The Most Common New Year’s Resolutions

Christmas Day has come and gone. The turkey has been eaten, the advent calendars are empty, the fridge is bare and you’ve just finished taking down the decorations. The television schedule has returned to normal and all that’s left of the chocolates are the ones nobody wants to eat. At this point all that’s left is to look forward to the following year, the year of new beginnings where anything is possible.

Yes, it’s that time of year again where we promise to become better people, where we sit in the office and try to shake the January blues by comparing unrealistic New Year’s resolutions and perhaps buying some new gym gear that we know deep down may never actually see the inside of the gym.

Almost everybody sets themselves a New Year’s resolution, let’s face it, it’s pretty much tradition. It’s also tradition to never actually complete your New Year’s resolution, except for those smug few who do. There are always certain things that people choose as their resolutions and they always seem to be so hard to achieve, despite the hope and aspirations we have heading into January.

Let’s take a look at the most common New Year’s resolutions;

Exercise more

Possibly the most common and most vague sounding New Year’s resolution there could be. Exercise more could mean anything from doing a three mile run every day, to taking the stairs to your first floor office rather than the elevator. Of course there is nothing wrong with wanting to get fit and healthier and when better to decide to do that than the beginning of the year? It’s a shame it requires so much energy when you’re feeling so lethargic after the Christmas chocolates and sweets…

Lose weight

This is the resolution that almost everybody considers after indulging yourself in treats throughout the entirety of December. There’s nothing like the feeling after Christmas Dinner to force you to swear to yourself that as soon as January comes you’ll start on your new found health kick and drop a bit of weight. Unfortunately this seems to be the resolution that people find the hardest to stick to, but perhaps that’s because you still have two cold months of winter left before spring and nothing dissuades you from hitting the gym more than cold and windy weather.

Eat healthier

There seems to be a pattern emerging here, and it looks like Christmas makes everybody feel a bit fat and a bit unhealthy. Still, eating healthier is a great resolution to make, and if you do a lot of cooking yourself at home, achievable! You just need to stick religiously to the fruit and veg aisle at the supermarket and ignore the reduced Christmas section where there will be half price selection boxes and advent calendars (does it never end??).

Learn a new skill or hobby

Here’s a New Year’s resolution that actually sounds quite fun, and if its fun then it must be easier to stick to right? If you received any books as Christmas presents then reading can be a great way to relax instead of playing irritatingly addictive games on your phone in your free time. Or perhaps you’ve gone all out and enrolled onto a night course to learn a new skill or hobby – a sure fire way to stick to a resolution if you’ve already paid to do it!

Spend more time with family and friends

This is another fun and positive New Year’s resolution, and certainly one that many of us could make time for. Setting yourself a goal to spend more time with the people you love and care for is certainly a wonderful way to bring in the New Year!

Drink less alcohol

I imagine a fair few of us decide to cut back on the alcohol after December’s festivities. Christmas parties with work, and meeting up with family friends to eat, drink and be ‘merry’ can certainly feel as though it’s taken its toll so it’s not surprising that this is one of the most common resolutions.

Stop smoking

As New Year’s resolutions go, this is probably one of the tougher ones, but quitting smoking is one of the top resolutions that people want to achieve. Our most popular resolutions reflect us wanting to improve our fitness and health, and it would seem we are most confident we can do it at the beginning of a new year and a new chapter. If your New Year’s resolution is on this list and you’re struggling to stick to your goal – just remember, there are a whole lot of other people struggling along with you!