January is a time of year when many of us resolve to change our ways, starting again with a clean sheet.
For people who have previously had a bad year, or who have seen healthy habits fall by the wayside, the New Year has a powerful effect of helping you to feel positive and embark on a new beginning.
Making small and meaningful changes such as drinking more water, getting some daily exercise, or finding time for relaxation can go a long way. Below are top tips to assist with sticking to your New Year's resolutions.
Sticking to your New Year's resolutions
Following habit-forming advice can help you to stick to your New Year's resolutions in the long-term. The habit formation process begins with an 'initiation phase' where we choose what our new habit will be (i.e. drinking more water).
This is followed by a 'learning phase' during which the habit is consistently repeated to strengthen the new behaviour. Finally, you will reach the 'stability phase' where the habit is formed and you do it without much effort. The science shows that the process of forming a new habit can take around ten weeks.
Making a new healthy habit
Psychologists say that making a new habit requires you to do the following:
- Decide what goal you want to achieve for better health (i.e. drinking more water)
- Choose a simple action that will help you meet your goal on a daily basis (i.e. taking a water filter bottle with you)
- Plan when and where you will do your chosen action (i.e. filling your water bottle at home every morning before going to work)
- Every time you encounter that time and place, do your chosen action
- Within ten weeks, you should find yourself doing your new habit automatically
Dry January how drinking water will help you stay alcohol-free
Whether you have overdone it over the festive period, crept into the habit of drinking when you get in from work, or you just want to focus on a healthier version of yourself, Dry January is an excellent time to cut out the booze.
With plenty of people jumping on the wagon, you will not be going in alone when it comes to forming this new healthy habit. However, if alcohol is off the menu, the question is what drink will you be enjoying instead?
Drinking water is a great way to reduce your alcohol intake, and if you follow the habit-forming advice above, you may find that your evening glass of wine or pint in the pub seems less tempting in the long-term.
Here is how drinking water supports Dry January:
- Staying hydrated will stop you building up a thirst and craving a cold beer
- Drinking water helps to keep your mind focused and sharp, giving you the energy and resolve to stick to Dry January
- Drinking a glass of water as your first choice will fill you up, helping to put you off having another drink
- There are no added calories in water, making it a good non-alcoholic drink that won't affect your waistline
- Drinking water is one way to reduce your intake of sugary drinks, which, when consumed to excess, is associated with health problems such as type 2 diabetes, and obesity
- Drinking water is a cornerstone in a healthy lifestyle, supporting healthy eating and exercise
Enjoy the taste of filtered water
Choosing to drink more water is a simple, realistic, and achievable New Year's resolution for most people.
To enjoy the best taste and quality of water, use a water filter. Doulton water filters remove up to 99.99% of common contaminants, including chlorine and micro-plastics (down to 0.5 microns).
Doulton water filters make a range of high quality water filters to suit all homes. Discover which water filter is best for you to enjoy the taste of Doulton filtered water.
