UC Davis students and a fitness trainer share tips for maintaining gym consistency
By GRACIELA TIU — features@theaggie.org
With the start of 2026 comes a new round of students’ New Year’s resolutions, many of which include fitness and gym-related goals for the year. In aiming for a fresh start, many may feel especially motivated in the first week or two of the term. Yet, as most have experienced, these resolutions tend to fade away as the quarter progresses.
“At the start of winter quarter, the gym is always completely packed, and by the end of the quarter, it becomes significantly emptier,” Amelia Lipcsei, a third-year mechanical and aerospace engineering major, said. “I think a lot of this is due to people setting New Year’s resolutions and then being inconsistent with them. It also makes sense because it’s harder to be consistent when midterms and finals come up towards the end of the quarter.”
Why do these fitness resolutions often not stick, even when people truly feel the motivation in the beginning? Hope Dickie (@hopeforgains on Instagram), a Los Angeles-based fitness trainer, outlined some all-too-familiar mistakes people make in setting fitness goals, along with ways to circumvent them.
“A common mistake is that people create resolutions for themselves, but they aren’t specific enough or they go too extreme,” Dickie said. “The greatest way to build gym habits is simple. Write down goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. If you’re smart about your goals from the jump, you will be successful.”
Beginning a fitness journey with overly broad or unattainable goals can make gym tasks seem daunting, challenging or unappealing. Lipcsei outlined examples of goals that might not be the most effective in supporting consistency at the gym.
“People saying that they want to go to the gym more or that they want to lift heavier would be an example of immeasurable goals,” Lipscei said. “But, saying that you want to go to the gym three times a week is more measurable and is something that you can actually stick with. It’s also important to make sure these goals are realistic and align with your schedule.
Lipcsei continued to discuss more approachable tactics to help create long-term fitness habits.
“If you’ve never been to the gym before, it’s not exactly realistic to say that you’re going to start going five times a week,” Lipcsei said. “Starting with one or two times a week and then building up to something could be much more attainable.”
Another substantial reason students tend to stop prioritizing fitness lies in the inevitable increase in workload and stress that occurs throughout the quarter, which can make fitness goals feel too overwhelming to complete alongside challenging academic and extracurricular tasks.
“The more stressed I am and when I feel like I don’t have enough time to get all of my tasks done, the more I stop prioritizing going to the gym,” Lipcsei said. “This especially happens during midterms and when I have a lot of homework and assignments that need to get done.”
Although it feels easy to let gym priorities slip away during periods of stress, including fitness in a daily routine has been proven to support one’s academics; physical activity can lower stress levels and improve academic performance, according to a BMC Public Health study.
As maintaining consistency typically becomes increasingly difficult throughout the year, building the habit and incorporating fitness into your routine can prove helpful in keeping it a priority, according to Dickie.
“Motivation comes and goes,” Dickie said. “Routine is a beautiful place to be in because going to the gym and working toward your goals becomes almost mindless. You scheduled legs on Monday, so you hit legs on Monday. This is when you can see the most results.”
While maintaining a routine is usually more helpful in building consistency than solely relying on motivation, having reasons and motivation behind goals can complement routine beautifully. Dickie described how working with different types of motivation can lead to different outcomes.
“I recommend being realistic about your intrinsic and extrinsic motivation,” Dickie said. “Both offer a different mindset. Extrinsic motivation heavily relies on the external — the way your body looks, how heavy you lift, etc. — which can often let you down, even though it’s not bad to want to visually look nice. Building intrinsic motivation — gaining confidence, getting healthier for family, etc. — has a greater effect because showing up for yourself and for others goes deeper than just wanting to ‘look’ a certain way.”
Zimo Zeng, a third-year political science major, provided an example of her own intrinsic motivations that help her stay consistent with her goals.
“My motivation to go to the gym is that I see working out regularly as part of my identity, and it makes me feel more aligned with my future self,” Zeng said.
Zeng shared an example of her gym routine last year — one that led to the process feeling hard and overwhelming. However, she described how reevaluating and changing her schedule to better fit her needs helped her maintain her goals.
“My main goal is consistency,” Zeng said. “Last year, there was a time when I went to the gym almost every day of the week. I made good progress, but it felt so draining and stressful that I almost wanted to quit. So I adjusted my goal to going three times a week, which was much easier to maintain.”
Additionally, working out with friends or loved ones can increase accountability for consistency and make the process feel more fun, according to Zeng.
“My friend Harley is a huge help in keeping me consistent,” Zeng said. “When I don’t feel like going to the gym, I usually procrastinate or think I have something more important to do. But when my friend asks me to go together, I immediately say yes. Going with someone makes it much easier, and my procrastination disappears.”
A last quick tip, as Zeng described, would be to prepare in advance and find little ways to feel excited about the task.
“Something that has worked well for me is buying cute workout clothes and picking out my gym outfit the night before,” Zeng said. “Having something I’m excited to wear and planning ahead makes it more fun to go to the gym the next day.”
As each academic quarter can bring new rounds of stress, incorporating fitness into a daily routine can be a way to support a more positive mental and emotional state, alongside promoting physical health.
“Fitness is insanely therapeutic,” Dickie said. “Heading into a space of moving your body, getting your blood pumping […] finding a sense of peace in your own headspace while working on making your body healthier and stronger is actually the coolest thing ever. I’m a full believer that movement is medicine. Fitness is the greatest stress reliever. Period.”
Written by: Graciela Tiu — features@theaggie.org
