5 New Year's Resolutions you can actually keep

No matter how hard we try, the same thing tends to happen every December through to January. The excited buzz of Christmas festivities give way to a soft, over-indulged lull between Christmas and New Year, and then before we know it, we’re back to the daily grind feeling more than a little sorry for ourselves. Many of us are guilty of letting cravings and bad habits take over our Christmas holidays (us included) and when it comes to penning down our New Year’s resolutions, we can tend to be very strict on ourselves, rather than aiming to be realistic. This year, we’ve decided to give you a helping hand. We’ve compiled 5 of our favourite, realistic, New Year’s resolutions, that we think are actually possible to keep. If you think there’s anything missing from our top pick, we’d love to hear from you!

1. Learn something new each day

This could be as simple as a new word every day, or a new sentence in another language. Living in the 21st century means we literally have a world of information at our fingertips - podcasts, YouTube videos, eBooks… the list is endless. Try and challenge yourself daily, you could even make a note at the end of the day of the new thing you’ve learnt and create a compilation to look back at.

2. Move more

Heard of the phrase “All the gear, no idea”? You don’t need the newest FitBit to get your 10,000 daily steps in, nor do you need fancy new gym wear to go to the gym. They may serve as a heavy dose of motivation for some people, but if you really want to make a change for the better, then no amount of new gadgetry will do it for you. Try and take the stairs instead of the lift or escalator on your daily commute and make the most of this mild January weather by walking the last few stops to work.

3. Write a plan

This can be a 5 year plan, or even just a 6 month plan. But get into the habit of writing down objectives and aims to give your life/path some sort of end point or goal. You can reward yourself when you reach it and you will have given yourself some sort of direction - whether that just means making it to the gym four times a week or finally getting that promotion at work.

4. Set aside 30-60 mins a day to "meditate" in your own way

We’re using the term “meditate” quite loosely here… not everyone will feel comfortable or confident enough to sit still for 30 minutes alone with their thoughts and some scented candles. Meditation is personal and different to everyone. It could just mean setting aside a small portion of your busy day to jot down some gratitudes and things that you are grateful for in life, to someone else it could be enjoying a hot soak in the bath without a phone or screen to provide any distractions. See this resolution as a chance to become more mindful and aware of yourself, the positives you have in life and also the challenges that you need to overcome.

5. Sign up to a new class/group/hobby

Set yourself the challenge of signing up to a new sports taster session or cookery class with the goal of going at least once. We often find that once you have got over the first hurdle of being the newbie and not knowing what to expect you start to enjoy something a lot more - chances are that you won’t even be the only new person (especially in January).

As with all of these resolutions and with all lifestyle changes in general, the key is to start small and build up new habits that are sustainable. Getting support from family and friends is always a good way to get some extra encouragement and motivation which will be there when you need it the most.