Page 10 - The Local Eye - Issue 135 - January 2017

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New Year Resolutions... Will you keep yours?

1: Lose Weight & Get Fit.
It’s one of the most common New Year’s resolutions. Each January
fitness clubs offer deals and promotions to those who want to make
good on their resolutions. To those who have been at the gym for
the other 11 months of the year, the crowded classes and treadmill
lines make the New Year a dreaded time. However, 60% of gym
memberships go unused and attendance is usually back to normal
by mid-February. Why is that? Simple: people are lazy.

2: Quit Smoking
So you want to quit smoking? It yellows your teeth, infiltrates all your clothing, irritates your
significant other and charms only those in an ever dwindling crowd of fellow smokers. So what
better time than now? Good luck. Only an estimated 15% of people who try to quit manage to
stay cigarette-free six months later.

3: Learn Something New
You’ve been meaning to learn French. You’d love to play the piano. How great would it be to
really know how to cook? You’ll read Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and, man, you’ll
master it. You can even work on your French at the same time! Resolving to learn something
new is exciting. At least, for a while. Soon you remember there’s a reason you haven’t learned
all this yet. French is too hard to pronounce. Ordering out is just so much easier than cooking.
You’ll do it ... when you have more time.

4: Get Out Of Debt & Save Money
After a particularly trying financial year (and the always budget-unfriendly month of
December), the regular January vow is to manage incomemore effectively. Financial planners
advise making specific budget-friendly rules, rather than setting unrealistic and often
unattainable goals. If you’re lucky enough to make it out of debt, the next step is tucking some
money away for retirement or a rainy day. But, on the other hand, that new Tablet is in the
sales, a real bargain now and what about a new wardrobe for spring?
Hmm. Maybe I’ll save money next year.

5: Drink Less
After the morning of 1st January, it’s not surprising you
probably wish you drank less. The question is whether that
resolve will last for the other 364 days of the year. Drinking less
is undoubtedly good for you: it’s better for your health, your
wallet and probably your reputation. Then why do we keep
on boozing? Folk more learned than we may point to modern
science for definitive answers, but we prefer those Greco-
Roman ancients who proclaimed “In vino veritas” — “In wine
(and whiskey, vodka, gin and beer), there is truth.”
They said it, not us.

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