Resolutions For Real Life In 2018
Don’t get sucked in by massive overhauls and dramatic transformations! The further away from real life habits you go, the harder it is to stick to things long term.
New Year’s resolutions are easy to make but harder to stick to, with some stats showing that 80% of resolutions fail by the middle of February. That’s just six weeks!
One major reason resolutions fail is because they’re not sustainable when reality comes knocking.
When we’re in holiday mode and are relaxing in the long lazy days of summer, it’s easy to make massive changes feel like they’re not that hard. But when we get back into our regular routines of work, friends, family, and fitness, suddenly your ‘easy’ goals are less important than getting through the week.
What’s the solution? Take things slowly!
Massive overhauls and dramatic transformations can look and feel incredible, but the further away from real life habits you go, the harder it is to stick to things long term.
Instead, start small, get some quick wins, then add a little bit more — before you know it, you’ll be well and truly on your way to a new, happier, healthier you!
Real Life Resolution 1:
Right away you’re going to have a problem with this resolution — it’s so vague, how would you know if you’ve achieved your goal? And what does eating healthy even mean?!
Try something more specific, simple, and realistic.
Eating avocado and exotic superfoods everyday might FEEL good, but the costs add up so quick that you’ll be back to your regular food habits & budget in no time.
A few ideas for easy ‘eat healthy’ goals to implement:
Jump on the meat free Monday trend
It doesn’t have to be a Monday, any day of the week works!
Just make sure that veggies, pulses, and legumes, not processed foods, are the centre of attention in your meatless meals, and you’ll be improving your health by increasing your intake of plant based foods.
Try some of the Chef’s Vegetarian or Vegan meals to make this resolution even easier to stick to!
Drink more water
Grab a 2L bottle, fill it up, and make sure it’s empty by the end of the day.
Staying properly hydrated is great for your skin and for everything inside your body, and it can help you make better food choices too — no more mistaking thirst for hunger pains!
Take your lunch to work twice a week
Find you spend a lot of money (and a lot of your daily calories) on buying food on your lunch break?
Save money, time, and calories by preparing your food ahead of time and bringing it in to work.
Not keen on meal prepping? Order meals from the Chef and get them delivered to your home or office to always have healthy, tasty, satisfying meals on hand.
Real Life Resolution 2:
Once again, we make things hard for ourselves with a super vague goal!
Instead of the abstract ‘exercise more’, make a note of how active you are currently, and set a specific, achievable amount of extra activity to do each week.
The key here is to make the extra activity fit in to your real life — if it’s too much, you’re not going to stick to it.
For example, if you do classes at the gym twice a week, it’s not realistic to make your goal something like ‘do 6 fitness classes a week’. There’s a reason you’re not already doing six classes a week!
Try making your goal to get outside for a 10–15 minute walk after lunch or dinner three times a week.
There are loads of benefits that come from going for a walk after a meal, and it’ll help cut back on mindless snacking post-meal without taking up tons of your precious time.
It’s simple, specific, and most importantly it’s achievable. Hold yourself accountable by getting a co-worker or family member to join you, or keep a calendar that you can cross off the days you go for a walk — it becomes addictive once you get into the swing of things!
Here’s a few more simple & easy ideas for adding more activity in your life:
Up the elevator, down the stairs
Try taking the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator at least once per day, or make a point of only using the stairs when you’re going downstairs. This way it’s extra movement without being too intense — stair climbing can be hard work, especially if you’re dressed for the office!
Fit commuting
Get off the train or bus one stop early on your way home and walk the extra distance. As this gets easier, you can get off two, three, or ten stops early as you feel like it. You’ll begin to enjoy your walks in the evenings, and it’s a great way to unwind after a stressful day at work.
Active ad breaks
Do stretches, squats, or sit ups during the ad breaks in TV shows in the evening. Challenge yourself to do more squats/lunges/push ups each ad break than the one before. This works really well because you’re not changing your existing habits, you’re just tweaking it slightly — you can get your family or flatmates in on it too!
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