The 2016 Resolution Guide: How To Get What You Really Want || Guest Post

Ever notice how advertising content changes drastically after the New Year? I’ve been watching a lot of TV in the past few weeks, mainly because it’s how I like to spend a lazy January after a hectic December period, so I’ve plenty of time to realise just how glaring the difference is. Pre-New Year, every advert was gluttonous and encouraged us to eat and drink and be merry, all without consequence it seemed (never a good assumption). But January advertising represents the cold realisation of just how indulgent we’ve been; an onslaught of fitness and health-based products touting how easy it is to be the person you know you want to be.

At this point, I never wanted to see another advert ever again. Let me be clear, it’s not the targeted advertising I have a problem with, because now is of course the best time to shill healthy products and services. What really got to me was the empty and hollow language that promised eternal vitality to anyone who would fork over an extortionate fee.

In order to validate our promises to be healthier or happier in 2016, we’ll often pay up, but ultimately we were lacking one of the most important factors of resolution success; self-belief. Whilst I acknowledge it’s almost impossible to meet your resolutions without some form of investment, it’s important to invest in the right things. Why spend money on a dieting app when all the information you need is available for free across the internet. More importantly, if you find yourself on the breadline as many do, it can be discouraging, which is why this 2016 resolution guide will help you invest wisely and cut out the fluff. Let’s review!

Travelling

Travel enriches the mind and opens our world view beyond our narrow perception, making it an excellent resolution to follow through on. It’s a big commitment, hence why there are often many roadblocks both physical and mental which can get in our way. Travelling can be expensive, hence why saving up for the trip of a lifetime is always recommended, but it can also helpful for gaining further experience in a job, which makes it much easier to get back into a similar role upon your return.

There are also plenty of cost effective options for travelling, ensuring you can both see the sights and earn your keep. For example, most opportunities to be an au pair in America or Europe offer room and board as standard, but also plenty of free time to see the sights and do some travelling without having to worry about eating and finding accommodation.

Try and get as many people involved as possible with a potential trip. The more people you have, the cheaper it will be, and chances are you’ll be appealing to someone’s adventurous side asking them so soon after New Year.

Getting Fit

Getting fit and healthy is a popular resolution, and for very good reason. Improving your health is scientifically proven to make you happier, help you live longer, look better and feel better. There are two major mistakes people make when aiming to fulfil their fitness resolutions. The first is they burn themselves out far too early in their eagerness and end up packing it in. The second biggest mistake is paying out for personal training, specialist equipment, gym memberships, home gym equipment and other non-essential items, and all without a clue of what their fitness goals are or what they’re trying to achieve.

Before you spend any money, do your research and find something which suits your goals. Many people end up going around in the circles because they somehow failed to look up the basics of making output greater than intake, combining cardio and resistance training effectively, and how to use the myriad of scary looking machines in your gym properly. The essential informational faucets of the internet, such as YouTube and Google, offer a wealth of truly useful tutorials and guides which can save you whole heap of effort, bringing you closer to your goals much quicker.

There’s plenty of ways to burn that unwanted fat and get the coolant pumping, just as long as you stick with one of them. Running can be done for free and is a great mood lifter, however pumping the pavement regularly can be bad for your joints over a long period of time. Cycling is also a great way of exercising, and if you’re not at a suitable fitness level to cycle long distances yet, an electric bicycle can give you the support you need until you’re confident enough to ride without it.

Dressing Better

The desire to dress better could be born of many resolutions. Perhaps you’re looking to be a bit more confident in 2016, or freshen up the same t-shirt and jeans combo that you’ve wearing non-stop for the past 9 years. Unlike fitness, I personally believe that looking up information online makes the whole process more confusing, as everyone’s tastes are different and it’s rarely agreed upon what makes a good outfit. Instead, you should seek inspiration from visual sources, including photographs and forms of media and culture you enjoy. Try to follow something that appeals to you on a visual 

level.

If you feel like being a trendsetter, 2015 introduced plenty of fashionable pursuits which need to be explored further. Picking up these threads could be a good way of opening you up to further fashionable pursuits. The revival of the watch was something I particular enjoyed in 2015 and after a few years of being stuck with the perception of an antique, trendsetters are once again using traditional watches as a symbol of status and fashionable credentials. Something else that makes the watch appealing is the clear divide in gendered models, which I normally don’t approve of, but in the case of the watch it makes it an excellent accessory to add a masculine or feminine flair to an existing look. This also includes watch accessories such as winders, smartwatch add-ons, and watch boxes for men and women.

Ultimately, dressing better will improve your confidence immensely, and newfound confidence will put you on a practical path to achieving any other resolutions you may have.

Quitting Smoking

Contrary to popular belief, going cold turkey is the least effective way of quitting smoking. Like any drug, cutting off the source straight away will cause undue mental and physical pressure, and will most likely result in a relapse.

There are a range of products which help with the weaning process, and none have been more popular over the past couple of years as e-cigarettes. A traditional e-cig burns liquids to create a vapour (hence the term vaping) which is inhaled and exhaled as you would a cigarette. These products recreate the feeling of smoking without actually inhaling any of the nasty chemicals 

typically found in cigarettes.

Most important is willpower, and you’re going to need it to resist the temptation to smoke again. The most common point in which people fail is when they’ve had a drink and decide ‘1 cigarette isn’t going to make a difference’. Before you know it, you chuffing superking’s like there’s no tomorrow. Apply discipline and stick to your goals no matter what situation you’re in. A friend of mine also had a drastic measure to quit smoking; she scooped out an ashtray and put the contents in her mouth. Now, whenever she goes near a cigarette, she feels extremely sick. Problem solved!

What are your resolutions?

*This post was written as a guest post for my blog.