New Year Resolutions
Every year we write out a set of New Year resolutions to either lose weight, eat healthier, go to the gym, and like every year, we vow to stick to them no matter what.
The problem with New Year resolutions is that we are initially motivated with them and then life slowly goes back to the way it was, and these resolutions eventually take a backseat to everything else.
I have always had these problems and would really like to make significant changes in my life this year. I’ve created a daily checklist of things that I would like to keep track of in hopes of creating a healthy habit of more than one thing at a time. We’ll see how it goes.
January monthly tracking sheet
If you would like to print out your own set of monthly tracking sheets, please click here.
Each page is a separate month that will help you track various things that will help promote a happier and healthier life.
You are free to use my chart as a reference for customizing your own or feel free to use them as they are. Here’s a brief explanation of each columns that I’ve listed:
Hours Slept – Every morning, you should write down how many hours you slept. This will help you see just how much sleep you are getting each night and help you get motivated to hit the sack earlier if you are not hitting your recommended average.
Here is a sleep guide from www.helpguide.org
| Average Sleep Needs by Age | |
| Newborn to 2 months old | 12 – 18 hrs |
| 3 months to 1 year old | 14 – 15 hrs |
| 1 to 3 years old | 12 – 14 hrs |
| 3 to 5 years old | 11 – 13 hrs |
| 5 to 12 years old | 10 – 11 hrs |
| 12 to 18 years old | 8.5 – 10 hrs |
| Adults (18+) | 7.5 – 9 hrs |
Steps Taken – To track just how many steps you take in a day. Many people say the average person should take about 10,000 steps each day. Ten thousand steps is supposed to help promote a healthy body and mind, but the average office worker or overall sedentary person will only take between 1,000 and 2,500 steps each day, which is a dangerously low number. You can track your steps with a pedometer or by using an app on your smartphone. I’ve been using the Ozeri digital pedometer
Glasses – This section is to help you track just how much water you are drinking per day. I know the standard that has been thrown around is 8 glasses per day but the actual amount depends on the person, their environment and active lifestyle. To find out how much you might need per day, check out this page on About.com: http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm
Workout Min. – The dreaded workout routine. Even if you can take 10 minutes out of each day for a quick workout, it can have a lot of positive benefits for your overall health. Give it a try and make sure to keep track of each workout session. Looking at the numbers just might motivate you to increase your workout time each day.
Clean – One problem that everyone faces is having a busy lifestyle with little time to clean around the house. This section is to help you write down just one area around the house that was cleaned/organized. If you clean up one area each day, it will help maintain a tidier home.
$ – This section is to help you keep track of money that was made or saved during the day. If you would like to make a little extra cash on the side, this column will help you track how much you make each day. If you’re goal is to save more money throughout the year, track down how much was put away or saved from coupons, sales, deals etc..
There you have it. I hope my charts will help you reach your goals this year. Please tell me what you think I can add to improve this list. I would love to hear your thoughts!
What do you do to stay on track of your resolutions?
Holiday Decorations for Under $5 – Hanging Yarn Wreaths
My Christmas budget is quite small this year, so I decided to get creative for home decorations. I looked around the house to see what kind of materials I had on hand and managed to gather a few empty cardboard boxes and old yarn. This is what I ended up making:
All I did was secure a thin bamboo stick with some thumb tacks and placed the wreaths on it. This makes them easy to move around until I’m happy with the way it looks.
Each hanging wreath was cut out of an empty cardboard box and then covered with yarn. All I did was secure the end of the yarn with a knot and wrapped the wreath until it was tightly covered.
These lovely little bells are from my old Christmas decoration stash, so I decided to use them in this arrangement instead. I only looped them on the top of the wreath so that I have the option to take them off or swap decorations without fuss.
Here is a closeup of the lettering. The word ‘Noel’ is also cut out from an empty tissue box, then wrapped up with yarn. They may look a bit imperfect, but it’s my handwriting, so I think it looks more authentic *^_^*
If you have any fun holiday decorations that you would like to share, please send me a message or comment below! You can also get more ideas from my Pinterest page!
Enjoy Something New – Try Eating Japanese Natto
Natto is a Japanese food that will usually make people scrunch up their faces and say “eew”. It’s fermented soy beans that have a very thick sticky consistency. It also doesn’t help that it’s also quite pungent.
I personally love natto and strongly urge anyone to try it at least once in their life. If you would like to know why, check out some of the health benefits.
In most countries, you can find natto in Japanese or Asian supermarkets. They will usually be found in the frozen food area.
When you open one up, you will find two little packets along with the natto. The small yellow pack is a type of mustard and the brown liquid is a sauce. The sauce will normally have a slightly sweet flavour…. which I personally don’t like, so I replace this sauce with standard Kikkoman soy sauce
I also add chopped seaweed for extra health benefits, as mentioned in a previous post “How to Make Ramen Healthier“.
Throw in some chopped green onions for a bit of zing and mix furiously. This will make the natto very sticky and oh so delicious.
Eat it on its own or place it on top of steaming hot rice. It’s a filling dish that’s very healthy for you and olny costs a couple of dollars to make!
Revive Your Senses in Nature
I spent the long-weekend in a cabin located by Algonquin park for my Birthday.
I love going up north at least once every few months because it clears my mind and rejuvenates my soul. Whenever people say that all humans need to connect with nature, it kind of sounds cheesy… but totally true.
Just a moment by the water, in a forest, on a mountain, anything away from the city or the modern world can do wonders on your physical and mental health.
If you think you don’t have time for it, make time at least once in a year.
Plan a getaway and leave everything behind, even if it’s for a day!
Simple Gift Box Decorations – Sophisticated “Goodie Bags”
Here are a few small boxes that I decorated as “goodie bags” for my Birthday (yes, I still enjoy giving goodie bags and I think I always will).
The plain kraft paper boxes are approximately 10cm x 10cm x 5.5cm and only cost $1 each.
I tied them up with plain string and added a mini card made from Japanese paper.
I adore these boxes because they were cheap, helped me use up craft string that I already had at home and scraps of my favourite type of paper. Afterwards, the boxes can be reused in the same way or decorated with a collage, paints or even gold leaf.
They are simple and have a soft nature theme, which is exactly what I love.
