5 New Year’s resolutions that need a makeover ASAP!

WRITTEN BY VICTORINE KULIER

1. You want to lose weight

Idea: This is a no-brainer. Christmas Season is just behind us and we spent a good amount of time innocently popping in one treat after another, drinking that third glass of egg-nog at Christmas and getting pretty darn comfortable on that couch. And that’s okay. But now it’s a little past January 1^st, you’re probably still recovering from the NYE party and you need an instant weight-loss fix, so you start eating an apple a day and that’s it. Yikes. Good-bye metabolism.

Try this: Of course, the whole “new year-new me” thing is a fantastic motivation to finally drop a couple of pounds. But try to be realistic about it. You’re not going to have your dream body in a week’s time just because you’ve eaten a couple of greens and walked around the block twice. Instead, write down some realistic goals. You want to drop 10 pounds? Great. Give yourself a generous time frame and make some conscious swaps and resolutions (less sugar, no processed foods, more protein – you name it). And just to repeat, once again – write it down. You’re much more likely to stick to your resolutions if they’re on paper and not just in your mind.

2. Getting a gym membership

Idea: This is probably among the top three resolutions that anyone has set for themselves at one point in their lives: getting a gym membership. Unfortunately, gyms are literally overflowing with eager first-time-exercisers in January, and you spend ages waiting around to use any of the machines. You don’t even care anymore what workout you intended to do, you just want to do something at this point. If you’re a night owl or one of those early morning enthusiasts (how?) – go ahead and buy that membership. But if you’re a mortal like the rest of us, most likely, you’ll get fed up with the situation pretty quickly.
Try this: Scientists have established that it takes 3 weeks to form a habit. Which means that by the end the of January, half of the folks that were so eager to transform their body overnight, are probably gone. Do yourself a favor and get that membership in the beginning of February, or better yet, March. In the meantime, get a workout guide (like the WB’s home and gym-workout e-books ;)), grab your best friend and get that blood pumping!

3. No more alcohol

Idea: We’ve been wanting to do this every year since we were legal (because obviously, none of us ever had a sip of alcohol before we were twenty-one). For some reason though, there is always a birthday, a graduation, a wedding, a Christmas party or… a weekend. The social pressure is on and the drinks taste even more delicious particularly when we’re dealing with problems or when we’re stressed. What to do?

Try this: Deep, deep inside of us we know that alcohol isn’t a solution. But neither is milk. Instead of going from a hundred to zero in a day, we should take one day at a time. It’s perfectly fine to have a glass of wine at a social function or at home after a stressful day. Red wine is thankfully blessed with some anti-oxidative functions that protect against cholesterol buildup and may even help prevent coronary heart diseases. Just practice this mantra: In moderation. Also: try to alternate between a glass of water and an alcoholic drink (this is known as “water-backing”). This will do tons for you the next day and ease your hangover. Plus, all that liquid will make you full quicker and most likely encourage you to drink less.

4. Get more sleep

Idea: By now we’re all very well aware that without sleep, we’re screwed. It’s one of the three pillars of health besides exercising and eating well. So, kind of important. With an inadequate amount of sleep, days are dragging, you have no power and neither your mental nor your physical strength is up to its usual standards. Not enough sleep is associated with increased appetite and unhealthy dietary choices, which does not go well at all with our resolution number one. We become even more stressed with school, work or kids, and sleep just cannot always be our top priority.

Try this: Big changes in our behavior can be really difficult. If you didn’t skip the resolution above because you were busy refilling your glass, then take a step back and read it now, because the same thing applies here: small steps. There’s just no way we can go from 6 hours to 9 hours of sleep every day with our busy schedules. How about considering thirty minutes more sleep per night a success as well? Turn your clock away from you, switch off your electronic devices and pay more attention to what you eat and drink before bed (stay away from alcohol, caffeine and big meals!). These will all contribute to a better, and hopefully a longer night’s sleep. By the way, studies show that parents who have poor sleep habits pass those on to their kids sometimes. Be aware!

5. Live life to the fullest

Idea: Don’t we all wish we took more chances in life sometimes? Whether you intend to climb up the career ladder, want to go on more adventures or you’re trying to gather the courage to finally talk to your good-looking co-worker. Fact is, we could all try to get out of our comfort zone way more often to discover new bits and pieces about ourselves that may actually surprise us. Sometimes small things get in the way and prevent us from actually achieving what we set out to do. How do we overcome this?

Try this:  Stop sleep-walking through life and realize that any limitations you set yourself are created by your own mind. Sit down, think about what you want and make a bucket list. But more importantly: stop talking yourself into believing that there’s something you cannot do. Sure, things may seem unmanageable sometimes, but you’re not alone in this. You have to dream big to achieve. Maybe sometimes you fall a little short, but you still achieved a whole lot more than you would have without trying at all. Be conscious that there will be challenges and there will be failures, but that one time will come where you did something you didn’t think you could do and it will all be worth it. With that being said: Just do it and get out there! Good luck!