Words Jo Wimble-Groves

New year. Every magazine you pick up will remind you that 2018 is the year of  ‘new you’. But what does that even mean?

According to a recent poll, the most common New Year’s resolutions were to exercise more, lose weight and eat more healthily. Last year, after a major blowout of wine and frankfurters on a very jolly Christmas family ski trip, I made the decision it was time for dry January.
I had never done this before. To be honest I don’t believe in new year’s resolutions as they set us up for disappointment, but I felt compelled to give this a go. “More water, less wine” I told myself over and over again. I wasn’t the only one to come up with this bright detox idea. According to the Dry January website (who knew there was such a thing?) over two million people cut down their drinking for one month, but how many people will actually make it through to the end of the month? According to daysoftheyear.com, 17th January was the most popular day for people quitting their new year’s resolutions.

So, why do so many of us quit?  We tell ourselves that this will be the year we’ll give up carbs, go running every morning, become a vegan or quit drinking. Inevitably, three weeks later, we find ourselves right back where we started.

I am a very self-motivated person and I get myself going every morning by telling myself ‘today will be a great day’. But when it comes to willpower, I find so many excuses to avoid sticking to my resolution. I am not alone, as only eight percent of people actually keep their New Year’s resolutions. So, the question is, as busy mums already, how do we pick a resolution that we can actually stick to?

Perhaps my new year’s resolutions as listed below might be some we can actually keep for longer than the average of 17 days: –

Sleep more

l A little less scrolling, a little more sleeping. Do we ever get eight hours sleep? New parents lose out on more than six weeks’ worth of sleep in a single year of caring for a newborn, so perhaps we spend the rest of life trying to find the 42 days we lost along the way.

More craft with the kids

l I want to spend more time being creative with my kids. The idea of more cutting and sticking can make me want to pick my eyeballs out but I’d determined to curb my OCD and deal with the glitter they spill everywhere. So more craft it is. Well, maybe a fraction more, but don’t worry, it all goes into the recycling when they are not looking.

Drink More Gin

l Ever wondered how after 50 years in MI6 James Bond still looks and appears so… young and healthy? You barely see Mr Bond with a glass of wine. Apparently gin is better for you than wine. Drink Aware says that a single gin (without tonic, 25ml gin) is around 110 calories, while a pint of 4% ABV beer has 180 and glass of red is more like 159 calories. It might not seem like a lot, but when you’re having six drinks across an evening, that could add up to the equivalent of almost 700 extra calories. No argument there.

Spend Time Alone

l This is an important one. A study found that the average mother gets just 17 minutes to herself a day. I’m not sure if this includes trying to go to the bathroom without any children. If so, you might wish to take that up to 19 minutes of free time per day. Joking aside, it’s not enough. Mama needs some time back.

Don’t be a ‘YES’ Mum

l It is a simple one mamas, cut yourself some slack and don’t have to say yes to everything. If you can’t commit to it, make your new year’s resolution to give yourself a bit of breathing space and if you can’t do it, it’s OK. Just say no. 2018, we’ve got this.

See Jo’s Blog here: Guilty Mother