New Year guilt

Opinion: Realistic New Year resolutions.

Being realistic now (all you non-keeping resolution makers!), most of us are on holidays at the start of January and it still feels kind of Christmassy.

At the start of January there’s a lot preventing us from keeping healthy New Year’s resolutions. Our parents force feed us the remains of junk food and selection boxes lying around, the last of the Christmas stock has to be polished off before we can think about starting a fresh New Year; and there is a great need to watch crap TV and generally laze about.

So, instead of pencilling in the first of January for that fresh renewal of life, how about in proper Irish fashion, leaving it until maybe the 16th of January or a date that suits your schedule?!

Don’t be ruled by a date, especially when you are still on your hols. When choosing New Year’s resolutions though, be realistic. Try not to say to yourself, I’m never going to eat another piece of chocolate for as long as I live, because frankly, that’s just ridiculous!

Instead maybe decide to have two days in the week where you allow yourself to eat treats and the other five days are veg galore (make the healthy days more interesting with delicious new recipes, going to the swimming pool or roller blading with mates!)

Top tips:

• Use some of that willpower that us humans were given! If you fail, start to build up your self control again!

• Be specific in what you want to change this year - if you want to take up an active hobby instead of vegging in front of the TV, then decide what it will be, when you will do it, how much it will cost, where you can do it, etc. See the fitness and exercise section for lots of great ideas.

• Become Mr. Motivation - figure out why your resolution is so important to you. Have reminders as to why you are doing this - stick ‘em up on the wall so they help you take action!

• Break it all down into small pieces, instead of trying to keep to one overwhelming goal. So, if you want to get fit then decide that you’ll start swimming two evenings a week, take a class such as aerobics, yoga or kick boxing once a week and play football or go jogging twice a week as well. Then if you skip one day’s exercise you still have a fresh goal for the next day. Take it day by day - your resolution shouldn’t feel like a task.

Top 5 resolutions:

• Eat healthier
• Exercise more
• Stop smoking 
• Drink less
• Take up an interesting hobby

By: Sinead McKiernan

 

 

 

 

 

 

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