Tips for achieving New Year resolutions
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Dry January, Veganuary and resolutions: What you need to know
It's about giving something up or changing something
Dry January is about not drinking alcohol, while people taking part in Veganuary stop using or eating any animal products for January - like trial runs of a different lifestyle. Resolutions, on the other hand, are supposed to last longer - and are usually focused on self-improvement like exercising more, saving money or putting your phone down more.
It can be good for your health... and your pocket
Dry January's organisers say a month without booze can boost your sleep, give you more energy and help your mental health. Veganuary's organisers argue a plant-based diet is good for your health, reduces animal suffering and helps the environment. And with inflation pushing up prices of meat and alcohol, there's a chance both could save you some money.
But quitting ain't easy
Very few people manage to avoid meat completely or stay totally "dry" when taking on the January challenges. A small survey by opinion poll company YouGov found only a third of the people it asked managed to stick to their New Year's resolution completely.
There are ways to set yourself up for success
Experts suggest people look out for "triggers" - situations like stress that might push you into indulging in food or drink or abandoning that after-work jog. Other common tips include making a plan, tracking your progress and finding a community or "buddy" to support you as you go.
Or you could just not bother
Making big, sudden changes to your lifestyle can be hard, so some recommend smaller more achievable changes - using the stairs instead of a lift is a classic example. And if you're starting a new exercise plan it's important to start slowly so you don't overdo it. Dry January, meanwhile, can cause dangerous withdrawal problems for people physically dependent on alcohol.
Remember that you're only human
Don't beat yourself up if you slip up. Even with all the focus on January, the hope is to inspire long-term change. So while you might not quit beer forever or be running marathons by February, you should pat yourself on the back for making any change for the better.
Listen to 6 minute English on New Year resolutions:https://t.co/NGfcQlqeEG
— English in Madrid (@madteacher72) January 2, 2016
and have a go at this crossword:https://t.co/emnKUcy0Ri
What I learned from doing Dry January https://t.co/qcuNYr8mUj
— English in Madrid (@madteacher72) January 5, 2019
My dry month starts tomorrow. I've done dry months before but I haven't done one in ages. I wonder if I'll succeed this time.
How to keep your New Year's resolutions, according to the experts https://t.co/0k2xoYyayM
— English in Madrid (@madteacher72) January 10, 2019
Listen to Six Minute English about quitting booze:https://t.co/4iMbUVJrFv
— English in Madrid (@madteacher72) January 17, 2020
Note down any new words and expressions.
Comments
If I tell you the truth, I don´t want to change. I want to remain like I´m now, always the same. ¡Great routine! But I know that they are going to modify me and I assume it. At the moment, I pat myself on the back.
According to my experience, people usually don´t achieve New Year resolutions, only one month approximately, the first of the year, for going back making the same resolutions at the beginning of the next year. When you want to fulfil anything, seriously, it´s not necessary to wait the arrival of the New Year, for instance, is you have troubles of health, I don´t hesitate that you will take measures immediately.
Drinking or not drinking is the least of your worries, what is important is to coexist and to be happy but for that you need good health. It´s possible to change your lifestyle, it ain´t so hard, in my opinion and when people have difficulties to achieve it, they can use different ways to get it.
I don´t understand what has to do resolutions, drink or meat, with inflation.
See you.
I have achieved my first whole week of 2023 without a drop of alcohol. I used the treadmill three times in the last week. I have cut down on my dairy intake. Let's see if I am able to continue the new lifestyle for a second week.
If I tell you the truth, I don´t want to change. I want to remain just as I am now, always the same. Great routine! But I know that they'll attempt to modify me; I have accepted that. For now I'll pat myself on the back.
In my experience, people don´t usually achieve New Year resolutions. They might be able to keep to them for roughly one month at most; only to make the same resolutions at the beginning of the following year. When you seriously want to fulfil something, it´s not necessary to wait for/until the arrival of the New Year. For instance, if you have health troubles, you should not hesitate to take immediate steps.
Drinking or not drinking is the least of your worries, what is important is to coexist and be happy but for that you need good health. It´s possible to change your lifestyle, it ain´t so hard (where did you pick that up from?), in my opinion and when people have difficulties in achieving something, there are usually several ways to get there.
I don´t understand what drink or meat-related resolutions have to do with inflation. (The cost of alcohol and meat has risen steeply which may help you achieve a resolution)
I've never heard about "Dry January" or "Veganuary", those are new concepts for me.
I acknowlege that I've proposed to miself many new year's resolutions... which/and some of them were unachieable and due to this I sliped up on achieving them.
I reckon the risk of this trend is to put too many resolutions at the same time and pretend to accomplish all of them. Once I heard that for making great self improvements it's more effective to settle one habit every month.
Also I think that the idea of the new year's resolutions is wrong; I don't see the point of stoping doing something for just one month. I believe more in the idea of settle habits rather than goals. This might be more exausting, yet it'll be much better for the health in long terms.
In this line, it comes to my mind a TV show called "21 days with Samanta", which was about a journalist spending 21 days doing some certain activity, such as being on drugs or changing diet for 21 days, to understand some people's behaviour. This program argued that a person needs to be doing an activity for 21 days to acquite an habit. Of course this program nowadays would be banned jajaja but it was so interesting!
The extra hour means I can get round to correcting your blog comments. It's great to see you trying out new expressions.
I disagree with you about monthly challenges like Dry January and Veganuary. It encourages people to try out healthier lifestyles - the idea is that in that month they feel the benefits as well as finding out that the transition is not as tough as they might have imagined. I wonder how many people carry on with their new routines longer than the month.
It has just occurred to me - November might be the perfect month for me to give veganism a go. Turning vegetarian was a doddle but I reckon the next step will be anything but easy. Let's see.
I've never heard of "Dry January" or "Veganuary", those are new concepts for me. (hear of sth = sth doesn't ring a bell)
I acknowledge that I've proposed to myself many new year's resolutions... some of which were unachievable and which will be why I slipped up trying to achieve them.
I reckon the risk of this trend is to have too many resolutions at the same time and expect to accomplish all of them. (pretend = fingir, expect = pretender) Once I heard that (in order) to make great self improvements, it's more effective to establish one habit every month. (to do sth (not for doing sth!) = para hacer algo) (establish a routine, settle (resolve) an argument)
What's more I think that the idea of the new year's resolutions is wrong; I don't see the point of stopping doing something for just one month. I believe more in the idea of establishing habits rather than having goals. This might be more exhausting, yet it'll be much better for your health in the long run.
It comes to my mind a TV show called "21 days with Samanta", which was about a journalist spending 21 days doing some certain activity, such as being on drugs or changing his diet for 21 days, to understand some people's behaviour. This programme argued that a person needs to be doing an activity for 21 days to acquire a habit. Of course this programme would be banned nowadays jajaja but it was so interesting!