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TikTok’s Newest Trend: The “Winter Arc”

The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Purdue chapter.

It feels like every year, the holidays start a little bit sooner. Stores put their Halloween decorations out during the summer, Christmas decorations appear before Halloween, and now New Year’s is in the mix! But this time, it’s not just the stores promoting an early new year—it’s TikTok’s newest trend: the “Winter Arc.”

So, what is this new trend?
What exactly is the Winter Arc? Simply put, it’s about getting a jump start on your New Year’s resolutions, specifically fitness and lifestyle goals. The whole idea of New Year’s resolutions is about to become a brand new, a better version of yourself as you open a new calendar. But let’s be real—who actually sticks to those plans? Think about it: You stay up until midnight (at the earliest) on New Year’s Eve, most likely celebrating. You’re already starting the new year off poorly by not meeting that goal of getting enough sleep and waking up with the sun, let alone hitting the gym on what’s probably the busiest day of the year. The Winter Arc offers an alternative way to approach your New Year’s resolutions.

Where to start?
Setting goals to be the best version of yourself can sound intimidating at first. A good starting point is determining what the best version of yourself looks like. Do you go for a run every morning at six A.M.? Do you hit the gym three days a week and do yoga on the weekends? Do you want to become more flexible and work on mobility? The same goes for lifestyle goals—will you journal every night before bed, cook more at home instead of eating out, or pick up a new hobby? Pull out a notebook (yes, a real sheet of paper) and write down what you want out of this. Be specific! Remember, these are your goals for your life!

Make a roadmap
You’ve figured out your goals and put them into existence by writing them down. So how do you start working toward those goals? Sometimes it’s great to jump into the deep end, but more often, it’s more effective to ease yourself in, especially when learning how to swim!
Let’s say one of your goals is to wake up at seven A.M. and make yourself a healthy breakfast every morning, but right now you’re going to bed at two A.M. and still want your full eight hours of sleep. The math ain’t mathing! Changing your sleep schedule takes time and patience. Slowly but surely, every night you can aim to go to bed 30 minutes to an hour earlier. Eventually, you’ll be in bed by eleven and awake by seven.
The same goes for fitness! If your goal is to run 20 miles a day, but you can hardly run five miles, you need to start smaller and gradually increase your distance as you condition your body to handle it.
So again, grab another fresh sheet of paper and write out your roadmap! Make it pretty, stick it on your wall or your mirror. Set smaller daily goals that will build up over time to your main, overarching goal.

Get started now!
Yay! You’ve figured out the goals you’ll pursue and the changes you’re going to make as you move into the next season of life. The catch is, you can’t change everything overnight. That’s the whole point of the Winter Arc trend—you need to start early, like… now! The idea is to begin months in advance. Studies show that it takes an average of 66 days to form a new habit. Consistency is key, but if we’re talking about being a new version of yourself by the new year, timing is just as essential!

Let’s recap

  1. Make a list of the goals you want to achieve by the new year.
  2. Once you’ve established your long-term goals, create a roadmap to reach them! This roadmap will include smaller, manageable tasks that you can incorporate into your daily life.
  3. Stay consistent. It’s okay if you miss a few days or don’t meet every goal perfectly, as long as you’re actively putting in the effort. Over time, the changes you make will stick! And once the new year hits, everyone else will be starting fresh, but you’ll already be a different person.

Remember to be kind to yourself and enjoy the process!

Paige is a senior at Purdue University, originally from Plainfield, IL. She is majoring in Communications with a focus on Media and Mass Communication. She is also pursuing a minor in Art and Design. While Paige is a new writer for HerCampus Purdue, she has been working as a Brand Ambassador for Purdue Dining and Culinary since the fall of 2023, creating for and interacting with all types of students across campus. Paige has experience as an artist working with various mediums to create pieces such as sculptures, paintings, etc. She also has experience with photography, videography, digital art, and coding. Paige is passionate about creating, with whatever medium, and she is excited to begin her career working collaboratively with a team to generate unique projects. Currently, Paige is working as a Brand Ambassador and in customer service for a retail company. In the future, she hopes to work for large companies like A24 to bring creations to life on the big screen. In her free time, Paige loves to develop her crocheting skills, read fantasy books, build houses in The Sims 4, and watch bad reality TV. When she is home from school, her priority is spending time with her family and her pets (specifically her cat, Tigg).