For me, the New Year starts the weekend AFTER we have all gone back to school or work. I really don't feel like I can make a fresh start while the Christmas decorations are still up, there are chocolates and naughty treats all around me and we are all on holiday mode or just making that transition back into getting up in the dark! Once we've got back into the old routine again I feel a bit more normal and then I can think about what I am doing with my life!
Now, normally I am not one for making new year's resolutions as I would always abandon them a month or so into the year. It seemed pointless making them knowing I wouldn't see them through so I gave up trying years ago!
This year however, I decided it was time to change that. My lack of resolutions in the past has meant that it was all too easy to just slip into old bad habits time after time, I had nothing to aim for or strive towards. I now realise that to make any improvements in my life I need to make a conscious decision to change things! The difference is that I now know I need to set realistic goals rather than the dramatic resolutions that I would make in the past. Resolutions like 'I am going to lose 3 stone this year' are going to put so much pressure on me that I'm just setting myself up to fail! A much better resolution would have been 'I will make more healthy food choices'.
I have been gaining weigh steadily since having my two children. At first I would just tell myself 'it's ok, it's just because I've had two babies, I will get my figure back soon! However, those babies are now 7 and 5 and not only have I not lost the weight, I've actually gained more!
I am not going to make the same mistakes as previous years by setting my goals too high. I just need to make more sensible choices. So with that in mind here are my 2016 resolutions.
1- Try to drink 6 -8 glasses of water a day
2 - Eat less refined sugar: biscuits, cake, chocolate etc.
3- Eat 5 a day (choose fruit snacks where I would have chosen sugary ones)
4- Exercise at least 3 times a week (housework counts!)
5 - Read more
Not groundbreaking I know but they are all little step towards forming better habits. I know number 5 has nothing to do with weight loss but I feel that reading helps to relax me and will contribute to making me a happier, healthier person!
So did you make any New Year's resolutions? If not it's never too late! You can decide to make improvements in your life at anytime but do write them down and look at them regularly to help you keep on track. Just make sure that if you do make any, you ensure that they are achievable goals.
Set yourself up for success!
Happy 2016 to you all x
