So it’s January and we’re all hoping to hit the ground running as we crash land back to reality following the blissful indulgence of Christmas. People all over the world are frantically making and then with the very best of intentions, trying to pursue ambitious New Year’s resolutions. Alas, come February many will have fallen by the wayside in the quest for a more successful, healthier, and generally more virtuous ‘new self’. But why is it that despite the best intentions so many of us revert to our sinful ways? My theory is; for as long as we continue to approach New Year and the resolutions that inevitably come with it from the viewpoint of detoxing, eating less and generally limiting ourselves, we will fail to achieve our aims. Instead we should see it as an opportunity for a fresh start, to take things up, be more adventurous and broaden our horizons. From a more positive perspective, in one simple step, New Year’s resolutions become more of a joy than chore. Another mistake many of us make is the attempt to impose far too many resolutions on ourselves. By sticking to no more than three or four main goals one increases the likelihood of success. The best way to approach this is to make each resolution relevant to a different aspect of life; health based, work based, hobby based and social based. Below are my tips and suggestions;
A Healthier New You
So many of us approach the New Year on a mission to shed the few pounds that have inevitably crept onto our waist; testament to the festive indulgences that overcome even the most strict among us. However instead of limiting what we eat and embarking a full blown detox diet the key to success is actually to explore new, perhaps unusual foods. Instead of returning to the usual cooking rut draw up an entirely new menu plan, incorporating exciting new dishes that make use of nutritionally beneficial yet tasty new ingredients.
It is traditional to eat lentils following New Year’s celebrations, supposed to bringing luck to the year ahead. Incidentally they are a fantastically versatile ingredient, packed full of nutrients yet sadly underused in the everyday kitchen. Therefore I have made the humble lentil the hero of the following recipe both in keeping with tradition as well as promoting healthier eating habits.
· Red wine lentils with a horseradish dressing topped with oak roast salmon
– Feeds 4
Ingredients:
– 300g Green Lentils
– 1 onion
– 1 clove of garlic
– ½ a red chilli
– Splash of olive oil
– 4 Tomatoes
– Good couple of glugs of red wine
– 600ml of Stock – preferably beef
– Sage (about 5 leaves finely chopped)
– Thyme
– Bay leaf
– 3 Carrots – diced
– Wholegrain mustard or horseradish (depending on how much heat you want) – about 3 teaspoons
– Dash of balsamic vinegar
– Salt
– Pepper
– Cucumber – peel off ribbons and discard watery centre
– 4 x portions of oak roast salmon (or alternatively another flaky smoked fish such as mackerel)
– Coriander and rocket leaves to garnish (optional)
1. Heat the oil in a heavy based pan
2. Finely chop the onion, garlic and chilli and add to the pan – cook for 5 minutes until lightly browned
3. Dice the tomatoes and add to the pan along with the carrots – allow to soften for about 2-3 minutes
4. Then add the lentils along with the stock, red wine and finely chopped herbs
5. Cover the pan and simmer for about 35 minutes
6. Take the lid off , season well with salt and pepper and cook over a high heat for about 5 minutes (or until any excess liquid has evaporated)
7. Mix the mustard or horseradish and balsamic vinegar into the lentils and spoon into shallow bowls
8. Flake the smoked salmon over the top
9. Garnish with a mixture of rocket and coriander – optional
Make Your Job Work For You In 2013
Forget stressing about work, desperately playing catch up and worrying about bills this January. Aim instead to better your career, setting goals for the coming months in order to tackle things one at a time in manageable sections. Not only will this approach reap financial rewards but it will also allow you to considerably improve your way of life. Through budgeting, prioritising and organising your assets you will eliminate the blind panic that often threatens to take over; whilst initially findings may not be quite the encouragement that you need at least you have put yourself in a position where you can work towards a greatly improved situation. Not only will life in the workplace suddenly become more focussed and fulfilled but everyday life will become easier and free from worry.
Getting Active… Minus The Gym Membership
That one roast potato (or two or three…) too many, the ‘santa sized’ sack of chocolate, various hunks of Christmas cake (or just the icing part), countless mince pies and of course various other festive indulgences consumed over the course of the previous month spurs an overwhelming percentage of the population to reluctantly drag themselves to the gym every January. But research shows that despite some gyms seeing an increase of between 30-50% in membership in January only 27% of these members actually end up using their newly purchased ‘ticket to fitness’ and 50% of all new members will be seen to quit within the next six months!
Why do we put ourselves through it? It’s like we purposefully set ourselves up to fail, an act which can’t fail to blacken moods for the ensuing months of the year. Instead of imposing an unwelcome, yet perceived necessary, punishing gym regime on our protesting bodies why not think outside of the box? Branch out, be adventurous and get outdoors; entering, for want of a better word, the ‘green gym’. By joining outdoor running clubs, rock climbing, sailing, hiking or even just gardening not only will you save money but you will achieve far more of an overall feeling of well-being thus increasing the likelihood that you will stick to your new found exercise regime. After all feeling good and being healthy shouldn’t be difficult, that just defeats the object surely!
Exercise That Inner Social Butterfly
Find yourself looking back at the last year and wondering where exactly time went? Received a Christmas card from a friend you realise you haven’t seen for over a year? Or perhaps you regret those missed opportunities to make new friends and network in those ever diminishing social situations that form breaks in your hectic life? Forget the ‘should have’s, would have’s, could have’s’; instead of beating yourself up and inwardly resolving to put things right this year, be proactive and just do it! The next time you sit down to relax in front of the television pick up the phone instead and catch up with friends.
The best way to ensure that you keep in touch with people and allow yourself that, well deserved, bit of downtime is to set aside time dedicated to just that every week, or failing that every two weeks. This way you avoid making empty promises to yourself and friends as it becomes part of your schedule and therefore is prioritized.
It is also good to set yourself a ‘social goal’ every week such as; to meet one or two new people who you will keep in contact with, or to organize a trip with a close friend. The same can be said for keeping in contact with family members. I guarantee you will feel so much better from simply talking to people outside of your immediate everyday work life as it adds variety and provides a much broader support network to prevent any feelings of loneliness.
So this year instead of slowly sinking back into your everyday habits why not give some of these suggestions a try, who knows, this new year really could bring about a totally new you!
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