By Parkdean Resorts on 20/12/2021
As the year steadily draws to a close and a new one begins, there isn’t a more appropriate time to reflect and make some strict vows for self-improvement come January. A New Year’s resolution is a great way to start the year off with a positive change, but it can be challenging to stick to it. Resolutions tend to be broken easily, with many breaking theirs within weeks or even days of the New Year beginning. Whether you want to live healthier or make sure you spend more quality time with the family, 2022 is the year to make it happen. As adventure experts, we know a thing or two about trying something new, from discovering a new destination or trying an new exciting activity.
What is a New Year’s resolution?
A New Year’s resolution is an intended positive change made at the beginning of a new year. People tend to start off the New Year with the best intentions, but facts show that these goals can often be failures. The nature of New Year’s resolutions is that they tend to be very vague when to achieve goals, it’s important they are clear and achievable and most of all that you’re motivated enough to see them through. We’ve picked out some of the most common New Year’s resolutions from a study done by YouGov in 2020 and listed 5 top tips to help you keep them.
1. Exercise or improve fitness
After the Christmas festivities, relaxing and eating what you want, when you want, there’s no surprise that people are eager to get back into fitness come January. Exercise is very important to living a happy and healthy life which is one of the reasons why joining the gym is the most common New Year’s resolution.
2. Lose weight
There are so many fun ways to keep active and live a healthier lifestyle. Walking is a great way to shed those extra Christmas calories and there are plenty of wonderful scenic walking routes not far from most places in the UK. Why not enjoy a walking holiday or try a New Year challenge in 2022?
3. Save more money
One of the hardest while most common New Year’s resolutions is to save money. Doing all of the fun things you love whilst on a budget can be a challenge, but it’s certainly doable. Get into the bargain hunting mindset by grabbing yourself some great deals for later in the year. Book your spring or summer holiday in advance in the January sales and save hundreds of pounds!
4. Spend more time with family
If there’s anything we're experts in, it’s family time. If you feel like in 2021 the family adventures were lacking, then why not make this your 2022 New Year's resolution? Even if it’s just one weekend break a year, quality time spent with your family will create precious memories that last a lifetime.
5. Learn a new skill or hobby
Learning a new skill or hobby can be very rewarding and provides a positive way to spend your spare time. You might want to start a new hobby with a friend or family member which would mean spending quality time together. From arts and crafts to fishing, there’s an abundance of new things you can learn. What will you choose?
6. Travel more
Experiencing new places is one of the best things in life. If you’ve got kids, travelling may seem like more of a challenge which is why we’ve invested millions in our parks to create a perfect base for your holiday, providing everything you could need and more. With accommodation perfect for any size family, big or small, delicious food venues and tonnes of exciting places to discover nearby, all of your UK travel dreams can become a reality.
How to keep your New Year’s resolution
It’s easy to begin the year with a positive attitude, motivated to succeed and ready to start a fresh, but when it comes to keeping up the new positive change, that can be a challenge. The truth is, according to YouGov only 26% of Britons kept to their New Year’s resolutions in 2020, meaning unfortunately the odds aren’t in our favour. We’ve put together some top tips on keeping your 2022 New year’s resolution to help you conquer your goals.
1. Prepare for change
Waking up on January 1st with a resolution in mind is rarely enough to make it happen. You’ve got to have a plan of how you’ll integrate your new positive change into your life. Change often isn’t easy, so you’ll need to have the motivation to achieve your goal clear in your mind before day 1 arrives.
2. Make it specific
If you intend on making a permanent change rather than a temporary one you’ve got to make your goal specific. Rather than making your New Year’s resolution ‘to lose weight’ make it ‘to eat healthy and visit the gym twice a week’ instead. Having a vague goal makes it harder to focus on what you need to do and achieve it.
3. Make it measurable
Deciding you need to spend less money is the easy part but if you’re used to making spontaneous purchases whenever you feel like it, this habit won’t change overnight. Try giving yourself small measurable targets instead. For example, saying ‘I’ll spend £20 less on eating out each month’ gives a specific amount for you to measure whether you’re achieving what you set out to do, allowing you to reflect each month.
4. Make it achievable
Planning to become a cross country runner in 2022 is a great idea, but as a beginner, expecting to be able to run a marathon by January 10th is totally unachievable. It’s best to make sure your New Year’s resolution doesn’t have you aiming for the impossible, as this will be demotivating. Make your goals smaller so they’re more achievable. For example, ‘On January 31st, I’ll run 2 miles without stopping’. Building on smaller goals like these will have you achieving your ultimate goal in no time.
5. Make it realistic
So, you’ve decided your New Year’s resolution is to travel more in 2022. If you’ve got a full-time job and 3 kids under 10, backpacking round Australia is probably an unrealistic goal. You can make this resolution more realistic by planning in some UK family beach holidays throughout the year instead. This way, you’ll still fulfil your resolution to travel more but in a more realistic way.
Do you agree that these are the most popular New Year’s resolutions? Follow us on Instagram or Facebook to tell us what you plan to do different in 2022.