It’s been three months since the new year dawned and we set our new year’s resolutions and intentions for the year ahead. 2020 was tough for all with ongoing restrictions, health concerns and economic impacts, with many looking forward to turning a new leaf for a happier, healthier and more productive 2021. However, we are all human and often those inspired resolutions may have already begun to slip, with a return to old habits.
Whether your goals are related to finance, diet, fitness, stress, or all the above, there are plenty of simple ways you can reignite your motivation and set yourself up for success.
- Food
Key to success: Moderation
Balance is key when it comes to your overall wellbeing. Whether you want to eat more healthily, make better food choices, lose weight, improve your health, or simply feel better, we believe the best and most sustainable approach is moderation.
Instead of eliminating all the foods that bring you joy, we suggest you simply reduce the quantities you eat. For example, if chocolate is a treat that you crave after dinner, try having only a few squares of quality dark chocolate instead of cutting it out completely. This approach will help you gain a sense of accomplishment and fuel your motivation to keep progressing. Plus, research shows that dark chocolate actually has health benefits – so you’re doing your body some good!
- Fitness
Key to success: Acknowledging every win
Fitness – getting fit, taking up a new hobby, or setting a fitness goal – is one of the most common New Year’s resolutions made. However, setting a broad, general goal will most likely put you back at square one by January 19. How you frame your goals sets the foundation for your journey to achieving them and will determine your success before you even begin.
The solution is simple: take your goal and divide it into smaller, more measurable objectives. For example, if one of your goals is to lose weight, ask yourself: How will I achieve this? You may commit to 30 minutes of movement every day, visiting the gym three times every week, or improving on your personal best every month. Whatever this looks like for you, be sure to take note of where you started and how far you’ve come along the way. Make sure you celebrate every win – no matter how big or small – with a reward, such as a pampering treatment or new workout clothes.
- Finance
Key to success: Self control
If you want to be better with money in 2021, you need to take a close look at your money habits. The nature of habits is that we are inherently tied to them, as over 40% of what we do on a day-to-day basis is habitual, meaning we operate in auto-pilot mode for most of the day. Whilst habits can certainly be a time-effective, safe and energy-saving option, they also bind us to behaviours and keep us in a loop that continually produces the same result. If that result is debt or living payslip to payslip, perhaps your money habits are in dire need of a reset.
Take small steps toward resolving this through knowing your habits and triggers, starting small, saving for big purchases rather than financing and using direct debit and automated deductions.
- Mental Health
Key to success: Patience
If 2020 had a silver lining, it was that we were granted the time to press pause and reflect inwardly on our health and happiness. Many people were able to gain a renewed sense of appreciation for the simpler things in life. If your goal is to somehow improve your mental health and wellbeing in 2021 by creating healthier coping strategies for stress, becoming more organised, learning to do what makes you happy, or through any other means, we recommend that you’re patient with yourself. Looking after your mental health isn’t a linear process, so give yourself the time to learn how to think and process things differently.
- Family and friends
Key to success: Turn to others for accountability.
Another wake-up call which came out of 2020 is the importance of family, friends and community. For many people separated from family and friends, spending quality time with our nearest and dearest has become more precious and important than ever. As we gradually return to our everyday lives – and may not have the luxury of free time as we may have had several months ago – communicate your intentions to see more of those closest to you. Time can easily slip through our grasp, but this way the responsibility of setting aside time for each other is shared and therefore much more likely to occur. Why not combine several of your New Year’s resolutions, by meeting friends for a regular walk, or cooking healthy meals together as an extended family?
To ensure your 2021 resolutions are a success and stick, it may be a matter of shifting your mindset and reframing your original goals. Forming new habits and changing your daily rituals takes time but is a journey that can be enjoyed.
From the team at Eden Health Retreat, we wish you every success for your 2021 goals and aspirations. Whenever you feel you need to reset and regroup, we will be here to provide you with support and guidance through a blissful escape to our stunning retreat. Our dedicated team of health and wellness experts – from counsellors to personal trainers, nutritionists and more – are also available for consultation to ensure you are equipped with the knowledge and tools you need to sustain motivation and succeed beyond your time with us.
