Human Nature: keeping your New Year’s resolutions

The concept of “new year, new you” is often overused in January. But how many people set realistic goals for the year? And are they regularly reviewed or even achieved? We’re just two weeks into 2019, are your good intentions are already starting to wane?

Life has a habit of getting in the way when we’re trying to make a positive change. Going to the gym, preparing a healthy meal or even reading a good book can get sidelined when we’re short on time or energy. That’s why it’s so important to set aside time to work on your goals and resolutions. We’ve come up with a few tips to help make your well indented aims a reality:

Don’t give yourself an excuse to bend the rules by setting generic goals.  If you want to be more active, set a specific goal to keep you on track.  Saying you’ll ‘take a brisk daily walk for half an hour’ is better than saying ‘go for more walks’.  Hold yourself to your own promises and be clear about what you want to achieve.

Many of us jump into our resolutions with unrealistic expectations of what we can achieve in a short space of time. Whether you’re wanting to lose weight, learn a new skill or save up for a long awaited holiday, you need to set an achievable deadline – these things can’t be rushed.

Look back at your journey and learn from it. If you’ve done well, reward yourself. If you could do better, think about the times you’ve struggled and consider how you can avoid those difficulties in the future. Bullet journals are currently very popular way of planning and recording or, depending on your goals, there is a range on ‘apps’ to help you track different activities (we love a bit of Strava).

1. Get outdoors – we all know that time spent in the sunshine and fresh air makes us feel more energetic and positive. Sunshine and daylight may be hard to come by at this time of year but why not set some small goals like getting away from your desk and taking a daily 15 minute walk at lunchtime? Try a new outdoor activity or make more time for an outdoor hobby.

2. Get active – there’s nothing like getting the blood pumping and the dopamine following to improve your wellbeing. Getting active can range from anything like walking a certain number of steps each day to completing an ultra-marathon or ironman challenge (see above about being realistic!). Check out MY/PT, our onsite fitness experts, who can help you every step of the way towards achieving your fitness goals (they’re offering half-price membership for January).

3. Work for your treats and earn yourself your favourite snacks. Nobody likes to go cold turkey, so instead of focusing on ditching the cookies, work out how many laps of the cycle track you’ll need to complete to earn those bourbon biscuits or G&T.

4. Volunteer within your local community to meet like-minded people and invest your time in something you care about. We have a great community of volunteers at Betteshanger who regularly help around the Park with anything from estates to heritage. Find out more and join the team.

5. Keep your countryside clean and take your rubbish with you. We know this goes without saying, but it’s important to adopt good habits, particularly those that have a positive impact on the environment. Aim to use less plastic, be mindful of what you’re buying and dispose of your picnic leftovers in the right place.

If you visit the Park on a regular basis, our annual membership offers fantastic value for money, working out at just 11p per day. Make the most of our Park perks with free parking, 20% off cycle hire and more.

Sign up today.

To prove that we also practice what we preach, we’ve put some of our team members on the spot and asked them to share their 2019 goals. We’ll be checking back in with them later in the year to see if they are on track:

Lynnette (Head of Comms):

My goals for the year focus on running – to run 500 miles, to achieve a PB of under 30 mins for a 5km and to complete a half marathon. 

Dean (Estates):

I want to commit to more charity work this year. I would also like to participate in the British Heart Foundation London to Brighton bike ride this June.

Laura (Events Assistant):

This year I want to read a new book each month and have more ‘me time’ each Sunday afternoon where I can relax in the bath and unwind, ready for the next week.

Lucy (Activities Team Member):

I’m going to continue my skydiving this year, but I also want to do a sponsored walk along Hadrian’s Wall with my dog.

Emily (Digital Marketing Apprentice):

My goals for this year include dedicating one evening a week to my film projects and doing 45 minutes, 3 days a week on my exercise bike.