New Year’s Resolutions have never been something I’ve taken seriously. As someone of weak will-power and low self-control, drastic plans to change how I live from January 1st have never come to fruition. However, this year (as I now consider myself a full-time 9-5 working, free-to-do-whatever-I-want-at-the-weekend-ing, sofa-owning adult) I’m really hoping to set and achieve a couple of goals that might make my life happier and healthier! So here they are, written out so that I have no choice but to stick to them:
Drink more water
This one should really just be ‘drink’ because I am absolutely terrible at drinking full stop: I can easily get to the evening without drinking anything whatsoever and then I wonder why I have a horrible headache… One of the top things we should do in our daily lives is drink plenty of water: for our skin, our energy-levels and our mental wellbeing. There are lots of things out there to help: from apps (here’s a great list) to drinks bottles (HydrateM8 looks a dream!) to just keeping tally on a post-it or diary page each day. But I think what I will really need is dedication and a good memory to grab a glass!
Get strong
I’ve noticed in the past couple of years that I’ve completely lost my strength (to the point that I can’t even break the plastic seals on new bottles of water). Working in an engineering workplace, I don’t want to live up to the weak girly girl stereotype, I want to be strong and lean, something all the big name fitness coaches are drilling into us. I’m not looking to be skinny (I’m slowly realising that I am my natural size and comfortable with it) but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to firm up the underarms or have a less squishy tummy. I like the motivation of Joe Wicks and follow the Results With Lucy feed but I really like the Kayla Insines’ Bikini Body Guides. They’re something my sister dragged me into and their Instagram community is incredible and hugely motivating (I basically want to have my own Transformation Tuesday!). Apparently she’s kicking off a new round of the workouts on Monday January 9th so I’m going to grab my skipping rope and hand weights and join in!
Say ‘Yes’
My last resolution is a bit all encompassing of the fun things I want to do this year but it’s something I’ve been trying to do since I moved and started my new job back in September. I might go into the details another day but I made a big effort to push myself out of my comfort-zone (i.e. the sofa) and say ‘yes’ to social things, sports clubs, work opportunities, etc. and as a result I’ve found myself so much happier. Saying ‘yes’ to new things has given me some lovely new friends, hobbies I would never have thought I’d enjoy and most importantly self-confidence. I’m big into focusing on my personal happiness right now (hence the blog change..) and that’s both with who I am and in my day-to-day life so this is definitely something I want to actively work on in 2017.
So there you have it: my New Year’s Resolutions. There are lots more little things I’d like to do this year but I’ll save that for another day, these are the main things I want to focus on. They might seem vague or unoriginal but often the things we want to change or do differently are the most basic ones that normally we tend to skimp on. I’m looking forward this year to focusing on me (as selfish as it sounds!). I’ve entered a new phase of my life and I want it to be so much happier and healthier (body and mind) than the previous!
What are your New Year’s Resolutions? Even if you don’t have any, are there little things you want to achieve this year? Or if you succeeded with your 2016 resolutions, what things really helped you achieve them? Let me know below!
Happy New Year, I hope it’s the best yet!
Alex
thealexproject 