At Christmas, food and drink play an important role to make you feel at home. These are some elements to take into account in the UK:
Xmas Dinner
Xmas Crackers
Xmas Pudding
After all this food, it is not surprising that one of the most popular among New Year's Resolutions is "to lose weight".
Most Popular Goals
- Lose Weight
- Pay Off Debt/s
- Save Money
- Get a Better Job
- Get Fit
- Eat Right
- Get a Better Education
- Drink less Alcohol
- Quit Smoking
- Reduce Stress Overall
- Reduce Stress at Work
- Take a Trip
- Volunteer to Help Others
- reduce diabetes & improve quality of life
But, how can we really achieve our goals?
Adapted from The Guardian, Friday 29 December 2006:
Five tips to help keep resolutions:
1) The first is to make only one resolution: if you are an obese, misanthropic, SUV-driving smoker, Prof Wiseman recommends picking just one aspect of life to improve, to increase your chances of success.
2) Planning your resolution in advance, instead of waiting until New Year's Eve. The extra time will allow you to reflect on what you really want to achieve.
3) Another tip is to avoid repeating a previous resolution, or at least try a different technique to keep it. So if trying to lose half a stone did not work last year, plan to exercise more instead. "If people think they can do it they probably can, but if they've already tried and failed, their self-belief will be low," Prof Wiseman said.
The remaining tips include keeping resolutions specific (4) and rewarding yourself (5) by buying a new book or CD if you manage to lose a few pounds or cut down on smoking.
More interesting links to help you achieve your goals:
You can also use New Year's Resolutions with your students. Click here to find how:
Having said that, I have already chosen my goal for 2009: "I will reduce stress"
(I must confess I also want to get fitter, learn Portuguese and five other things, but stress reduction is the main objective for 2009)
Which are your resolutions for 2009?
Express yourself (send your resolutions) and have a Happy Resolutive New Year.
To finish, a bit of grammar in use: remember the difference between a promise (I will....) and a plan (I'm going to...). Resolutions are like promises that we make to ourselves.
