Life

MY 2021 RESOLUTIONS….

New Year’s resolutions are always quarrelled over, you either love them, or you hate them. I think the main reason why a lot of people don’t really believe in setting themselves goals to reach during the new year is, that they are aiming too high. I am quite fond of New Year’s resolutions but like so many I always picked unrealistic things to reach or do, like loosing a bit of weight (knowing I would not do anything for it).

This year I decided to reflect on 2020, find out what did and what didn’t work for me, what I wished I did more often and what made me sad or happy. Based on these realisations I tried to make a list of resolutions I would actually be able to keep and help me living the life I live now better, instead of changing it completely in order to meet my goals. 

Let’s dive right in!

5 resolutions for me

Try to eat more concious

I’ve always been a person that simply loves eating! I can never say no to a bit chocolate or a piece of cake. Lately (especially during lockdown) I literally started eating because I was bored. A lot of people do that, but to be honest, I don’t have the best metabolism. Also we all know that eating loads of sweets isn’t good for your general health, fitness and it even influences the way you feel. 

So instead of deciding not to eat certain things like chocolate or chips in 2021, I decided to eat more concious. I want to be aware of what I’m eating and really enjoy every meal and snack. My goal is to make eating not a pasttime anymore but a form of selfcare instead. If that means that I’ll eat a bag of crisps on one day, so be it. But I want to do it, beacuse I enjoy it, rather than eating for other reasons. 

I started to track my meals (and everything inbetween) just to get an overlook of what I eat. I hope that this will help me to think about my food more and to consider if I eat it because I’m hungry, and want to do my body some good, or because of a simple craving. 

Get back into sports

This is a cliché one, I know, but let me explain. 

When I was in England, I used to go to the gym nearly every day. My friends and I would train there together for at least 45 minutes. We ran, did some exercises on the floor, attended classes and just basically tried our best not to look totally lost there. It definitely wasn’t high-performance sport, but we did something and I used to really enjoy it! After going there I always felt refreshed and empowered and like somebody had hit a reset button for bad feelings. It was amazing!

When I came back to Germany the gyms were all closed because of the lockdown. I tried to go running outside but soon discovered, that I enjoyed it much more on a treadmill in the studio. So I stopped. The gyms reopened but I couldnt find anybody to go with and I was a bit lazy as well. Eventually a friend and I actually signed in, but then they closed again and have been ever since. 

The result is that I basically have not done anything remotely sporty for the last 7 months.

I was afraid to start again, because that means starting from zero. This time without my friends, without a trainer who is physically there and without proper equipment. Nevertheless I am giving it an actual try in 2021, because I know that once I’m through that initial hard time, I’ll get that amazing feeling back!

I found the wonderful Cassey Ho from Blogilates , who has great beginner friendly workout plans, that I’m gonna stick to for the next month. You just have to start, right?

Establish wind-down time before sleeping

I tried this one before, but couldn’t really keep it up. Taking time to wind down your body and mind before you go to sleep is actually pretty important in order to get that good rest we all need. Very few people do it though. 

My main problem here is my phone. I love it and couldn’t live without it, but it also gives me the feeling that I have to be available at all times. That includes the minutes before I want to sleep. I get a message from a friend, quickly answer it, but then comes the reply and soon I’m in a conversation I don’t want to interrupt. 

Don’t get me wrong here! I would never turn a friend down, who actually needs help because I want to sleep. But most of the time it’s just banal things we talk about, that could easily be dicussed the next day. My solution is quite simple! I’m not going to answer any messages 45 minutes before I go to sleep. If you have an IPhone, you can actually set up winding-down time, during which all messages will be silenced and hidden from your lock screen. It’s genius! 

From now on I will take 45 minutes before I go to sleep every day. In that time I’ll listen to a nice audiobook, read something, tidy up, journal, do yoga or drink tea. Everything goes, as long as I stay away from my phone and other electronical devices. Not being available at all times is absolutely ok!

Accept situations and make the most of it

2020 has been a hard year for all of us! I found myself in many situations I would have rather not been in. Having to leave England early, not getting into my dream uni, not being able to see friends because they live in other cities or countries. These are just a few. 

Unlike myself these things really got to me and I totally let them drag me down. The consequence was unproductiveness, boredom, struggling with the situation I was in, and days spent entirely in bed, because I couldn’t find a reason to get up. People who know me personally will probably read this and be startled at it, because usually I am an absolute go-getter. For somebody who always bounces back really easily, being stuck in a situation I absolutely couldn’t do anything about was a nightmare! 

For 2021 I therefore decided to get back to my old self again! Even if a situation seems shitty and you can’t do anything about the situation itself, try to make the best of it and just keep going. There are better times ahead, I promise!

Be brave and take risks

Last but not least this wonderful resolution we could need all to hear from time to time. Life is short! Take some risks and do things you might regret afterwards. Because so what?

In 2020 I overcame my weaker self and did a few brave things, some of which I regret and some I’m really glad I did! 

Looking back on it now, even when I thought, that the world must be colliding if I do that particular thing, it didn’t! It still turns, I’m still happy and everything is still fine! So for 2021 I want to stop worrying so much about things and just do them! 

Do you have any 2021 resolutions? Whatever they might be (or not be) I hope we will all have a good year, full of happy moments! 

Yours, Leo xx

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