11 Unique New Year Resolution Ideas

If you are looking for unique New Year’s resolutions, then there are a few ideas you need to actively avoid. The top 10 new year’s resolutions, in terms of popularity, include predictable favourites like “drink less alcohol”, and “stop smoking”.

 

The top spot honours the New Year’s cliché of signing up to the gym. In fact, according to a ComRes poll taken last year, 38% of respondents claimed that their New Year’s resolutions included “exercise more”, and 33%, “lose weight”.

The trouble with these popular New Year’s resolutions is that very few people actually stick to them.

They’re whispered on a New Year’s day, almost as ritual, and they’re forgotten about come February.

So, if you want an achievable New Year’s resolution, why not try one of these more unique and realistic resolutions?

 

1) Eat 2,000 calories a day

One of the big problems with resolutions like “lose weight” is that it is fantastically vague. The best New Year’s resolutions are those that are more specific, and which are therefore harder to ignore.

If you are the sort of person that needs rules to achieve something, set yourself a concrete target and make sure you stick to it. Don’t allow yourself “cheat days”, or exceptions. Make sure you do exactly what you say you will do, every day.

There are plenty of apps that can help you count calories or keep track of what you eat, so download and start counting!

2) Exercise for three hours every week

Again, being specific is the key. However, not everyone responds well to setting themselves as concrete a target as the one above.

Ideally, you should try to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, but in reality, life often gets in the way of a good exercise regime. Setting a weekly target allows you a little more flexibility. When making yourself a good New Year’s resolution, it’s important to allow yourself a little wriggle room.

3) Exercise for one hour a week

Ultimately, you want your New Year’s resolution to be realistic. Don’t set yourself a hard calorie specific target if you know that you’re likely to fail.

This isn’t a Disney movie. It’s better to achieve a little than dream big and achieve nothing. So if you know that three hours exercise a week would be a big step up from sitting on your behind 24/7, then start small.

The important thing is that you start from somewhere and that you’re starting a new habit to keep you healthy! It is also very important to cover you with a good health insurance. You can request a quote for health insurance on our website.

 

4) Limit yourself to two sweet treats a week

If you know your demons, challenge them. If eating puddings every day is your big weight loss vice, then set yourself an achievable target for ridding yourself of that particular habit.

If you are a massive sugar freak, then maybe make the resolution to stop adding sugar to tea. If you can’t get home at night without reaching for a post-work beer, then consider an alcohol free week. You get the picture.

 

5) Join the local football team

A good substitute for “join the gym”, finding a sports group that interests you is a great way to get into exercise. There’s nothing like peer pressure to help you stick with something, and it is always easier to be enthusiastic about something you genuinely enjoy.

 

6) Meditate once a week

Aside from fitness related goals, the other big-ticket item on the New Year Resolution list is “get better at self-improvement”. Again, this is a ridiculously vague goal to set yourself. Pick something. Whether you’d be interested in picking up a new hobby, or in getting yourself a little more mindful, follow the practice of identifying something specific and setting yourself a weekly target.

7) Learn something new each day

An easy daily target makes another good New Year’s resolution. It takes about one hundred days to form a habit, and once it’s formed it’s hard to break.

So try to learn something new every day, no matter how small, or write one poem a day, no matter how short.

 

8) Complete a bucket list for 2018

Another unique way to approach your New Year’s resolution is to draw up a list of one time goals. Think of everything you want to achieve in 2018 and try to make it happen. Setting up dates for specific targets can also help you achieve these goals.

 

9) Start keeping a journal

If you are concerned with self-improvement, then keeping a journal is an all-round good way to go about making yourself into a better person.

For a start, keeping a journal means that you’re setting aside a period of reflection, in which you can think about how to improve your daily routine. It also provides a record, for you to go back to and keep a track of your improvement.

  

10) Subject yourself to a daily blackout

This is a unique New Year’s resolution for the digital age. Increasingly, phones and laptops are getting in the way of our self-improvement time by providing an all too convincing distraction. Try limiting your screen time by subjecting yourself to a daily blackout.

Put away phones at mealtimes, or turn your phone off for an hour each day.

 

11) Set monthly resolutions

This is a unique approach to New Year resolutions. Instead of making one big resolution at the start of the year, make twelve smaller resolutions throughout the course of the year.

This strategy allows you to adjust your goals to your needs at the time. Having twelve manageable goals provides you with more achievable resolutions and plenty of chance for success.

 

Poll referenced:

 

http://www.comresglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/BUPA_NY-Resolution_Public-Polling_Nov-15_UPDATED-TABLES.pdf