while listeners wanting a short casual chat may skip it.

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A practical reset for listeners who want resolutions that turn into realistic habits.

This episode gives listeners a practical reset when resolutions need to become habits that last. Leigh treats motivation as something that can be shaped, then shows how to make a goal feel less punishing when it is too much, like shifting from cooking every meal at home to…

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Need a gentler way to stick with goals that actually fit?

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