Life-changing New Year resolutions for women

It is that time of the year when we have to take stock of our lives to see what we did right in the last year so that we can consolidate on our achievements, likewise what we did wrong so that we can we correct the wrongs and also prevent a reoccurrence of last year’s mistakes, this is the major reason people make New Year Resolutions.

FULL TEXT: New Year Message from President Muhammadu Buhari

New Year resolutions can be daunting for some people – it might seem like too much change too soon for some, while for others, they may feel discouraged because of their inability to fulfill last year’s resolution. But the truth is, if you want to make some changes in your life, it is never too late. The best way to achieve your New Year resolutions is to focus on actionable, practical goals and start small. Small habits yield big results on the long run.

Here are a few ideas on how you can make your New Year happier, healthier and more prosperous:

 

Create an exercise plan

Many older women want to do more to enjoy physical wellness, not only for the purpose of prolonging their most active years as they get older, but also for the immediate enjoyment of exerting themselves and feeling a sense of physical fulfillment. A smart New Year’s resolution idea is to ask yourself, “What do I want to accomplish with my physical health in the New Year?”You can start by trying a new sport for the first time, or registering in the nearest gym. Whether you want to join a fitness club, hire a personal trainer, or just go for a walk in the neighborhood each day, the New Year is an ideal occasion to set goals and begin tracking your progress.

 

Do Something Active Every Day

Even if you don’t want to train to become a world-class athlete, every woman can benefit from regular physical activity. You can start very small if you like – for example, set a goal of exercising or walking or swimming for 10 minutes each day in January, and add 1 minute of exercise time per day. By the end of the month, you’ll be up to 40 minutes per day of regular physical activity.

 

Make Health and Fitness Into Social Events

Eating healthier and getting more exercise does not have to be a monastic. Just because you want to eat better and exercise more in the New Year doesn’t mean you have to abandon your friends. But instead of meeting your friends for restaurant dinners or sedentary sessions of coffee and conversation, start meeting your friends for walks in the park, or for cooking healthy dinners together at home.

Modern society often equates “socialising” with “sitting, drinking and eating high-calorie foods” – but it doesn’t have to be this way. You might find that your friends are interested to share your New Year’s resolutions for healthier living and you can all help do the dishes.

 

Build a Financial Plan

Whether you want to make your retirement savings last longer or earn some extra money on the side, the New Year is an ideal occasion to reflect on what kind of financial life you want to have. Track your spending for a month and figure out where your money is going. Are you spending too much on dinners out, impulse purchases, or frivolous things? There’s a saying: “Self-discipline means giving up what you want NOW for what you want MOST.”

What do you most want to do with your money in the New Year? Do you want to travel more? Give more gifts to your grandchildren? Donate to a favourite charitable organisation? Do you want to save more money for the future, or even start a “side hustle” to make extra money in your spare time? Now is the time to create a detailed plan for what you want to do with your money in the year ahead.

Be more productive

Do you ever feel like time just flies by, often without enough to show for it? Whether you’re still working at a career or easing into life in retirement, we all have personal projects and goals that we want to accomplish. How can we do more of the work we value most in the New Year?

Here is a productivity idea from famous American comedian Jerry Seinfeld: it’s called “Don’t Break the Chain.” The concept is simple: whatever goal you’re working towards, commit to spending some fixed amount of time each day on working toward that goal – even if it’s only 15 minutes per day. Each day you work on the goal, you can mark an X on the calendar for that day. Before long, you will have a long “chain” of X’s marked on the calendar, showing the proof of your hard work and discipline. Once you have momentum going, you won’t want to “Break the Chain” and undo the sequence of X’s that you’ve created.

Try it and see – sometimes having visual proof of our hard work is very satisfying and keeps us working harder than we would have done on our own.