NEW YEAR NEW ME!
We’ve all been there on New Year's day, waking up and feeling the urge for a “new year, new me”. The pressure to overhaul everything and become a wildly disciplined version of ourselves, who gyms, meal preps, and has an active social life as well as a perfect relationship was all too real! But now, as January comes to an end and much of that initial motivation has fizzled out, many of us are left feeling like we failed and have fallen straight back into old habits.
The “new year, new me” attitude is a recipe for disappointment. It fuels a cycle of unrealistic expectations, high pressure and being too hard and critical on ourselves, it promotes the idea that who we were at the start of the year wasn’t good enough and that a quick fix was the best way forward. This is not only emotionally draining but it’s also completely unsustainable in the long run. It ignores the evidence that lasting change requires time, patience and a lot of self discipline. It would be similar to trying to run a marathon after doing just one 5km training run.
Instead of trying to achieve the “perfect” version of ourselves, we should be focusing on forming sustainable habits. These are small, gradual changes that when we consistently practice them, naturally make their way into our lives. For instance, choosing to walk when you can drive or choosing to cook meals a couple of times a week rather than get takeaways. Sustainable habits are about making small progress rather than reaching perfection and choosing your long-term wellbeing over short term fixes.
But how do you achieve this? Start with small and specific goals. Instead of saying “I’m going to get fit this year”, try “I’m going to go on three walks a week for at least 30 minutes”. Choose activities that you enjoy and focus on one or two areas of your life at a time, set yourself small goals and celebrate when you hit them and remember to not beat yourself up if you slip up.
At BLYNC LDN, we believe in small, slow, sustainable practices that go beyond our eco-friendly materials. We aim to make conscious choices which are good for the planet, for the people producing our clothes and our customers that wear them. We think that working out and being active should make you happy and not be seen as a punishment but as a way to support your wellbeing everyday.
This year we are continuing to ditch the toxic “new year, new me” culture and foster a more mindful, sustainable approach to improving ourselves by embracing the idea of progress rather than perfection. Explore new ways to move and fuel your body, and if you need some extra motivation to do so, go and have a look at our range of sustainable activewear!
