Now Is the Start of the ‘New Year’
- By Bilal Hafeez
- 1 min read
Spring, rather than the start of the year, is the best time to make resolutions for the year. The days get longer, flowers begin to bloom, and the sun makes more regular appearances. I’m not alone in thinking this – numerous cultures and religions mark spring as the pivotal point of the year.
Over the past month, we had Holi – the festival of colour in the Hindu tradition, and Nowruz – new year in Persian culture. And recently, we had Qingming (Tomb-sweeping, China), Passover (Jewish tradition) and Easter (Christian tradition).
So, the time is perfect to motivate yourself to start afresh with new resolutions. My bias is to pick simple acts that will have a big impact. Here are 3 I’ll focus on:
- Start running again. I used to run but between the lockdown and life, I gave up. This ‘new year’ I will resume running. I plan to start slow and just regularly get out of the house, but eventually I’ll start to mix up with some HIIT.
- Cut out my late-night junk food binge. I’m very disciplined most the day when it comes to eating. A light breakfast, healthy lunch and a family dinner. But that’s when it stops. The TV comes on, and I reach for some chocolate, ice cream or gummy bears. My solution to overcoming this terrible habit is to replace the sweets with fruit, or even dates if I feel especially naughty.
- Go out again. I’ve lost the habit of socialising, so I plan to meet friends, go to interesting talks and generally make use of what London has to offer.
What would your resolutions be?
Bilal