At the start of January, it's easy to maintain a 'New Year, new me' attitude. Everyone around you is buying gym memberships, you're still excited enough about your new blender to make smoothies every morning and you're so latently hungover from Christmas that you never want to see alcohol again, let alone drink it.
A few days in, you're heading to the pub after work and ordering a Sauvignon Bl– No! A lime and soda, please. You've skipped your third body conditioning class because just once won't hurt, right? You've had a look outside and realised that your wardrobe isn't equipped to handle a morning run more than once a wash cycle. In short, you're flagging. Hard.
This Monday was Blue Monday and you spent five minutes starring at the Riojas (if you can't pronounce it, it doesn't count as a cheat, right?) before grabbing a creme egg and making for the checkout as swiftly as your legging-clad legs could carry you. You wondered why creme eggs are in stores already – it makes you think that you've been on your healthy eating routine for longer than 23 days. But it's only been 23 days.
What you need is a renaissance of commitment and you'll get that by discovering a new way to make your new routine easier. And this is where we can help you.
For that morning run
You bought your last mac from Tesco on that trip to Devon two years ago, when it rained the whole drive down and you remembered that the closest thing you have to a waterproof is the environmentally-unfriendly rain poncho you reluctantly bought in Rome and inexplicably kept, even though a passing umbrella ripped it in the queue for the Colosseum. It's time for a new one, and you wont find better than Red.
Red's new Active Jacket folds up to pocket-size, but it's as high performance as they come. With adjustable cuffs, hoods and a built-in visor, it's the perfect jacket for those early morning runs that you never want to go on again. The jacket is also made from Blue Sign approved textiles as per Red's promise to produce everything as sustainably as possible. And, because it's Red, it's also a great one if you're into water sports.
The Women's Active Jacket and The Men's Active Jacket, both £119.95, www.redoriginal.com
For that evening dog walk
You've decided to start walking twice a day. You want to stick to it, but it's getting unreasonably cold and you feel smothered under two coats and a blanket. What you probably need is a gilet, or some kind of fleece which you can chuck on and keep on, rather than layering up and regretting it at the first hill you have to climb. Luckily, Schoffel is having a great January sale which includes the gilets above – a good way to spend your
Click here for Schoffel's January sale at www.schoffelcountry.com
To kickstart a new, healthy mindset
It can be really hard to self-motivate. If you're more of a class person, then have a think about joining a gym which runs classes or a studio that specialises in them. Rumble, in East London, specialises in responsible fitness as London's first carbon-neutral fitness and wellness studio. Spin, spar, deadlift and detox your way to a cleaner lifestyle and a greener world.
To keep your sustainability pledge
We've all made a silent promise to ourselves to protect the environment as much as we can this year. If you haven't bought that keep cup yet, this Marine-Grade steel travel cup will keep hot things hot for four hours or cold things cold for eight. Why mention cold things for a travel mug? Well, it holds an entire pint. That's why.
Marine-Grade Steel Travel Cup, £19.95, www.redoriginal.com
To set the yoga scene
Properly preparing for a good at-home workout can determine the success of the workout, especially if you're chosen exercise is something of a slower pace. A good yoga session can do wonders for the mind and body, loosening back muscles and giving you some much-needed thinking space.
It's a great habit to get into once or twice a week, and a nice candle can help you set the mood. Matthew O'Brien's candles are completely vegan friendly, and their room diffusers are in recyclable glass.
Pomegranate Noir candle, £25 from www.matthewobrien.co.uk
No-one said it would be easy. But if you've come this far then you're almost over the hump where you stop craving sugar, your muscles are used to the gym and dry January is a thing of the past. Keep going, we believe in you.
Credit: Picasa
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