Hello everybody! Welcome back to my blog. The purpose of this blog is to help people find their way to a healthier lifestyle. I mostly talk about exercise and its science, which is my area of expertise, but I also talk about nutrition, sleeping habits and many other subjects related to wellbeing and healthy lifestyle. 

This strange 2021 is coming to an end, and we are all looking forward to 2022. COVID, the restrictions, and the lockdowns have shown us that there are certain things that are out of our control. If there is something that COVID has shown me personally is that we must be patient, and we must adjust to every situation with a positive attitude. Nonetheless, I also think that no matter what, having an organised life and looking forward to the future are keys to success in all areas of our lives. We just need to manage the frustration that occurs when something does not go according to the plan. For that reason, I want to finish this 2021 with a post about New Year's resolutions, and I will also share my personal 2022 resolutions.

Like any other list of items, a New Year's Resolutions list will give you an idea of what it is that you would like to achieve the next year. Sometimes we have a bunch of ideas going around our heads, but we are not capable to see them (or achieve them) until we put them on paper. By doing this we are bringing them closer, more achievable. We can even realise, once the thoughts have become words, how important it really is. Write all these thoughts and read them, and think of them, one by one: is this something you really want to do? Or is it something someone else wants you to do, or you think you are expected to do? Will this make you happy? Is it going to fulfil your life?

When we do this kind of lists, we tend to write down about our careers, about how much weight we have put on and how much we want to lose, about those things we always say we are going to do but we never find the motivation to do. Is this what you really want to do in 2022? Setting those type of goals may lead you to suffer from frustration if you never get them.

For 2022, I encourage you to make a list of resolutions that will make you feel happy. Remember, this is not a goal setting exercise. We do not need to set SMART goals, though our goals must be achievable and realistic.

To give you an example, here is my 2022 Resolutions:

  1. Save enough money to visit my family in September.
  2. Look after my little family (Harry, Sauron, and Pandora).
  3. Go back to running, enjoy running events with Harry.
  4. Fully recover from hernia surgery.
  5. Reach higher levels in rock climbing and bouldering.
  6. Have at least one day a week to just enjoy without worrying.
  7. Study something (languages, animal studies, science-related).
  8. Use my phone less.
  9. Work on blog and boost it on social media.
  10. Read about history, sport science, physiology, skincare, and other subjects I enjoy.

All these resolutions may change throughout the year though, because we change. Have you ever thought about where you were, what you were doing, what was your plan 365 days ago? To give you an example, 365 days ago I was working in a different place, I didn't have any pets, I wasn't married yet, and I was looking forward to seeing my family in September. All this have changed: I have two beautiful cats, I married my best friend in the world, and I didn't get to see my family because of COVID. Some other things will happen, and we do not have control over them. For example, this year I got a hernia that kept me away from running, doing rock climbing or any other type of exercise for over 6 months. I did not expect for this to happen, and some of my 2021 goals were not achieved because of this. On the other hand, I did not think of starting my own blog, which I decided later on. This is why it is so important to keep and open mind.

I have done this exercise every year since I remember. Most of the time I don't get to achieve the half of it, but I keep doing it no matter what. It's the magic of it. You finish your year and review the items you put on the list, and you learn a whole lot of things about yourself, you realise how much you have grown, it makes you think about the people that were with you back then and the people you are with now, it brings you back to a stage that seems to have been since for ever, but it actually was 365 days ago. Sometimes this will be a positive thing, and sometimes it will be disappointing, but remember, it all depends on how you take it and how you use it to improve yourself.

That's it for today! I really hope that you enjoy it. If you like what I do and you want to support this project, follow me on Instagram and Facebook, like the post and comment! Thank you!

PS: This post is for you, auntie, may you Rest In Peace, and guard me from wherever you are like you always did in life.