5am walks, gym, weight loss: Are your New Year resolutions slipping? You’re not alone – Dubai experts share tips

Early-morning walks feel harder, gym bags are already gathering dust, and the weighing scale isn’t cooperating. If your New Year health resolutions are wobbling, Dubai-based experts say you’re not alone – and you’re not failing.

Mental health and medical specialists point out that the issue isn’t willpower, but how resolutions are framed, rushed and forced into already packed lives.

Counsellor and Cognitive Behaviour Therapist Carolyn Yaffe from Medcare Camali Clinic said most resolutions are born during a short-lived surge of optimism and social pressure at the start of the year.

“These goals may not fully consider existing habits, emotional patterns, or the practical challenges of daily life. When resolutions emphasise quick results such as rapid weight loss or intense workouts, progress may feel slow or discouraging,” she said.
Psychological factors like stress, mental fatigue, perfectionism and all-or-nothing thinking creep in, making people disengage.
“This mismatch between intention and reality makes it difficult to sustain long-term change,” Carolyn underlined.

Dr Vishnu Chaitanya Swaroopa Sura, Specialist Internal Medicine at Medeor Hospital, Bur Dubai, sees the same pattern every January.

“Many goals are simply too extreme, too fast. People jump from zero movement to 5am walks, daily gym sessions and strict diets. The body and brain sees this as a threat, not a habit, leading to burnout.”

Motivation, she noted, is emotional and temporary.
“Once work stress, family routines, travel or fatigue kick in, motivation fades and there’s no system to support consistency.”

Both experts pointed to rigid thinking as a major reason resolutions collapse. Missing one workout or eating an indulgent meal often triggers a mental reset: “I’ve failed, I’ll restart next month.”

Dr Vishnu highlighted unrealistic expectations around weight loss.
“Healthy fat loss is slow. When results aren’t visible within 7 to 10 days, people assume it’s not working and quit,” she said, noting that long working hours, social dinners, late nights, travel and heat further strain rigid routines.

Instead of relying on motivation, Carolyn stressed the importance of structure and self-compassion.

“Long-term health habits are built through consistency and structure rather than relying solely on motivation,” she said.
Attaching healthy behaviours to existing activities such as walking after morning coffee makes them easier to sustain.

“Monitoring progress, celebrating small achievements and regularly reconnecting with personal reasons for prioritising health help maintain momentum. Adopting a compassionate mindset where setbacks are seen as part of the journey rather than failures supports resilience and encourages lasting change.”

Dr Vishnu agreed, advising people to “shrink the goal, not the dream”.

“Aim for 20 minutes of movement four days a week instead of daily gym sessions,” she said. “Small wins build identity.”

She recommended anchoring habits to daily routines – walking after work rather than late at night and focusing on consistency over intensity.
“A 30-minute walk five days a week beats a two-hour gym session done once.”

Both experts urged people to look beyond weekly weigh-ins. Success, they said, can mean better energy, improved sleep, clothes fitting more comfortably, fewer aches and a better mood.

“Weight loss follows health, not the other way around,” Dr Vishnu noted.

Planning for imperfect days is also key.
“Healthy people don’t aim for perfection, they plan recovery. If today didn’t go well, resume at the next meal or the next day.”

Carolyn added that flexible, personalised goals that allow rest, enjoyment and adjustment protect mental wellbeing and reduce guilt.

The most sustainable shift, experts said, is internal. Instead of saying: ‘I’m trying to lose weight’, shift to ‘I’m someone who prioritises my health’.

Tracking behaviours – steps, workout days, water intake and sleep rather than just result keeps the focus on what’s controllable.

“Most New Year resolutions fail not because people lack willpower, but because they expect instant results from unsustainable changes. Long-term health comes from small, repeatable habits that fit real life, not January motivation,” Dr Vishnu underlined.