New Year, New Bee!

Happy new year! How are the resolutions going? Struggling with them right now? Or maybe you’ve already admitted ‘defeat’ and set them aside for another time? Rest assured you’re not alone. Statistics actually show that a staggering 43% of people who make new year resolutions do so expecting to fail- and just 9% manage to see them through. 23% ditch their resolutions before the end of the first week, so if you’re still going then you’re doing well!

So why is it that we can’t seem to stick to these resolutions, even when their intention is to make our lives better? Perhaps we’re going about it all the wrong way. Here are some tips to help you set your goals for 2023.

 

Set goals, not resolutions

We’re not saying that new year resolutions are bad. It’s just that when we make them, we’re not really resolving to change the things that really need to be changed. We’re making false promises to ourselves, ones that we can’t really keep. And then we’re punishing ourselves for ‘failing’, and we’re preventing ourselves from making those important changes that need to be made, that can actually make a difference. And those changes are achievable!

So, let’s set goals instead of resolutions. Let’s make them goals that serve a purpose and that are easily managed. Let’s make 2023 the year we leave restrictive and unattainable resolutions in the past.

Set goals month by month

Think of new year resolutions as targets. You don’t need to ht the bullseye each and every time to score a point, and the target itself doesn’t need to be huge either. Set small, more achievable goals rather than one huge mission for the year.

So instead of resolving to run 5 miles a day in 2023, break it down month by month so you run a small distance each time, working your way up to the 5 miles when you’re ready. You’re less likely to lose motivation when you can see yourself smashing target after target on your way to the end goal.

Get your notebook, write your plan, and get going. Now!

Prioritise your health

48% of us who make new year resolutions want to lose weight. In fact, health related resolutions are the top 3 resolutions, with many vowing to give up alcohol and stop smoking in the new year too. These are all really great resolutions, and definitely worthy of your efforts- just make sure you follow our guidance to break it down into manageable chunks for success.

Veganuary is a great way to ease into a healthier lifestyle, and its one with an added bonus of being planet friendly too. We’ve got lots of vegan inspired recipes to help you on your way, using our delicious Maple Syrup and Carob Syrup to sweeten the deal. Check out our Maple Syrup Drizzled Pancakes or our amazing Healthy No Bake hazelnut Brownies for starters.

If going plant based isn’t your thing right now (and that’s completely fine!), we can still help you achieve those health goals- with just one simple swap. Ditch the sugar and grab the honey instead. It’s sweet, it’s delicious and it won’t spike your blood sugars the same way that sugar does. Read more about Sugar Awareness here.

Focus on what makes you happy

New year resolutions don’t always have to be a quest for better health or weight loss. Here at Hilltop we’re firm believers that happy bees make happy honey (that’s why our bee’s welfare is so important to us)- and that translates to us too. So set your resolutions with a focus on what makes you happy, not what makes others happy. YOU are the priority, nobody else.

Cherish your friendships. Carry out small, random acts of kindness. Take up a new hobby (beekeeping, maybe? That’s how Hilltop started!). Try something new. Bee brave! As long as your goals are not hard to reach, you will reach them- so go for it!

After all, as the honey-loving Winnie the Pooh once said, “When you see someone putting on his Big Boots, you can be pretty sure that an Adventure is going to happen!”- this year, those boots belong to you, and that adventure is there for you, if you’re up for it.

Bee yourself

The ‘New Year, New Me’ slogan really does deserve a kick in the bee-hind! It’s an outdated notion that there is something wrong with us, that we need to be something different, change who we are in order to be successful or happy. But the reality is that the best thing you can do for yourself is to embrace who you are- and celebrate the uniqueness of you!

Let 2023 be the year that you move on from your past mistakes and be proud of the things that make you you. Instead of feeling like a failure because you didn’t go on a run today, celebrate the six other runs you did last week instead. Today is not a failure., You are not a failure. The busy bee has no time for sorrow… perhaps that could be your resolution this year?

Be kind to yourself. You don’t need to change. Resolve to love yourself for who you are, not who you think you need to be. Now let’s go and smash 2023!