Bounty feature

New year's resolutions

Make a fresh start with our feelgood, fitness and finance tips

If you’re a new mum or parent of a young family, you’re probably still clearing up the Christmas wrapping, sighing over your bank statement and feeling sluggish and unmotivated. You’re not alone.  It’s the time of year when many of us feel deflated after the frenzy of Christmas, are in debt because of festive over-spending, and feel fat and unfit.

Forget detoxing, giving up chocolate or joining a gym.  If you’re feeling low, drastic, short-term measures and doing things you don’t like will make you feel worse and it’ll be harder to keep them up.  Instead, take a deep calming breath, follow our easy-to-manage plan of action and you’ll start to see the new year in a fresh light.

Money matters
The credit crunch may have made us cut back on Christmas shopping, but unemployment and job insecurity are rising, so keeping tabs on spending and managing debts is more important than ever.

It’s tempting to push debts to the back of your mind, but sadly, they won’t go away. If you’re struggling to budget or pay off loans, steer well clear of ‘debt consolidators’ and instead get free and confidential advice from your local citizens’ advice bureau or go to www.directgov.co.uk for advice on managing your finances and dealing with debt.

Take control of your money by:

*  Avoiding additional debts
*  Prioritising existing debts
*  Working out your outgoings so you can...
*  Calculate a budget... and
*  Cut back on non essential spending, start saving and reduce your debts
*  Planning long-term by taking out income protection insurance, life insurance and saving for your children
*  Finding out what benefits you may be entitled to
*  Making sure you’re getting the best rates on any savings, mortgage, your utilities and household and car insurance


Feeling blue?
As a new mum, you may be feeling particularly low once the excitement of Christmas is over. See your health visitor or GP if you’re finding it hard to cope or are tearful and unhappy as you could be one of the 70,000 to 100,000 women a year in the UK suffering from postnatal depression. You’re not alone and it will help to talk to someone about how you feel. Why not go to Bounty’s postnatal depression forums to meet other mums with similar experiences?


The right diet
However much you want to lose weight fast, quick-fix or faddy diets just don’t work. All the statistics show that losing weight quickly or following an unsustainable eating plan may lose you pounds in the short term, but you’ll heap them back on once you stop dieting.

What does work is a long-term change of eating and exercise habits. But you don’t need to take up tofu and yoga, unless you want to! Think instead about being kind to yourself by introducing more healthy foods into your diet, walking more, and easing off the junk. Eating healthily will help you feel better mentally not just physically. Eating lots of processed foods high in fat, sugar, salt and chemical additives can make you feel listless, sluggish and low, which in turn makes you turn to more of those foods as comfort. And cooking from scratch will save you money on your food bill.


Feeling fit
Forget joining a gym (too expensive and hard to keep motivated). Our fitness plan is much easier to start and keep up. Start the year with a plan to eat healthily as above, plus fit exercise into your daily routine, to lose weight gradually and effectively and feel better about yourself.

*  Research (and common sense) shows that people who ‘can’t keep still’ are on average thinner than their couch potato counterparts. Start by walking more – it’s the cheapest and most effective form of exercise and the more you do it, the further you can go and the more calories you’ll burn off. Walking also boosts your endorphin levels so you get that feelgood factor, for free.
*  If you’ve got a young baby, getting out every day for a long walk when they’re napping will shed pounds and keep you fit. Get together with other mums to make it more fun.
*  Prefer something more structured? Check out your local playgroup or community centre noticeboard for local keep fit classes, which are cheaper then the gym. This is a good way of getting to know local mums and dads too.
*  Many mums swear by pilates as a brilliant way to get fit, strong and supple safely. Look out for local pilates classes in church halls, leisure and community centres or borrow a pilates dvd from your local library to get you started at home.

What about me?

Feeling good about yourself makes a difference to every area of your life. One of the best ways to improve your mood, especially in the dark, dull days of the new year is by giving yourself a little TLC. You, your partner and your children, however young they are, will reap the benefits of your regularly spending time on yourself, so discover some of that feelgood factor at our mums’ wellbeing site, Me Time.

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut when you’ve got kids, but dig yourself out by spending regular time with friends, and taking time to discover an interest that’s outside the home and family, whether it’s as dramatic as a new career, or simply an escape from the day-to-day grind.  

Enjoy making it a happy new year.