Trying to get motivated for the new year, but feeling a little sluggish after the holidays? You’re not alone: We took a look at three and a half years of sleep, activity and stress data from more than 11 million global Fitbit users who chose to examine how the festive season affects our health and well-being. Here are three things we found that can help you plan your health and fitness goals for the coming year (and maybe explain why you’re still feeling exhausted).
1. We get fewer steps and less sleep on holidays
Many of us took far fewer steps on December 25 (Christmas Day) and January 1 (New Year’s Day) – on average 1,750 fewer and 1,500 fewer than the annual average respectively.
And while average sleep duration increases by nine minutes during the holidays, it decreased on December 24th and December 31st. The data shows that many of us went to bed later on these days and got 17 minutes less and 26 minutes less sleep respectively.
But now that the holidays are over, qualified Fitbit users can try setting a new step goal for themselves in the Fitbit app. Premium users can also try out the new Fitbit Personal Health Coach (now available in Public Preview) to do things like create a personalized activity plan, compare your trends with others in your demographic, and take a deep dive into your sleep stats to see what you can improve.
2. Our bodies struggle to recover
The holiday can take a toll on the body and its ability to recover, and we saw that in heart rate variability or HRV data. HRV is the variation between heartbeats, which measures how well your body recovers. On December 25th, HRV dropped by an average of 11% and on January 1st, by as much as 18%. Similarly, resting heart rate (RHR) increased on average compared to the rest of the year by 1.2% on 25 December and by 1.7% on 1 January. An increase in RHR and a decrease in HRV indicates, which may cause a higher level of stress, eating or eating a higher meal. get less sleep (hint: high HRV and low RHR are good things).
The good news? When our regular routines resume, recovery is quick and heart rate patterns return to what is normal for you. A good way to help de-stress is with guided meditation in the Fitbit app or by using the Relax app on your device for a guided breathing exercise.
3. We move with the seasons
Our data also shows that our bodies move in sync with the seasons: we naturally lean into rest in the colder months and move more in warmer weather. On average, we sleep 16 minutes more in winter than in summer; so while it’s a new year and you might feel ready to take on big new challenges, remember that if it’s still winter where you live, your body probably still needs more rest.
However, even in winter, our data found that weekly activity peaks on Friday, possibly indicating that it is a high-energy day and the start of the weekend, when many have more free time! So for those with a fitness goal for 2026 — whether it’s a couch potato for a 5K, a marathon, a backpacking trip, or something else — consider scheduling hard workouts for Fridays, and qualified Fitbit users can work with the personal health coach to create a customized routine.
Whatever your health goals for 2026 are, a good place to start is to reflect on the past year.