6 tips to tackle your New Year’s resolutions head on

1/ Getting enough sleep – research says that 8 hours a night is ideal, but this isn’t always easy depending on work, families and other commitments. What is important then is to average a similar amount each night and ensure your sleep pattern is good. What to do to help this?

Why not download a sleep tracking app so you can check out your sleeping patterns, set yourself goals and monitor your lights and deep sleep! I have a Jawbone Up Wristband which tracks it during the night and helps with tips on how to get a better nights sleep. This also tracks steps, activities and you can add your food intake. You can get a basic one of these for around £50 on amazon if you fancy trying it. Alternatively, pop your phone under your pillow with a sleep an on, here’s a review of the best sleep tracking apps to try, for a track a great night of zzzzzz….

2/ Taking your own lunch to work – not only does this mean you can be healthier, it’s also a great way to save money. However it’s really hard to be motivated every morning or evening to make a meal for lunch, especially when like myself you don’t have access to a fridge at work, or many microwaves to heat things up. What you need is inspiration!

Why not get your yourself a snazzy lunchbox or try some recipes from a lunchbox inspiration cookbook like the one below. Check out this list of 12 ingenious lunch boxes or those below online.

Snack Boxes, £8 Paperchase

Happy Jackson My Lunch Box, £6ish online & in gift stores

Book, £11.20 Amazon or book stores

3/ Exercising – ahhh the classic resolution which means the gym is busy in January whilst people try maintain this, and then things start to slowly resume to hopes and unfulfilled promises. We’ve all been there, but how can you maintain the exercise motivation?!

Try classes at your gym; if they’re available then sign up. You’ll feel much worse cancelling a class than just not turning up so use these to get you down there.

Write it in your diary and plan your week; get your exercise plans written on your phone or diary. It’s not ideal crossing out or deleting these entries because you didn’t go, and you’ll feel much better when you’ve been.

I will add some classes once I get back to London…

  

4/ Drinking more water – this is something I really need to do, and I do plan to take my advice here… as per my earlier lunchbox suggestion (you’re going to be investing in fancy food containers again) get a litre re-usable bottle that you can have with you, store at work or use at the gym. Some have places to pop fruit in to infuse some flavour and some are just really cool… for a water bottle anyway…

5/ Drink less coffee – the thing with coffee is that there’s always conflicting articles and research that say it’s good and say it’s bad. One coffee a day can’t possibly harm, so try and have one in the morning so that the caffeine isn’t still in your system by the time you go to bed. Then when you’re really craving that afternoon pick me up, try herbal teas (I really like peppermint at the moment) or perhaps get yourself a cute tea infuser to make tea at three more appealing!

 

6/ Cook more – I’m no master chef, but there are so many easy recipes out there in books and on the internet. Nigella has just released a new book to accompany her TV series on simple recipes, and there’s Jamie Oliver’s books which you can’t really go wrong with! Of course you’d want Delia for the basics first… or your mum.