The New Year is almost here and you know what that means; it’s time to start making those New Years resolutions. We all make them, and only a few of us stick to them. But which resolutions should I be making? How can I stick to them? Well, we’re going to give you our top 10 New Years Resolutions, with some tips on how to stick with them.
1. Get in Shape
Losing weight is probably the most common New Year’s resolution that everyone makes. And while everyone and their mother might be making this a resolution, that doesn’t mean it’s not worth pursuing. There are more than enough sources online and in our own articles that justify why you should exercise more and lose excess weight so we won’t do that here.
It’s easy to start a diet and exercise plan, the tricky part is sticking to it. Here is a tip to help you; get specific. Don’t just say “I’m going to lose weight”, specify a specific amount of weight to lose and a deadline to lose it by, e.g. “I will lose 20 lbs by 19 March”. By giving yourself a specific goal and deadline you are more likely to keep to your diet and exercise plan.
2. Stop Procrastinating
One of the biggest barriers keeping most people from reaching their goals is procrastination; telling yourself that you’ll do what you need to do later. The problem is that you keep telling yourself that you’ll later, and later, and later until it is too late. Procrastination is a hard habit to break.
One tip we can give you for procrastination is this: a rolling stone, once in motion, does not stop. Once you start doing the task you won’t easily stop. A way to get started? Lie to yourself. Tell yourself that you’re only going to do some work for just 1 minute. 1 minute is so small that you’ll be happy to do it, and once you’re already working you’ll just keep going.
3. Get a Massage
Here at Naipo, we’ve advocated the benefits of massage again and again, and for good reason. Massages help reduce stress and anxiety, increase circulation, and relieves back pain. You’ve had a stressful, hard 2017, so why not treat yourself in 2018 with a day at a spa enjoying a healthy, relaxing massage. If a day at a spa getting a massage sounds too expensive for you, then there is another option. Personal massagers are inexpensive, effective, and means you can have a massage whenever you want.
4. Start Meditating
Our lives can be full of work, stress, anxiety. Sometimes it’s nice to sit down and enjoy a bit of quiet. Take some time out of your day and start meditating. Scientific studies have shown that meditation has many benefits such as improving mood, reducing stress, and lessening anxiety. Practicing meditation allows us to take a few minutes out of the day to relax and forget about work, stress, obligations, etc.
Getting started with meditation is simple. One of the simplest meditations to practice is the breathing meditation. Find a nice quiet area, sit up straight (on a cushion or chair), close your eyes, and focus your attention on your breath. Count 1 as you breathe in and 1 as you breathe out. Count to 10 and then start at 1 again.
5. Eat Healthier
Connected to New Years Resolution number 1, this new year resolve to eat healthier. As nutrition scientist, Dr. Tim Noakes always says; “you can’t outrun a bad diet”. Eating healthier won’t only result in weight loss, but also result in reducing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. Find a diet that is right for you and stick to it.
One tip we can give for keeping with a diet is to find a diet buddy. A diet buddy is someone that will check in with you about how your diet is going, making sure you aren’t cheating. Having someone you are accountable to will help you keep your diet and not cheat.
6. Be More Polite
Better yourself by bettering your manners. Having good manners has always been an important part of society, and being polite helps people to see you in a better polite. Even people who dislike you can’t help but respect you if you are always polite with them. Having good manners helps us to connect with others, avoid offending people, and improve peoples’ perception of us.
7. Start a Journal
Keeping a journal is a great tool in life. Journaling helps you organize your thoughts, plan your goals, and express your true feelings and wants to yourself. Here are 2 great methods for keeping a journal.
A tip to make sure you keep journaling every day is to tell yourself “not to break the chain”, don’t let your daily streak stop. Once you’ve done it enough times, journaling will become a habit.
8. Learn to Cook
Everyone should know how to cook a good meal. Cooking is an essential skill that every man and women should possess. Knowing how to cook can help you with resolution number 5 (eating healthier). It also lets you save money, eat your favorite food just the way you like, and impress dates with a lovely, home-cooked meal.
A tip to keep you motivated to learn to cook, and to make it exciting is to challenge yourself to cook a different recipe every week.
9. Find a Hobby
Having a hobby can do more for you than just offer a fun thing to do on the weekend. Having a hobby can also be good for your health. Hobbies can lower your stress levels, boost your brain power, improve your ability to focus, and more.
Finding a hobby is simple, especially in our connected world. Meet with a few hobby groups to find what hobbies appeal to you and join a few hobby groups. Finding hobby groups can easily be done with an online search or using an app (such as the Meetup app).
10. Correct Your Posture
Correct posture is not just for making you look proper and confident as you sit or walk. Have a small backache? That may be caused by incorrect posture. In our age of desk jobs and working at computers, we tend to break good posture, so it is important to be mindful of how you’re sitting. Luckily, correcting your posture is not too difficult, in fact, this article gives you some tips to correct your posture.
So there are 10 New Year’s resolutions you should definitely commit to, and some tips on keeping to them. 2017 has been a tough year full of hard work, stress, and a bit of anxiety. So let’s commit to better ourselves in the next year and see in 2018 with determination and motivation. Don’t wait for next year, why not start right now?
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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