How To Stick To Your New Year’s Health Resolutions : We have all been there, counting down the seconds till midnight while trying to have as many treats as we can before the clock strikes ten.
The mindset that a new year brings a new us can be mentally draining and toxic for our bodies. Often this strict mindset can deprive us our full potential and will ultimately end in us becoming exhausted and falling back into bad habits before January is even over.
This does not mean all New Year’s resolutions are bad for us. It is valuable to see the new year as a fresh start in which we can improve ourselves, without making it the centre of our attention. Taking a relaxed approach is the main factor in sticking to your New Year’s health resolutions.
Choose An Enjoyable Activity
Taking the relaxed approach to improving your health and sticking to your new year’s resolutions can be easily done through choosing an enjoyable activity.
Engaging in an active hobby, joining a new group or sport allows you to have fun, while still working on your health and fitness. When you choose something that you are excited to do instead of something like joining the gym, you will find that you display a greater sense of dedication.
Some active hobbies to start include:
- Rock climbing
- Tennis
- Dancing
- Open water swimming
- Hiking (with a group)
- Daily walks
Activities such as open water swimming, hiking and dancing can be done with local groups. Joining groups is a great way to stick to your health resolutions because group leaders organise everything for you, all you need to do is show up. Being involved in a group will also provide you with an increased social life and will motivate you to turn up just so you can see your friends.
If you prefer to do solo activities, then daily walks are a simple thing to implement into your resolutions and routine.
Plan Ahead
The key to sticking to your health resolutions is planning ahead. This means spending December researching your new activity and gathering all the essential clothes and gear that you will need. This will allow you to enter January with everything you need to conquer your goals and leaves no room for excuses.
If you are planning on engaging in daily walks, ensure you purchase a good quality pair of walking shoes. You should also invest in a cosy coat and pair of gloves to keep you warm during the first few months of the year. Adding in a pair of headphones and a waist bag to your shopping bag is a good measure to keep you entertained but not essential.
Other activities mentioned above such as open water swimming will require a lot more research and slightly more expensive gear. The number one thing on your kit list should be a thermal wetsuit. This will make you more comfortable when entering cold water. One more essential for open water swimming is a tow float. Choosing the right tow float is vital to your safety in the water so be sure to purchase from a trusted store.
You might find that certain groups will be able to provide you with some of the essentials so it is always worth checking with them before purchasing anything.
The best way to research is through youtube videos, informative blog posts and speaking to friends or family who engage in the specific activity you are wanting to try.
Set Realistic Expectations and Goals
It is so easy to get carried away with your resolutions and we will often expect perfection from ourselves in every avenue. Perfection within our health resolutions is never attainable due to work, busy lifestyles and endless commitments. So why do we constantly self sabotage our mind and body in this way?
You could argue that it gives us a way out of our resolutions when we inevitably mess up or maybe we just want to be the best version of ourselves possible. Either way, this routine is clearly not working for the majority of us.
This is why we must bring in the new year with realistic expectations and goals in mind. Tell yourself that you’ll go for a walk every Sunday, even if it only lasts 15 minutes. At least you have gotten out of the house and invested in your health. Any progress is good progress and it is so valuable to enter into that mindset.
Don’t expect to turn into an olympic athlete overnight or punish yourself for having a treat. Take each day as it comes and allow yourself the room to fall back, as long as you get back out there the next day.
One day a week, for 15 minutes is super attainable and easier to stick to than forcing yourself to the gym 7 days a week. You are more likely to stick to the relaxed option for a longer period of time.
How To Stick To Your New Year’s Health Resolutions
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