The new year can be a great time to set new goals and introduce new habits into your life.
New Year’s Resolutions get a bad reputation, but they can be transformative if they’re done right.
Many people set themselves up to fail by setting unrealistic expectations and trying to achieve too much too soon. Spend a bit of time thinking carefully about your resolutions, then commit them to paper and share them with family and friends for accountability.
Potential New Year’s Resolutions
Looking for some New Year’s resolution inspiration. Here are a few ideas for those of us who are little older.
Drink more water
As you age, staying hydrated becomes even more important for good function. Regularly drinking water is the best way to stay hydrated and the best bit, it’s a free and easy habit to implement. Check out our previous blog about the importance of staying hydrated and our simple tips on how to do it.
Eat healthier
Eating healthier is a common new year’s resolution and in many cases people do it for awhile then go back to old habits. The key to success is to be quite specific about how you are going to eat healthier and why. Are you going to eat more whole foods? Do you want to eat more fruit & vegetables? Also, why do you want to do this? What benefits will it bring to your life?
Take up a new hobby
You’re never too old to learn something new! Have you always wanted to learn how to paint? Or is ballroom dancing something you’ve always wanted to try? Perhaps learning a language such as Spanish or Italian is more up your street? Taking up a new hobby can be invigorating and give you a new lease on life.
Declutter and organise
Clearing out the objects in your home that no longer serve you and just take up space can make you feel lighter. Ask family and friends if they would like things or donate them to charity. The key is not to try and do everything at once. Start small with one item, then another and watch the momentum build. You’ll be surprised at how good you feel getting rid of the clutter in your home.
Spend more time with family & friends
As you get older it can be easy to lose touch with family and friends. People get busy, some move away and sadly we lose others. Loneliness and boredom creep in and it’s very easy to become insular but catching up with family and friends on a regular basis can be good for the soul. Try to call someone you love once a week or make a regular date to catch up for a cuppa or lunch.
Get more Active
This is another common new year’s resolution for people of all ages but as you get older it’s even more important to stay active for your health and wellbeing. Again, be specific about how you are going to get active. Start where you are and build from there. Even a few minutes a day can make a difference. Check out our previous blog about the importance of staying active and ways to get started.
Accept and Get Help
It’s a biological fact that as your body ages your strength and mobility decrease. There are lots of things you can do to prolong this process but ultimately certain tasks or activities will become harder as you get older. To ensure you get the most out of life, be open to accepting help from loved ones or get outside assistance to do the tasks you don’t enjoy.
Tips to help you sticking to your New Year’s Resolution
Setting resolutions is the easy part but how do you stick to them? Here are some of our tips to help:
- Be realistic about your resolution/s. Are they feasible? Have you got the time to do them?
- Don’t make them too vague. Be specific about what you want to do or achieve.
- Have an action plan. It’s great to have the goal but how are you actually going to achieve it? What specific things are you going to do to make it happen?
- Put a timeframe on your resolution. Will you do something daily, weekly, monthly or by a certain date?
Be Kind to yourself
New Year’s Resolutions are not all or nothing. Think about them as long term goals rather than quick fixes. If you miss a day or two here and there, it’s not the end of the world.
Remember why you set the resolution in the first place and what you were trying to achieve. Life is going to get in the way, things are going to happen to derail you, and from time to time you may forget but be kind to yourself and when you’re ready just start again!