Barbie brings in the new year

Here is something I wrote for Clydelife about sticking to new Year resolutions. It's a bit cheesy but that is the nature of the beast.

In the aftermath of the Great British Christmas binge we very often make rash new year resolutions as we gasp in horror in front of the mirror at our expanding waistlines. 

“Right, I’m giving up the bevvy, I will never drink again”

“That’s it, no more crisps for me. Ever!” 

“Total detox!”

But once the dust settles on our initial shock, slowly but surely (usually before the end of January...) the old habits start to creep back in.

“It’s Friday night, I’ll just have the one glass of wine”

“It’s Saturday night, I may as well finish that bottle I opened last night. It would be a bigger sin to waste it.”

Half an hour later there we are, rummaging through the cupboards throwing apples, bananas, mung beans and museli out of the way in the desperate search for an overlooked bag of kettle chips.

Okay maybe I have exaggerated  the situation but does this sound even a wee bit familiar? If the answer is yes, then why do we find it so blooming hard to stick to health and fitness resolutions?

Easy. Most resolutions we make are too far removed from our comfort zones. I will repeat that again louder. MOST RESOLUTIONS WE MAKE ARE TOO FAR REMOVED FROM OUR COMFORT ZONES.

Everybody has a level of comfort that needs to be maintained in order to preserve the status quo and feel safe. If you are a habitual couch potato it’s highly unlikely you will stick to an exercise regimen for any length of time and if you love your wine of an evening you have little chance of becoming clean and serene overnight.

In order to be truly successful and create the change we want we need to expand our comfort zones. The good news is that this is possible and doing it can be relatively painless if you have a plan and are prepared.

Use the replacement theory. Each month take one bad habit and replace it with one good habit.  For example;

 “As soon as I get in from work I pour myself a large glass of wine.”

 Why not pour yourself a large glass of water or juice instead. Changing this one behaviour is giving you two benefits. Your liver (god love it) instead of having to work to metabolize the alcohol is being treated to a hydrating flush of health giving H20 or juice.

“Every night I slump in front of the telly after dinner”

You don’t have to join a gym, simply put on your coat and go out for a twenty minute fast walk or if the weather is too hideous you could consider investing in a rebounder ( a mini trampoline) and having a twenty minute bounce. It’s only twenty minutes out your day and those minutes will strengthen your heart and lungs and raise your metabolism.

It is the little things that make the biggest differences. If every month of this year you made a resolution to take one bad habit and replace it with one good one that would be twenty four positive changes. Those twenty four small changes would equal one massive difference. Imagine how fit the person looking back at you from the mirror in January 2013 would be. 

I reigned it in and feel much better thanks