2021 is FINALLY here, and in efforts to make it a better year than 2020, New Year’s Resolutions are back and better than ever. The real question is: How long are you ACTUALLY going to keep up with it?
When a new year starts, it is as if everyone comes up with resolutions that they are seemingly determined to keep, but when February comes around, those people forgot that promise they made.
If you are one of those people, you’re in luck because VALLEY has some suggestions on how to keep up with the most popular New Year’s Resolutions made each year.
Exercise More Often
Although these resolutions are in no particular order, we can all agree that exercising more often has to be one of the most promised resolutions. This resolution can be difficult to keep, but VALLEY is here to make your determination reach an all-time high.
In order to keep your resolution of exercising more, keep track of your fitness journey. The first day you decide to make this change in your life, document why you are beginning your journey so you have a set goal you wish to complete. Look back on this goal every day. It may seem silly, but writing things down makes you more inclined to pursue whatever it may read.
If you make this resolution because you wish to lose weight or reduce body fat, take a picture of yourself on day one. Exactly a month later, take another picture. Repeat this every month so you notice your weight loss as time goes on.
Remember: exercising more frequently will take a little time to get used to, so do not begin by running 45 minutes, benching 650 lbs, and three reps of 100 squats. Begin easy, then as the weeks progress, slowly build how much exercise you do.
Eat Healthier
Eating healthier does not mean eating a salad for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is an abundance of healthy foods that can be made into something you would never know is healthy.
VALLEY suggests that in order to stick to eating healthy in this new year, you begin meal planning. On Sundays, write down what meals you plan to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner from Monday until next Sunday. Be sure to include snacks. Whatever you write down will be what you are allowed to eat for that day, and try your absolute hardest to stay on track.
Make sure to bring this meal plan everywhere you go. If you are sitting in the HUB and begin to smell the gloriousness of Chick-Fil-A’s nuggets and fries, look at your meal plan and remember that is what you are eating for the day, no matter how tempting those nuggets are.
Manage Spending Money
Retail therapy exists and that is okay. However, is buying new outfits every single weekend really necessary? Most definitely not.
This year, if you are trying to manage your money spending, only stick to buying necessities. If you grocery shop, buy enough for the week so that you will not have to eat out. See a deal you really like at your convenience store? If the product is something you use frequently and will run out of quickly, try to buy two so it will save you money in the long run.
If you purchase a product that is not a necessity, document it and include the cost and date so if the next time you wish to buy an unnecessary product, it is not too close to the previous product’s purchase date.
Learn a New Skill
If you choose to learn a new skill, make sure you will actually enjoy it. If you do not enjoy it, there is no way you will keep your resolution.
At the beginning of the new year, give yourself some trial runs to a few different new skills and see which one you seem to enjoy the most. You will most likely keep this skill rather than the others.
Set a date for yourself to finish learning this new skill. Whether your deadline is next month, or Dec. 31, a deadline will help you to feel more pressured to learn it rather than ignoring it.
Improve Mental Status
After 2020, we all need a mental break. Since we are still living in the time of a global pandemic, it will seem hard to improve your mental status and keep it at a good level. No need to fear, this improvement is very much possible.
Meditation can be a great way to go about this, as it eases and clears the mind from stress and helps you feel more relaxed. If you think you have no time for meditation, then you need it the most. It doesn’t take much time to meditate. Take five minutes of your day and breathe in and out. Your goal is to focus on nothing more than that. Only five minutes per day and you will most likely begin to feel better.
On days where you are stressed to the max, take the next day as a “recovery day” and refocus on what makes you really happy. Treat yourself to your favorite restaurant downtown, go see your friends, go for a walk, whatever makes you happy. Record which days you use as “recovery days” so you recognize when you can take them.
Become More Eco-Friendly
Going green is not only a trend you see on social media, but it is the right thing to do for the environment. If this is your resolution, but you are not sure how to stick with it, VALLEY suggests buying and labeling a specific bin for both garbage and recycling. Not only can you use your recycling bin to recycle your items, such as paper or plastic, but it is a constant reminder that you SHOULD be recycling.
Buying reusable products is also a great way to become more eco-friendly, and you will most likely keep this resolution because you will use these reusable products daily. Reusable water bottles are popular nowadays, and if you buy one that you really like, you will be tempted to use it more. Also, customizing it with stickers is a great way to keep you resuing it over and over again.
Be Kind to Others
For some people, being kind to others is natural, and for others, it is an absolute job to even give a simple compliment. However, both types of people will be tempted to keep this resolution once they hear VALLEY’s suggestion: challenge yourself to do one nice thing for a person each day. Whether this person is a friend or a stranger is up to you, but try to make at least one person happy each day.
If you keep a calendar or planner, document what nice thing you do for someone else every day. This will make you feel more required to do at least one thing for another each day.
2020 was a year none of us expected, so now that it’s over, let’s make 2021 an amazing one. Keeping your resolutions will help make this possible by taking another step to a better you.
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