The 10 Most Broken New Year’s Resolutions

New Year's resolutions

NEW year, NEW decade and the rush of resolutions have a NEW urgency as we usher in the 2020s. The list of resolutions ditched by the first week of February also pile ever higher. Here’s a list of the top ten.

Get Fit

The average gym looks like a WrestleMania battleground on Jan 1st with the threat of a suplex never far away in the queues for resistance machines and cross trainers. We’re great at visualising that six-pack or tight tum under the Xmas blubber in the first week, but winter weather soon becomes a welcome reason to pitch up on the sofa with a remote control. 60% of January gym memberships gather dust without ever being used. Of the 40% that are started, most are ditched before the end of February. Don’t be a one-month gym warrior.

Photo credit – John Arano

Lose Weight

About a quarter of people include this in their list, making it the most popular resolution – but also the least kept to. A festive season of Christmas pudd and mince pies is not the ideal lead into a healthy new year because the Xmas high soon fades away. That all important period of reflection lost in the lunchtime Burger King queues and TV dinners.

Reduce Alcohol

Again, with the remnants of countless New Year’s Eve cocktails still swimming in your system, it’s a bad time to make a big decision to quit completely. A significant reduction in the first few months would prove more effective.

Wellness

Seven hours sleep everyday, yoga in the earliest hours of the morning and lunch time meditation breaks all sound like the ultimate stress busters if you have a hectic lifestyle. But once the 9-to-5 kicks in, it’s back to the surge in stress hormones and higher blood pressure. But change starts with a firm commitment and a decision to take your pressured life in your own hands

New Year's resolution, wellness

Photo credit – Erik Brolin

Family Relationships

Christmas is traditionally associated with family and those closest and dearest to us and that sentiment often rolls over into the new year. Yes, there will be guilty pangs over the children you rarely see because of work or the partner you took for granted in 2019 but the stats show we often continue as we were.

Stop Smoking

Stats show only 15% keep to this resolution after 6 months. The average smoker succeeds after six nicotine-free attempts. So set realistic targets and accept that there may be a relapse.

Manage Money

The Christmas spend may lead to minor panic attacks when the January household bills arrive. But this may well be the trigger that kickstarts a more thrifty, savings-conscious you.

New Job

There’s a surge in new job applications in the first month of the year, with recruiting firms already strategising around these cast-iron statistics. So that vital follow through is needed.

Expand Horizons

Whether within the mind or in geographic terms, the realisation that we are not stretching ourselves as much as possible brings a desire to push back against self-imposed restraints. Decades of conditioned behaviour are interrupted by the festive break and this period of reflection is ideal for outlining a year of new challenges. Foreign travel or learning something new becomes increasingly attractive…until we find out to play guitar like Slash or Hendrix takes more than just a downloaded song sheet and a 3 minute Youtube lesson.

New Year's resolution

Photo credit – Simon Migai

Charity Work/Volunteer

Christmas is when we tend to think more of others. Perhaps, this is tied to the religious roots of the celebration, which accentuates service to others. Also, during these winter months we become more aware of the homeless exposed to the elements. There are people in need 365 days a year and as much as winter coat donations are appreciated at this time, your commitment beyond will be appreciated a lot more.

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About the author /


Eddie Saint-Jean is a London writer and editor whose editorials cover arts, culture, entertainment, food/drink, local history and heritage.

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