PETALING JAYA: It’s the first day of 2021. First of all, congratulations. You deserve a pat on the back for making it out alive in 2020.
But you stare at your weighing scale and let out a loud sigh. Weren’t you supposed to drop that 10kg last year and whatever happened to that expensive gym pass?
Year after year, it’s a never-ending cycle where your resolutions don’t make it past February and your yoga pants are left tucked away in the corners of the wardrobe.
The problem? They aren’t realistic New Year’s resolutions.
So instead of swearing off sugar, dairy and carbohydrates, try setting your sights on these seven New Year’s resolutions that you can actually keep.
1. Learn a new yoga pose
No, you don’t have to become a yogi by the end of the year. Instead of pushing your body to its absolute maximum, your New Year’s resolution can be simply to learn a new yoga pose.
It doesn’t necessarily need to be a tough, back-breaking pose either. Maybe the cow face pose or the cobra pose to start things off.
Plus, it will give your self-esteem a good boost when you find your flexibility increasing week by week.
2. Cook dinner once a week
Maybe last year’s New Year’s resolution was to dutifully bring packed lunches to work every day and unfortunately, that didn’t pan out, no thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Why not start off with a dish once a week, perhaps on Friday nights after a hard week at work?
Of course, you don’t have to go all Julia Child and start with a difficult dish which can be quite demotivating if it doesn’t come out tasting good.
Start small with a simple recipe requiring minimal ingredients. The added bonus is that cooking in your own kitchen, you can control every ingredient that goes into your meals and your body.
Who knows, you might even find yourself retreating to the kitchen more after this to seek the solace of roasting a chicken.
3. Commit to learning a new language
In this day and age, learning a new language is definitely a handy tool whether you’re using it for travels or simply to impress your superior during a job interview.
Sure, the Covid-19 pandemic has made the chance to travel quite bleak, but do you know that there has been evidence that learning a new language can stretch your brain and even develop new neural pathways.
A study performed by York University of Toronto found that learning a new language has a very powerful impact on the brain and it can lead to delaying dementia.
Who knows, that ‘Bonjour, Monsieur’ might just come in handy one day when the travel bans are lifted.
4. Have your annual medical check-up
Before resolving to abstain from smoking and alcohol, why not start off 2021 with a medical check-up?
Not only does obtaining a routine health check each year serve as a preventative and early warning mechanism against illnesses, they also enable you to meet with your doctor to evaluate your current state of health and lifestyle habits.
5. Practise meatless Mondays
You’ve said it before, “I’ll stop eating meat to save the animals” and within the second week of January, you find yourself chomping down a juicy steak.
Restaurants in Malaysia have been dishing up some really delicious-looking vegan delights, so why not give it a try in 2021?
6. Read a book every month
How many books did you read in 2020? If you’ve answered more than six, congratulations.
With social media as a constant distraction, when was the last time you picked up a book, sat on a comfortable chair and fell into a world concocted by imagination?
Give it a try, a book a month.
It doesn’t have to be a thousand-page novel. Start off with something you’re passionate about such as Harry Potter.
Plus, there are innate benefits to reap. Reading fiction has been shown to increase empathy, strengthen your memory, and improve overall cognitive function.
7. Keep a plant alive
Okay so you might have killed a couple of plants in 2020, but don’t let your mishaps keep you down.
Some plants need just the right amount of water to thrive, and some hardly need attention at all so start off with those species of plants such as chillies.
These little red devils require very little maintenance. The next time you find yourself cutting up some chilli, don’t throw the seeds away.
Instead, gather them into a pot with soil, water them once a day and remember to add fertilisers.
2020 was undoubtedly a tough year for all, so why not kickstart 2021 with these easy, light-hearted resolutions?
After all, it’ll definitely put you in a good mood when your roast chicken is a hit at the next family dinner.
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