Yahoo Lifestyle7 Better Resolutions For 2015
Forget making yourself miserable this New Year, drastic diets and eschewing all your favourite things aren’t the only way to reinvent yourself in January
It’s hard to believe we’re already heading into 2015, with many (all?) of those hopeful 2014 resolutions having dissolved months ago.
But this year, we’ve scoped out some different ways to make the changes you want to achieve – and keep them up all year long.
After all, one thing we’ve learned recently is that willpower is finite, so trying to give up everything at once will leave you exhausted and miserable – and likely to fall off the wagon quicker than ever. So try some of these resolutions for easy ways to change your life.
Don’t: Go on a crash diet
Do: Eat a different (healthy) breakfast once a week
We all get stuck into ruts, particularly when it comes to food but if you’re looking to get healthier and slim down this year one of the easiest and most fun things you can do is focus on breakfast.
Make the commitment to eat a different breakfast to your usual once a week and you’ll soon collect various options. If you usually go for cereal, switch to porridge one day a week, if you usually have porridge, try eggs, and as you get more adventurous, try including overnight oats, breakfast smoothies and go as exotic as you can – it’ll really cheer up your morning and high protein options and variety will keep you away from snacks during the day.
Don’t: Go running in the cold and dark
Do: Take a cold shower every day
Don't fancy dragging yourself up extra early on the dark January mornings to go for a run? Well, there’s something almost as unappealing that you can do from the comfort of your own bathroom.
Use your own body heating system to burn calories first thing by switching your shower to cold for 10 seconds, then turning it back up to hot for another 10 – do this 10 times, ending on a cold blast. We’re not advocating pneumonia but the so-called ‘Shiver System’ researched by NASA scientist Ray Cronise could give your metabolism the kick it needs.
Don’t: Go into January hibernation
Do: Go out and learn a new skill
Doing something new rather than giving something up feels far more productive so whether it’s taking up a new sport such as climbing, badminton or something creative like clay modelling, life drawing or cooking is going to make you feel happier in the new year than burrowing away and saying no to everything because you're feeling bloated from the holidays and poor from the far-away payday.
Don’t: Stay late every night
Do: Go to an evening glass to learn a new language
As a nation we’re workaholics with most of us spending far too long in the office and though it can be hard to get out on time, making proper evening plans and even laying down some money up front is often the only way to ensure that you actually close your computer down when you’re meant to.
Learning a language is ideal – it’s an incredibly useful life skill, engages your brain in a different way to other mental activities and is far more productive than spending the evening in the pub.
Plus you’ll look like a boss when you can order more than two beers next time you’re on holiday in Spain.
If evening classes are too much of a commitment, distance learning courses or a CD course such as Rosetta Stone or Michel Thomas are a great way to get started and you’ll be amazed how easy it is to progress.
Don’t: Promise yourself you’ll cook everything from scratch every day forever
Do: Cook with a new ingredient every week
Clean eating is a great aim and making food from scratch is much better for our health and our waistlines. But promising yourself you'll cook everything from scratch will have you despairing by week two when you realise 90 per cent of your life is spent chopping vegetables.
You don't need to give up your grand plans for healthy eating but even if you do let it slip, make the commitment to cook with a new ingredient for one meal a week. This gives you the opportunity to think more closely about your food and diet and experiment without taking much time at all. And it'll quickly expand your repertoire as you think about what dishes you can create with unusual ingredients such as sumac, yam, cardoon... the list is pretty much endless.
Don’t: Resign yourself to a poverty-stricken month with your DVD collection
Do: Read a book a week
We know reading’s good for us and most of us have a to-read list as long as both our arms, but it’s always so tempting to settle down in front of the TV and avoid engaging the brain after a long day at work. And with January being the poorest month, it’s likely we’ll be at home more than any other time of year – so make it count.
Instead of rewatching the Sopranos, head the library and entertain yourself for free. If you need some inspiration, how many of these essential tomes have you made it through? Even if you just read one a week you’ll have crossed out four by payday.
Don’t: Go Sober
Do: Get into whisky
We all know that most of us should be drinking less, especially after the excesses of the Christmas period. But sometimes giving up everything in one go can just lead to failure and guilt. And when, halfway through January, your mates all collectively abandon their Dryathlons, you’ll find yourself falling off the bandwagon pretty quick.
So instead, invest some time in a new drink such as good quality whisky. You’ll drink less of it because you sup it with a little water or ice over the evening instead of necking half a bottle of wine, but you won’t feel alcohol-deprived and over the rest of the year you can learn the difference between the brands, single malts and blends and by this time next year you’ll be quite the connoisseur. Wine bores are so 2014.
