Don’t Give up on Your New Year’s Resolutions

The title of this blog post says it all really. How many of us have already turned our backs on our water tight New Years resolutions, of course we were all going to 100% do them this year...right?! Well statistics suggest that around 30% of us will make some form of healthy eating, fitness type New Year's resolution and out of that number around 50% will admit to have failed at them. Well this year, the only resolution I made was to stay fit and healthy and I wanted to get back to my peak fitness of 2015 because 2016 was a year full of pints, pizza, burgers and that had to change. 

It is imperative in order to hit these new year's goals you'll need to stay focused and motivated. That could come in many different ways and is totally personal to yourself and your own lifestyle. However for me, I have made a few small but important changes to my daily routine which ensures that I do NOT give up on my fitness goals and become just another statistic.

Firstly it's the old adage 'look good, feel good' and I wholeheartedly agree with that statement. So recently I have upgraded my gym & fitness wardrobe with some athleisure gear from Debenhams. Fashion and fitness are totally linked. You are more likely to go out if you have just brought a new shirt and need to road-test it in your local bar. The same applies for what you wear to the gym. If you buy some new athleisure clothing, you'll look great and you'll just have to show it off at the gym, otherwise it will be a waste of money and there is your motivation or incentive. 

I personally shop at Debenhams for my athleisure because they have such an extensive range for men and women. It makes it so much easier shopping online at Debenhams because they have all my favourite athleisure brands such as Under Armour, redherring, Gola and Regatta to name a few, all under the Debenhams online store and with only one delivery I have everything I need, including gym accessories and tech (which I'll get on to shortly).

Another thing that I'm improving on this year is to drink the recommended daily intake of water. Did you know that our body is made up of two thirds water, so it is really important to stay hydrated. Drinking the correct amount of water everyday will make you feel more alert, have less headaches and of course help combat dry dehydrated skin and I have personally seen a small difference with my dark circles around my eyes becoming a little lighter. A MAJOR factor in drinking enough water was this Joseph Joseph water bottle, which counts your water intake with a simple counting mechanism in it's cap. It may seem simple, but it is so easy to lose track on how much you have drunk, a glass here and there may not be enough.

As a tech and statistical addict, I need to know exactly how hard I'm pushing my body - so I can tailor my workouts based on these stats. Like I said before Debenhams have it all and I managed to get a new FitBit Blaze with my athleisure gear and water bottle. There are a few main attributes of the FitBit that I absolutely love. Firstly the design and the lightness of the watch is perfect, it is completely comfortable when exercising either in the gym, doing outdoor fitness or playing sports and for only £160 it is great value for money. Measuring the number of steps you make everyday is quite motivating because after using the watch for a week, I have wanted to beat yesterdays number of steps, so it keeps you active even when in the office or at home. When working out, I love to track my heart rate to see how hard I'm working then analyse the stats post workout to see if I could have worked harder for longer, increasing my fitness results. Finally I sleep with the FitBit on because it will remind you when to go to bed, based on when you want to wake up and your sleep needs. The FitBit will vibrate softly waking you up at the most optimal time based on your alarm and record the sleep statistics in the FitBit app.

Finally it may seem simple but I make sure I pack my gym bag every night ready to wake up and go. No faffing, no procrastination...just a get it done attitude!

It would be great to hear your motivation techniques and share them with me. Let's make sure we hit our new year's resolutions together and motivate each other.

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Photography by Rebecca Spencer