How to Plan Your New Year’s Resolutions Early
The problem for a lot of people with New Year’s resolutions is sticking to them. One of the main reasons for this could be that everyone only starts to focus on whatever their vice might be in the cold, dark days of January after enjoying the festive period of excess, which can make it harder. In order to make it easier to start and stick to whatever your New Year’s resolutions may be, it could be a good idea to begin planning and working on them earlier.
Stop Smoking
Quitting smoking is one of the most common New Year’s resolutions, but it also seems that many people fail with their endeavours. A better tactic rather than going full-on cold turkey is to start to ease yourself out of smoking at the end of the year, so that you can completely stop from January 1st. Using nicotine patches, gum or stop smoking groups to help you stop are great ways to get the extra boost you might need to get clear of cigarettes forever.
Exercise More
According to a ComRes poll, exercising more is the top New Year’s resolution with 38 per cent of people claiming it to be their goal. Going from a couple of weeks of over-indulging in fatty food, chocolates and alcohol with the only movement from the kitchen to the sofa, isn’t good preparation. Instead, try to schedule in at least one run a week over the festive period so that you have some level of fitness as a starting point. Then in the New Year you can build up to doing two or three exercise sessions a week straightaway.
Eat Healthier
Stuffing yourself over Christmas can make switching to a healthy diet in one go difficult, and is more likely to result in fatigue and burn out. This will ultimately lead to you failing to keep up with your healthy eating plan. Instead, prepare and eat a few healthy meals over the festive period, especially if you’re cooking just for yourself at times. Don’t turn down the turkey but maybe cut down on as many takeaways when you could easily whip up a pasta salad.
Save Money
This is probably the hardest one, as Christmas involves spending a lot on presents, parties and more. Start by budgeting how much you will spend on all these things a couple of months in advance, so you can spread out your spending. Rather than splurging hundreds over one weekend, this should make it easier to manage your money and get you into a good habit.
Preparation is key if you’re to stick to any New Year’s resolution, so get planning as soon as you can.
