1. Stop smoking
If this is at the top of your resolution list, we have bad news for you: it is not going to work. We admire the fact that you want to quit smoking and you definitely should, sooner rather than later. Doctors have warned against the health issues brought on by smoking for ages and let’s be honest, it’s such an expensive habit!
Unfortunately, just waiting for that magic day you can suddenly stop smoking because you promised yourself you will this year (for some of us it is like the third year in a row) will not come. It does not just disappear in a day!
You need to convince yourself you have to quit, for whatever reason that is valid to you (do not let others tell you, it’s not good enough – it is YOUR journey), and put in the work to get to that point. It will be a battle, as it is a habit and breaking them is really hard, so look up tips and techniques, and acknowledge it will take time to stop. Maybe a whole year, maybe even more!
We know you can do it if you put your mind to it!
2. Go on a diet
We hate to break it to you, but just saying that you will go on a diet is just simply not going to work. Whether you plan to start right after the holidays or somewhere in January, or even later in the year. It is not that wanting to lose some weight for yourself is a bad resolution, it is great to look after your health in general, but a lot of nutritionists have said over the years that diets do not really work for most people. If your eating habits are really hectic, they are not a bad idea, but otherwise, diets do not really work.
If you do plan to lose weight, the more appropriate way to go around it would be to replace some of your bad eating habits with healthier ones: grab some oatmeal in the morning instead of a muffin, try milk alternatives in your coffee, try to have more healthy sides with your meal like veggies and limit the times you go out to eat fast-food. These will not only slowly help you lose weight, but they will also turn into healthy eating habits that you can keep on doing, instead of sticking to a diet only to go back to eating like you normally did.
AND it’s a resolution you can keep!
3. Get more exercise
This one is something, everyone has on their list! And how many times did cousin Lucy truly start doing more exercise? Exactly none! The problem with this one is that it is very vague. What is exercise? Walking, jogging, joining a gym, taking a dance class, wall-climbing? The list can go on and on for ages, especially if we do not think about possible health restrictions we may have.
Not only that, but because the resolution is vague you can find all sorts of excuses to not do the ‘exercise’: it’s too cold, it’s too hot, my gym clothes are dirty, the gym smells like a locker room, it’s too far, the cat is so cute staying on the couch you just want to join it… Anything can become an excuse!
So, instead of making this resolution really vague, make it more specific and maybe you will stick to it. Think about a sport you like or an activity that you always wanted to try and sign up for a class to give it a shot. Rope one of your friends into it, so you can do this together. Make it a priority, as you would about a dentist appointment: you have to make it!
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