New Year Resolutions + Goals | 2019
It seems to be quite an unpopular idea this year to make new year resolutions.. I’ve noticed a lot of posts floating around social media about bucking the trend for putting any pressure on yourself just because it’s a new year (which I do understand), but I’ve always been a fan of pausing a little at the beginning of the year and setting myself a few targets to set things off in the right way.
I feel like I’m in the minority for being quite excited about making some resolutions and setting some goals for myself this year, but each to their own. I don’t put much pressure on myself and I don’t beat myself up if I fail, but at the very least it makes me feel that I’m setting off into 2019 in a considered way, and that’s good enough for me.
I’ve been mulling over what to come up with for targets and goals for 2019 for a few weeks now. Typically, (and I swear this isn’t some prolonged hangover) I was struck down with festive flu (similar to fresher’s flu at uni.. a lot of socialising and rock bottom immunity due to overindulgence seem not to mix well) and I’ve been ill now for pretty much the first full week of the year. So a few of these are delayed in starting but the intention is still very much there for when I feel human again. Anyway, here we go.
Cooking Challenge
I love to cook, I really do. I love finding a new dish and cooking with new ingredients, I love introducing the girls to something they haven’t eaten before and I find the whole process quite conducive to ‘slow-living’ - it’s almost therapeutic. Saying that, I’m also terrible for cooking the same dishes on repeat, batch-cooking and filling the freezer when life gets busy (it’s survival, if anything), and as a family we really aren’t great at all sitting down to eat at the same time. Vivienne in particular does so many out-of-hours hobbies that it’s often a case of somehow getting tea into her and getting her back out the door and onto the next thing. I’m hoping that this challenge encourages us to find at least one night per week to sit down together and try something new.
I’m aiming for one new recipe that I have never cooked before every week, over the year I would like to cook food from different corners of the world, a mix of meat/veggie/vegan recipes, and a mixture of indulgent and healthy dishes.
Blogging
Pretty self-explanatory. I want to keep up with this blog a lot more, not sit on a dozen half-formed blog posts (my drafts folder is such a mess..) and I also hope that it’ll encourage me to keep on top of my photos of the girls and manage my personal photographs more. I’m definitely not bad at creating albums and printing photos.. but there are definitely areas I could improve in.
Health and Fitness
Yes, it’s another cliché, and yes, women are unfairly pressured to lose weight and conform to impossible standards and YES, the diet and health industries are mainly fuelled by making money and corrupted by pseudo-science.. but the fact is - I just want to lose a bit of weigh and become fitter again. I joined the gym for the first time about four years ago and after the first year I hit a manageable and sustainable weight that I was comfortable at, I was reasonably fit (which genuinely made day-to-day-life a lot easier), and I just want to get back to that point again. I turned 30 in October which involved a trip away and a few nights out, I went on an all-inclusive holiday for ten days at the end of the month, I didn’t remedy my over-indulgence in November and then December and festivities begun. And now, enough is enough. I don’t want to settle with this extra 7-9lbs and I want to regain the strength and stamina I had before I let everything slip. I’m not going to beat myself up about it, but it’s my goal to get back to that fitter and sustainable level. Which leads into..
Alcohol
I’ve decided to cut way back on any drinking for the first few months of this year and see how I get on. Firstly, it’s conducive to improving my health and fitness, and also losing weight. Secondly, I just feel like my boundaries with alcohol became blurred during my birthday and holiday months and then the sleigh-ride down into Christmas. Again, I just feel like I’ve had enough for now. I don’t really get the hate around Dry January (which isn’t necessarily what I’m doing), because I think for some people, like me, it’s about identifying some habits and deciding to take a step back. I’m not going to preach and get all sanctimonious about it, but this is what I’ve decided to do. Furthermore, I feel a bit maxed out socially at the moment anyway so a bit of hibernation and herbal tea sounds pretty good at this end anyway.
Sleep
A few days over Christmas I went to bed early and slept (crazy story, right?); but I didn’t just sleep.. I slept for 10-11 hours. And it felt amazing. I’m usually a “one more episode”/”let’s just stay out for one more” type of person and often don’t get the sleep I need (again, not conducive to particularly to healthy living), so I’ve decided to make it my resolution to sleep more and get to bed earlier until I feel that I’ve lifted out of this post-Christmas slump. I’ve been ill this week and have been going to bed early and waking up after 9-11 hours (not counting poorly Sylvie being up in the night too) but it’s done me the world of good. If wanting a lot more sleep in 2019 makes me dull (hello 30s) then so be it. I actually want this year to be a snooze-fest.
Reading
Another cliché, right? I love to read but I’m also terrible for convincing myself I don’t have time to - not necessarily true at all, I’m just terrible for being side-tracked on Instagram or Netflix instead.. I have started going to a local book club for which I need to read a book a month, and I would also like to read another book each month of my own choice too. I’m aiming to read at least 24 books by the end of the year. I’ve just finished Lady Chatterley’s Lover (a book club book) and have just started This Is Going To Hurt. Any recommendations welcome!
Are you making any resolutions or setting any goals this year?
I’d love to know what yours are too!