Five New Year’s resolutions no one will keep

While some treat their new year’s resolutions as gospel, others just can’t make the supposedly ‘desperate’ changes they would want to make in their lives. Resolutions such as quitting smoking or spending more time with extended family seem to the decisions that end in complete disaster by July. So at the Sandton Chronicle we have compiled a list of five new year’s resolutions no one will keep and easy ways to overcome the obstacles holding you back.

Quit smoking

While most smokers try to get out of the tobacco haze in the new year, whether for health reasons or for family, the majority struggle to kick the habit. The primary reason being that smokers try to kick their habits at the last minute as in after a raucous new year’s party.

Solution:

If you genuinely want to kick the habit, do it properly. Either spend the Christmas period where you’re free from stress to get rid of your nicotine addiction or compromise and make your resolution easier by promising to smoke less, rather than quit completely.

Eat healthy

After an extended period of bad eating during the festive season, the prospect of healthy eating becomes a horrible life decision to make. With all the meats, cakes and alcohol that we consume during the Christmas period, starting afresh becomes difficult and inevitably leads to failure.

Solution:

In order to keep this resolution next year, start early. Use the Christmas period to learn how to handle the temptation of eating badly, and abstain from fatty foods, opt for a healthy breakfast in the morning and have a piece of fruit every day.

Exercise more

A sassy comment from an aunt at Christmas supper on your double chin or expanded thighs doesn’t seem to be a good enough reason for many people to take their newly established exercise regime seriously in the new year. Most people believe that 365 days is a long time so procrastination causes couch potatoes to find themselves in an unsatisfactory physical state by March or even October.

Solution:

If you want to work on your fitness, start slowly by challenging yourself physically in day-to-day life. Things such as walking to work or taking the stairs, instead of the elevator to get around, will give you the confidence to begin exercising.

Manage finances better

With a great deal of bad financial decisions being made during the festive season, like treating yourself to a new pool table or home renovations you cannot afford, managing your finances becomes impossible when you accumulate a great level of debt during Christmas.

Solution:

Treat your Christmas bonus as a God send and not as a reason to spend haphazardly. The idea that Christmas is a time for spending money is a fallacy, so try and find cost affordable habits that will go into the new year.

Get rid of your technological dependency

Whether you have a Smartphone or uncapped wireless at home, the access to technology is growing by the minute which means that temptations to spend the whole day on your phone or laptop will always be there.

Solution:

Instead of cutting technology out of your life in the new year, try and give yourself designated times when you can use the internet or send emails.