A new year, a new you

Three New Year's resolutions you can actually stick to

SLOUGH, ENGLAND:

Now that the smoke has cleared from the fireworks last night, 2025 has officially dawned upon us. In other words, it is time for us to make a set of well-intentioned New Year's resolutions that will dissolve as soon as February rears its head. If you want to be more healthy, more organised, or just want an upgraded version of yourself, here are some manageable baby-step resolutions that are capable of stretching well past February.

Walk 30 minutes a day

If you are kicking yourself for not appreciating your svelte body from ten years ago, know that a daily walk is a much more achievable goal than committing to a gym membership. A gung-ho fitness routine looks excellent on paper until you feel the burn of lactic acid build-up after a particularly grim spinning session. Give up on the gym by all means, but do not let your fitness journey die. Clock in your steps and take a brisk 30-minute walk, even if it is just on your rooftop or on your lawn. Listen to a podcast or a playlist to make it less boring, but work that walk into your routine the same way you would brushing your teeth. By the end of the year, you will have racked up 182.5 hours worth of brisk walking, which is much more substantial than your current average of zero. If 30 minutes is too taxing, stick to a daily seven-minute YouTube workout. Your body works tirelessly for you extracting nutrition from meaningless takeaways. You can gift it seven minutes in return.

Eat a salad for lunch

A salad does not have to be an unfulfilling plate of sliced-up cucumbers twinned with a leftover chopped-up tomato. Nor does it have to be drowning in dressing in order to be an enticing meal. A rainbow salad comprising lots of lovely leafy greens and colourful vegetables, along with protein in the form of kidney beans, chickpeas, chicken, salmon, tuna or boiled egg stands up beautifully on its own. Chop up some spinach, lettuce, cucumber, colourful peppers (both red and yellow), tomatoes, carrots, and cooked beetroot. Add a handful of protein of your choice. Drizzle lightly in olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, and honey. Add a pinch of garlic powder and dried oregano or basil for a different kick. The crunch of the vegetables coupled with the tanginess makes this a lunch worthy of your time. Speaking of time, it takes less than 15 minutes to make (if you already have leftover chicken and cooked beetroot) and comes with the added satisfaction of minimal mess and the knowledge that you did something good for yourself today.

Get dressed first thing

When you look good, you feel good. And when you feel good, you are set up for the rest of the day. This is a given when you work outside the home, but if you work online at home, do not roll out of bed five seconds before you are meant to log on. Shower first thing in the morning and get dressed. If you are a man who works from home, shave and don't wear the same T-shirt you had on yesterday. If you are a woman (who either works from home or does thankless home-oriented tasks at home without receiving recognition) put on some nice earrings and a dash of makeup. Even your most irritating colleagues online (or housemates) become tolerable when you do not look like you just emerged from the spin cycle of a washing machine. If anything, taking the precaution of getting ready will prevent your neighbours from seeing you in your oiled-up hair and tatty night clothes when you accidentally get locked outside the house. (Bonus: If you dislike humanity in general, rest assured that you will never get locked out of your house or bump into a neighbour when you are looking your finest.)