Well here we are. 2014. The beginning of a fresh new year, filled with possibilities for you to make the adjustments needed to live your life to the fullest. But you may know through bitter experience that these Resolutions are often short-lived and leave you feeling deflated. Here are 6 tips that may help you stay on track:
1. Don’t make too many resolutions. You don’t want to feel that you've saddled yourself with yet another To Do List. Your resolutions should lead you towards feeling lighter and freer in your life, and not increase demands upon your resources.
2. Choose small, achievable goals. Sometimes our New Year’s Resolutions are so huge they are doomed to failure, so rein yourself in and adjust them to be more attainable. Instead of setting yourself the task of learning French for example, set the goal of learning enough of the language to enable you to communicate with the locals on your summer holiday. If your goal is to eat more healthily, aim to ditch the biscuits and eat fruit as your snack rather than going all out on a harsh regime. When you have reached a small goal you will feel fulfilled, successful and motivated enough to add another step if you want to.
3. If you mess up one of your resolutions, look at it as a temporary set-back rather than a failure. Make any adjustments you need to make (maybe going to the gym twice a week is more realistic than going three times) and step back onto your path. Yoga practice encourages self-compassion – give yourself a break, not a hard time, you are only human after all! Don’t drop your intentions and tell yourself that you’re a hopeless failure – instead tell yourself it’s just a blip and you can easily get back on track.
4. Ask yourself how you want to feel this year. Choose some words that describe the vision of the life you want to live in 2014. You might want to feel energised, fresh, awake or organised. Or you might feel that calm, centred, relaxed, focused and grounded would suit you best. Once you have established the feeling that is central to your life plan (let’s say for example, your desired feeling is energised) you can use it to help you stay on track. When you notice you are reaching for the biscuit tin/can’t be bothered to go to the gym/think that one more glass of wine won’t hurt/fill in whatever blank applies!, ask yourself “will this help me feel more energised?” The mindful pause that this question creates may give you the time and the motivation to change track and choose another option.
5. Take a look at the obstacles you might encounter and plan ahead. If you are meeting friends for a meal and you don’t want to consume lots of empty calories and processed foods, suggest a restaurant where you can choose freshly made dishes with lots of vegetables and salads.
6. Make yourself accountable. Tell someone close to you about your intention. A loved one will have your best interests at heart and be able to encourage you and call you out if you are starting to lose momentum.
This week I am making… tasty toasted seeds
Toasted seeds are delicious sprinkled on salads, pasta, roasted vegetables or as a healthy snack on their own. They are rich in selenium, magnesium, Vitamin E, Vitamin B, zinc, manganese, iron and many more minerals and are a good source of protein.
Here’s the recipe:
Heat the oil in a frying pan and add all the seeds. Stir gently as they brown really quickly. After 2 or 3 minutes the pumpkin seeds will start to make a popping noise and all the seeds should look nicely browned. Turn off the heat and immediately add a good splash of Soy Sauce. It will sizzle loudly. Keep stirring until all the seeds are coated, then serve.
The toasted seeds will keep in a Tupperware pot – I don’t know exactly for how long as they get eaten too quickly in my house!!
This week I am visiting…Silent Pool, on the A25 near Guildford, Surrey
Silent Pool is a small lake at the foot of the North Downs. It is close to the beauty spot Newlands Corner which is famous for its stunning views of the Surrey countryside. The water from Silent Pool runs into another small lake, Sherbourne Pond, and the outflow from this runs into a brook which feeds into the River Tillingbourne.
There is a sense of mystery and eeriness around Silent Pool. The pool is fed by underground springs and the water is incredibly clear, deep and still. The pool is hemmed in by trees, which makes it feel dark and shaded, and the air is always cool. Silent Pool is linked to a folk tale too, in which King John tried to abduct a local woodcutter’s daughter who was bathing in the pool. As he rode his horse into the water she tried to get away from him but, unable to swim, was trapped in the deep water and drowned. According to legend, the maiden sometimes makes a ghostly appearance at midnight, floating in the pool.
You can walk up the hill behind the lakes and turn left onto the North Downs Way which will, after 20 minutes or so, bring you to the A25 and Newlands Corner where you can get a cup of tea and take some panoramic photos. The site is managed by Surrey Wildlife Trust – visit http://www.surreywildlifetrust.org/reserves/show/8 to see their info and download a visitor’s guide and a map of the area.
This week I am growing… Tulips
No, it’s not too late to plant those bulbs that are lying forgotten at the back of the shed! It does need to be done as soon as possible though…
Step 1: Put a layer of broken pots, stones or polystyrene at the bottom of an empty pot. This will help the water drain away so the bulbs don't sit in the wet and rot. Fill the pot a third full of general purpose compost from the garden centre. I added a handful of grit to help with drainage.
Step 2: Bulbs like to be deep in the soil - about 3 times their height. Plant with the flat end facing down and the pointy end facing up. My bulbs are already starting to sprout, poor things.
Step 3: You can plant them quite close together for a dense potful of colour in May. Then cover them in soil - almost to the top of the pot and pat the compost down gently.
Step 4: Remember to label them - if you are anything like me you will have forgotten what you have planted by February! Then stand the pot somewhere cool and shady but where it will get rained on (oh the irony, with our weather at the moment!) In spring you can move the pot into a sunny spot.
Final note: Squirrels love tulip bulbs and will dig them up so it is a good idea to cover your pots with chicken wire or netting to protect them.
Final note: Squirrels love tulip bulbs and will dig them up so it is a good idea to cover your pots with chicken wire or netting to protect them.
This week I am loving… that the shortest day has passed. Hooray!!!
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