New Year’s Resolutions…Again?

Year after year we all try to keep empty promises to ourselves because it is a “new” year. Usually, I like to make a jokey resolution such as eat more chocolate, to mock those who pledge to destroy their bad habits. Resolutions in theory are a great idea, they provide motivation and a sense of being a new person, but just how life changing are these resolutions?

Taking the style of Bridget Jones, I pledged along with many other women to lose weight, eat less and find inner peace. Of course much like our beloved Bridget, many of us fall off the wagon far too easily. Birthday parties destroy any hope of staying sober and to avoid looking like a complete loner, you join everyone else in the bountiful amount of food and booze. Strike one.

The second strike comes in the form of getting all hot and bothered. Yes sex actually counts as exercise but let’s be honest, not everyone can rely on that as a fall back. However, it’s safe to say that the “horniest student” from Exeter wouldn’t have had a problem there… In reality exercise really is a pain in the arse. Making a “keeping fit” resolution in the middle of winter is hardly a great idea. Living in Wales is the final nail in the coffin when it comes to battling bad weather. Going to bed with the intention of going for a run the next morning is a great idea, until you wake up and see wind, rain and golf ball sized hail stones. As for joining a gym, unless you are already “fit and healthy”, I can think of nothing more humiliating. If you are anything like me by the time I have had a work out I am redder than a tomato and sound like a 50 a day smoker.

After trying to push myself to take my resolutions seriously, I have slipped. I eat healthily but the exercise has come to a stop. It is impossible to build up the commitment of going out for a run when it is it cold, wet and miserable. Although I am mildly sticking to my new year plans, most people give up and I can understand why. They don’t call it the January Blues for nothing. Any time after New Year’s celebrations is generally shit. Having to contend with work, deadlines and another term is hard enough, let alone trying to create a whole “new you”. So inner peace is not an option.

I have come to the conclusion that making resolutions in winter months is probably one of the worst ideas ever. If people want to make a change to their lifestyle, pick a cheerier and brighter time of year. Spring and summer make far better seasons to be able to motivate oneself. It is lighter at night, warmer and of course sunny. These are far better conditions to make promises as we are more likely to be happy. So if you have found yourself up to your elbows in resolution-failing guilt, take a time-out and start again in a more reasonable season!