New Years Resolutions 2015
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
It's that time of year again, when we reflect and decide with an admirable amount of confidence that the next year is going to be the best one yet. We promise ourselves that we will workout everyday, eat healthy, get enough hours of sleep and stay organised.
And so we wake up on the first of January (possibly sporting a hangover) ready to get things started. I always tidy my room the evening before and change into new pajamas so that I can wake up and start the new year fresh. I also make myself a healthy breakfast. Sadly this slowly dwindles throughout January and before I know it, I'm sleeping late again and waking up to a messy room.
But like you, I am still determined to make 2015 count! Here are my tips on how to stick by some of the general resolutions people seem to have-
ORGANISATION
Click here to visit their site, they ship internationally!
I splurged on a beautiful diary/planner by the Swedish brand Kikki.K. It has beautiful designs on every page as well as a removeable notepad, monthly and weekly view, expenses list etc. In the age where many people choose to use their smartphones to keep track of events, there is something truly special about putting pen on paper to record your to do's.
There are many options to choose from, including daily and weekly diaries in a range of sizes and designs. My theory is that a pretty diary will motivate me to actually bring it around and use it!
HEALTHY EATING
I think the most important thing to remember about resolutions revolving around better eating habits is to be realistic. It is unlikely you will wake up on January the first and be ready to cut out every single "bad" food that exists and keep it up for the next 365 days. Adjust your taste buds bit by bit... perhaps you will begin by weaning yourself off soft drinks or changing from milk chocolate its darker counterpart (my favourite is the Lindt 90% Cocoa). By allowing yourself to still eat chocolate instead of going cold turkey, you are far more likely to stick to your healthy eating resolution. And if dark chocolate just doesn't cut it, I suggest buying individually wrapped squares of good quality milk chocolate so that you don't end up eating half the block rather than the two squares you had in mind.
In terms of wanting to eat more of something, such as vegetables, try to incorporate the item into your meals. Personally I find it easier to eat a whole lot of spinach blended into a green smoothie or wilted and added to an omelette compared to having a salad of plain spinach (not that there is anything wrong with that, I just get sick of it very quickly).
EXERCISE
Ah, the classic New Year's resolution that flits across a great proportion of people's minds. My friend and I joined a gym in early December in an attempt to kick start a regular workout regime, and we signed a one year contract so that we felt obliged to actually go. It's been successful so far, and I must say it is a lot easier if you have someone else to do it with. Once we organise a time to meet up and do a weights class or something, I'll go whether I "feel like it" or not, because I've made the commitment to someone else, and I'd feel bad if I backed out!
If signing up to the gym is not possible, you can still do workouts with a friend on a regular basis by organising a time to go for a walk/run, or go over to each other's houses and do at home workout videos. And if you don't want to do it with someone else, schedule your workout into your planner/calendar so that it is written down, just like a regular dentist appointment or meeting (it seems far more official this way!)
And finally, the ultimate bribe to motivate you to workout- nice training clothes. My set of Nike Pros were a compulsory part of my cheerleading training gear, but I wouldn't say no to nice pair of Lululemon leggings to give me that extra push to hit the gym! You can do it two ways... either buy the clothing first so that you want to workout in order to enjoy the comfort of the piece, or make it a prize for yourself. You could put away a dollar each time you workout and save up or treat yourself if you feel like you have reached a goal or milestone.
SAVING MONEY
Saving up for something extra special!
And finally, I'll give you a few tips on how to save money in 2015. Whether you are putting funds aside for something as small as a new pair of shoes or as big as a house, it is important to plan ahead so that when the time comes to pull out the big bucks, you'll be ready.
My number one tip is, and you've probably heard this a million times over, keep your receipts and jot down your expenses! Nothing should be exempt from your list, no matter how little money was spent on it. At the end of every week or month, go through your list and figure out if there was something unnecessary on it which you can do without the next month.
I find it easier to use my card rather than cash, because I tend to forget about that coffee where I handed over a couple of coins that I found at the bottom of my purse (yet another reason to keep your receipt). However, if I have a record of that transaction on my bank statement, I can easily record it.
I write down my money matters in coloured pens- blue for money coming in, such as wages, and purple for money going out. I write down what I bought and how much it costs, and sometimes a reason in case it is something special like a birthday present. Then at the end of the month I write a total of how much came in and how much went out, thus calculating the amount of money I have left. Now I can begin to budget for the next month by making rough estimates of what I will need money for. It is advisable to make your budget flexible, because in one month you might be faced with multiple appointments and three birthdays to buy for whereas in the next month you hardly need to spend any extra money.
MY RESOLUTIONS FOR 2015 (in no particular order)
- Go to church more often, not just Sunday services and read the bible regularly
- Use my time wisely, I do not want to waste any precious seconds, minutes or hours. Oh and procrastinate less! It is becoming a bit of a problem.
- Workout on a regular basis and try new things (such as kick boxing)
- Nourish my body with nutritious food, especially things high in iron and protein
- Read more books! In conjunction with number two- give myself the time to sit down and relax with a good book, particularly classics like Jane Eyre
- Sleep earlier... it will do wonders for my skin, mood and overall health. I plan to put my phone somewhere away from my bed half an hour before I sleep so that I don't end up lying in bed at half past one laughing to myself about some Tumblr post.
- Keep my room tidy! I have resolved to do this since a very long time ago and I hope I will be able to put aside time to do so, rather than tidy in the middle of the night
Here's a list to get you started...
Image via
As you can probably tell, a lot of my resolutions revolve around time, because I feel like looking back on 2014, I have wasted a lot of time on the internet doing nothing in particular. While watching YouTube videos and going on Tumblr is something I enjoy, I need to spend less time doing those things and more time living my life. There is nothing wrong with a marathon of your favourite TV series but in 2015 I would like to use my time to focus more on school (afterall it is my last year of high school), spending time with family and friends (in real life, not snapchat) and doing things that will benefit me in the future. In other words, I will attempt to watch only say 2 YouTube videos a day and delete some social media apps off of my phone!
What are your New Year's Resolutions? Whatever they may be, I wish you the best of luck for 2015 and I hope you have a fantastic year.
Love, Kathy xxx
PS. Check out my New Years Sentence a Day DIY idea (x)
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