After quite frankly the year 2020 was a horrible one for the majority of people all over the world, what is the relevancy of a new years resolution in the year 2021?

Have you made any new years resolutions? If so I am curious to know what they are. I pose this question because, as you know reading this in 2021, the UK has not been coping very well with the global pandemic.

This time last year for example I was the fittest I had been in months. Swimming two to three times a week at my local pool and generally filled with optimism on life.

I had not made any resolutions back then as such. With the exception that I wanted to get my fitness back up to a reasonable level. This is really, the only thing that I could say might have been one. I have proved to myself several times in the past that it is possible for me. Yet, remaining fit but sticking to it hasn’t always been easy.

For me, I found that I needed to have a tangible end goal to work towards when it came to exercise. Things I have done in the past to inspire fitness include large organized walks. Training for those events in the lead up and on event day was a great experience, and did help.

This year things just don’t seem the same though. To be honest it wasn’t until a few years ago when I was at the doctors office that they recommended I loose some weight. To be frank, I was quite shocked and upset that they would suggest such a thing. Up until that point in my life I had never concerned myself with my weight.

As a child I was somewhat skinny. As a young adult and training for my Icelandic Trek I was much more ‘athletically’ toned than when I was a child. So why is it that the worst thing that someone can be is to be overweight? Looking back at photographs of myself now to when I was in my early 20’s , my perception is that I look too skinny. I much prefer my body with more curves than I had then. Is that such a bad thing? I don’t think so.

Moving to London had positive sides to it. It was where I went to university, met some of my closest friends and fell in love. On the other hand, I was unable to do several things that I used to enjoy.

This year, although I will not be setting ‘new years resolutions’ as such, I do have some goals for myself which I’m optimistic I’ll be able to achieve.

1. Become more self-sufficient, with the first step to create a vegetable garden (with the 1.1.limitation of being in a rented property).
2. Swim and hike more, at least once a week at the least.
3. Volunteering with Animals or in some way in the local community.
4. Have less setbacks when it comes to not eating dairy/dairy products
5. Find a job in Sydney that I will enjoy doing with my time.
6. Make sure I focus on my health and wellbeing more.
7. Resist temptation to impulse buy and make better buying desisions, only when I need something.

Iam particularly excited about creating a vegetable garden once we arrive in Sydney. I have big ambitions, depending on what size of garden we have.

My hopes will be that I will be able to create an organic garden. Until we have rented a property and I know what I’m working with in terms of space, for the time being these are my initial plans:

1. A herb patch or box consisting of things like Oregano, Basil, Rosemary and more.

2. Garlic - I love garlic - I would have it in everything if I could

3. Tomatoes

4. Onions (normal, red and shallots), carrots, potatoes (if we have space)

5. Fruits such as Blueberries and Strawberries

These plans might be a little ambitious for a first time gardener, but everyone has to start somewhere.

So, what if anything are your New Years Resolutions or goals for the year?

Credits to the photographs on this page goes to Sincerely Media, i yunmai and Neslihan Gunaydin via Unsplash

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