Some useful resolutions that you can actually stick to

SOME people might be waking up with a sore head this morning after the popping of Champagne corks last night, and blearily facing the dawn of a new year.

The start of 2022 also offers a blank canvas after 2021 was not the best 12 months as we continued to battle through the Covid pandemic. The past year may not have been as bad as 2019, as the vaccination programme rolled out across the UK, but we’re not out of the woods yet.

But we are all looking forward to a better year. It is the chance to start anew, learn a new skill, or change something about our lives - and hopefully we will get the new omicron Covid variant under control and things will improve.

And so we will be looking to make New Year’s resolutions and at this stage we will be very determined to stick to them. People often fail at keeping their new year’s resolutions because the things they wanted to achieve weren’t just weren’t realistically attainable over a long period of time.

Here are some resolutions that will make you feel like you are making a change, but they are not so extreme that you risk failing to keep it up after a few weeks.

Reduce the amount of plastic you use

Swap plastic straws for metal ones, reuse old shopping bags, buy a sustainable coffee cup for your Costa and Starbucks visits or buy a reusable water bottle.

The plastic water bottles you find in shops are one of the most frequently found items on beach cleans globally, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature. The lids commonly end up in seabirds’ stomachs.

Buy a planner or download an app

If you have a busy 12 months ahead of you, plan out each event, meeting or deadline in a planner. It’ll make you feel more prepared, instead of getting that feeling of dread every time you remember yet another thing you need to get done.

You can buy a planner from most stationery shops, or you can download one on your phone for free. If you’re buying a planner from a shop, try getting one with lots of space so you have plenty of room to write.

Eat the colours of the rainbow

Want to get more veggies into your diet? Try the”eating the colours of the rainbow” theory. It’s simple enough, instead of filling your plate with “beige foods” (pasta, potatoes and white bread), swap a portion or two with a bright vibrant vegetable. Courgette, peppers and sweet potatoes are incredibly versatile and go well with most seasonings and herbs.

The more colourful your plate is, the healthier it is.

Download a monthly budget app

Are you struggling to save money?

Maybe you have no idea how much you spend on a month-onmonth basis?

Budget apps have been around for some years now, and they’re great for people who have a hard time keeping count of their expenditures.

Give yourself more compliments

Most of us are harsher on ourselves than we are to our friends or family members. Give yourself compliments more often to boost your self esteem.

Take the stairs or walk to work

Make small changes to your daily routine to boost your physical activity. Take the stairs instead of the lift or walk to work when the weather is nice. The small changes will not only help you get moving more, but exercise is also proven to help reduce stress, as it pumps up your endorphins. Once we’re back in the office we can do this one. If you are working from home – take a break and go for walk around the block at lunch time.

Learn how to be more grateful

It’s easy to overlook the positive things in your life in favour of focusing on the negatives. Reevaluate your life and take stock of all the amazing things you have accomplished so far. The beginning of a new year is a great time to make plans for things you want, but equally it’s also a great time to reflect on what you are grateful for in your life.

Make a business plan

Do you have a great business idea? Get it down on paper.

Make a month-on-month plan of how to get your business off the ground, and the steps you can take to make this happen. You don’t need to know all the steps right now, but making a plan will highlight where there are holes in your idea, or the areas that you need to concentrate on.

There are plenty of business plan templates available online, you can download one from sites such as gov.co.uk and startup loans.co.uk

Drink less coffee

If your coffee consumption is through the roof then switch to decaf or herbal teas. These drinks still contain a degree of caffeine, so you can still get your fix, but it is less than that of a cup of coffee so you’ll still be reducing your daily intake.

Make healthier snacking choices

Make small swaps that you can maintain for a long period of time.

Making drastic changes to your diet will only result in you binge eating later on down the line. Swap full fat cola for diet or sugar free versions, and try eating dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate.

If you love snacking on savoury foods, try rice cakes instead of crisps. They come in all sorts of flavours, and give you the same crunchy texture as crisps do.

Dried fruits, yoghurt-coated nuts and coconut shavings are healthy sweet alternatives for sugar cravings.