New Year Resolutions

[telstarbox]

Is anyone planning to pick up or give up something in 2021? Feel free to share below for mutual encouragement

 

[Gloster]

Hope?

 

[PeterY]

Hope?

That's a good one. All the plans I'd made for 2020, I hope I can complete/start in 2021

 

[3rd rail land]

Is anyone planning to pick up or give up something in 2021? Feel free to share below for mutual encouragement

I plan to give up all these endless restrictions and lockdowns and pick up the old normal. The only snag is it is not up to me but rather the government.

 

[yorkie]

Let's keep this thread non-Covid related; there is a whole section for Covid-related stuff!

I have no particular resolution for 2021 except, since September I have increased the amount of exercise I do by playing more football games, and I intend to keep that up.

 

[Techniquest]

I was hoping to find a New Year Resolutions thread So far, I've got these:

- Actually make in-roads into the junk food cut-down. I get really close, then I end up eating loads of it again. All progress recently seems to have gone backwards

- Tied together with cutting out junk food is my main one, to get back to eating more fruit and veg regularly. I've been way too lazy on that for ages, and it's time that changed back!

- Find a suitable balance with tea and coffee, with a bid to cut coffee consumption down by approximately 50%

- Finally, I aim to keep up the good work on my cycling, and the mission to cover all of Herefordshire by bike. Except for dead-end roads to places like industrial estates, farms or similar. There's a couple of dead-end roads I need to investigate further on Maps, as I don't know what's at the ends of them yet. There's still a LOT of work to do on covering the county, and of course the bits that go over the border into Wales will have to wait, but it's getting there slowly. It will take years to finish, but that's a good thing!

 

[High Dyke]

Having achieved walking over a 1000 miles during 2020, I'm hoping I can manage repeat the feat in 2021. At the end of the day it's a modest target, if you break it down into a daily walk. One benefit is the health and wellbeing aspect of it; equally a couple of charities have benefitted from my efforts. Apart from that, I tend not to make resolutions.

 

[Techniquest]

Having achieved walking over a 1000 miles during 2020, I'm hoping I can manage repeat the feat in 2021. At the end of the day it's a modest target, if you break it down into a daily walk. One benefit is the health and wellbeing aspect of it; equally a couple of charities have benefitted from my efforts. Apart from that, I tend not to make resolutions.

Nice result! Fingers crossed you can keep that going in 2021, maybe even more? I logged my walking last year, well in excess of 3,700 miles from memory. I'm close to 2,000 miles by bike this year, so I'm very pleased with that and of course expect to smash that amount easily!

 

[High Dyke]

Nice result! Fingers crossed you can keep that going in 2021, maybe even more? I logged my walking last year, well in excess of 3,700 miles from memory. I'm close to 2,000 miles by bike this year, so I'm very pleased with that and of course expect to smash that amount easily!

Thanks. Well done yersen.

 

[nlogax]

More outdoors time, more 4k drone wor, finally getting to places that don't restrict my drone ceiling to 120 meters..

Whether that counts as a resolution or just making up for a lost year I don't know.

 

[3rd rail land]

I'm hoping to find a suitable alternative for all the exercise I haven't been doing this year. I used to walk a lot due to all the travel I did, be that going to the office, I went quite a few times even though I have primarily been WFH for 15 or so months, or going to the many leisure activities I did before everything was put on hold. I also used to play squash a couple times a week, considered the world's healthies sport, but this has been off limits for a lot of the year or rather restricted when for the rather brief periods it has been allowed.

Living in London going for a walk isn't particularly appealing unless I have somewhere I need to get to. Same with cycling plus I don't own a bicycle any more.

 

[ABB125]

My dad's giving up reading the Guardian online.

A bit of context: the only newspaper he reads is the Telegraph on a Saturday, but he does occasionally read Guardian opinion articles just so that he can shout at something! Due to coronavirus, and especially since the first lockdown, he's been spending more and more time reading the Guardian (or, more accurately, the comments; most of the time he doesn't bother reading the actual article!). However, it does have a negative effect on his mental health (for numerous reasons, not least the commenters' infuriating lack of understanding about anything!) so, as of just over 3 hours' time, he will never visit the Guardian website again. In theory...

 

[bussnapperwm]

To stop reading the daily fail as it increases my blood pressure somewhat higher.

Seriously though, I am to learn more about APIs and coding, so I can take advantage of the bus open data

 

[backontrack]

My New Year's resolution is 1080p, but I'm hoping to increase it to 4k in the Boxing Day sales.

 

[GusB]

I haven't made any this year. Getting more exercise was one, but I made that one about five years ago and I'm only now about to put it into practice; I'll be ordering a new bike over the next few days and I'm hoping that the weather will be reasonably kind.

 

[Techniquest]

I haven't made any this year. Getting more exercise was one, but I made that one about five years ago and I'm only now about to put it into practice; I'll be ordering a new bike over the next few days and I'm hoping that the weather will be reasonably kind.

In advance of you getting on your new bike, welcome to the wonderful and addictive world of cycling! If you can get it organised, try to get a bike fit done before you start riding, just to make sure the saddle is at the correct height. I didn't have such a luxury in May 2020 and I ended up injuring my legs!

I would also strongly recommend investing in some thermal clothing for winter cycling. A few months back Aldi had a cycling event on, where I got some Merino wool socks and full length trousers, as well as other stuff. My thermal long sleeved shirt came from a Primark sale last winter, an absolute bargain at £3 and I recommend trying them if you can.

I also have my Regatta coat, which is fairly waterproof but also windproof. That makes a huge difference, and I cannot recommend highly enough wearing such a coat. Mine was only £39.99 but has proved to be worth every penny. Finally, I know it sounds obvious, but a warm pair of gloves and a warm hat are vital at this time of year!

 

[MattA7]

In advance of you getting on your new bike, welcome to the wonderful and addictive world of cycling! If you can get it organised, try to get a bike fit done before you start riding, just to make sure the saddle is at the correct height. I didn't have such a luxury in May 2020 and I ended up injuring my legs!

I would also strongly recommend investing in some thermal clothing for winter cycling. A few months back Aldi had a cycling event on, where I got some Merino wool socks and full length trousers, as well as other stuff. My thermal long sleeved shirt came from a Primark sale last winter, an absolute bargain at £3 and I recommend trying them if you can.

I also have my Regatta coat, which is fairly waterproof but also windproof. That makes a huge difference, and I cannot recommend highly enough wearing such a coat. Mine was only £39.99 but has proved to be worth every penny. Finally, I know it sounds obvious, but a warm pair of gloves and a warm hat are vital at this time of year!

I wonder if I’m the only person on this forum who has never ridden a bicycle in my entire life (I’m 26) - it must be rather rare.

As far as new year’s resolutions go I’ve decided to try and get personal problems sorted out one and for all and hopefully succeed in doing so.

 

[davetheguard]

Going back on trains again (lots & lots of them to make up for lost time) - but not until the mask requirement is ended.

 

[Techniquest]

I wonder if I’m the only person on this forum who has never ridden a bicycle in my entire life (I’m 26) - it must be rather rare.

As far as new year’s resolutions go I’ve decided to try and get personal problems sorted out one and for all and hopefully succeed in doing so.

Very possible, it is extremely unusual to have never rode a bike even in childhood.

Whatever the personal problems are, I wish you good luck in sorting them out Been there, done that and it took a lot of doing over a long period of time, but I got there and I've never been happier. Still got to fix the addiction to sugary junk food but that's just one of those things that'll happen when the time is right. It was like that with everything else, in the meantime I'll just keep laying the groundworks for such a scheme!

Hopefully it won't be a long road ahead for you

 

[MattA7]

Very possible, it is extremely unusual to have never rode a bike even in childhood.

Whatever the personal problems are, I wish you good luck in sorting them out Been there, done that and it took a lot of doing over a long period of time, but I got there and I've never been happier. Still got to fix the addiction to sugary junk food but that's just one of those things that'll happen when the time is right. It was like that with everything else, in the meantime I'll just keep laying the groundworks for such a scheme!

Hopefully it won't be a long road ahead for you

Thanks, Hopefully things improve this year for all of us.

 

[pacer89]

Perhaps connecting more with the outside world. I have been indoors a lot for obvious reasons and I think it's time to start going for walks and other things.

 

[GusB]

In advance of you getting on your new bike, welcome to the wonderful and addictive world of cycling! If you can get it organised, try to get a bike fit done before you start riding, just to make sure the saddle is at the correct height. I didn't have such a luxury in May 2020 and I ended up injuring my legs!

I would also strongly recommend investing in some thermal clothing for winter cycling. A few months back Aldi had a cycling event on, where I got some Merino wool socks and full length trousers, as well as other stuff. My thermal long sleeved shirt came from a Primark sale last winter, an absolute bargain at £3 and I recommend trying them if you can.

I also have my Regatta coat, which is fairly waterproof but also windproof. That makes a huge difference, and I cannot recommend highly enough wearing such a coat. Mine was only £39.99 but has proved to be worth every penny. Finally, I know it sounds obvious, but a warm pair of gloves and a warm hat are vital at this time of year!

Thanks, @Techniquest - cycling isn't entirely new to me, but I was sixteen the last time it was a regular form of exercise. That wisnae yesterday, either. I'm fortunate in that there's a disused railway line minutes away from my house, and a fair bit of forestry track from there, so I'll probably spend some away from the roads until I get my competence (and confidence) back before venturing out onto the road. I've opted for a hybrid, it should be able to cope with these surfaces.

Perhaps connecting more with the outside world. I have been indoors a lot for obvious reasons and I think it's time to start going for walks and other things.

Absolutely this. I've spent much of the last year hidden away, and not just for Covid reasons. I feel it's time to get back in the saddle (as it were - see above) and try to regain some normality.

Welcome to the forum, by the way

 

[Techniquest]

Thanks, @Techniquest - cycling isn't entirely new to me, but I was sixteen the last time it was a regular form of exercise. That wisnae yesterday, either. I'm fortunate in that there's a disused railway line minutes away from my house, and a fair bit of forestry track from there, so I'll probably spend some away from the roads until I get my competence (and confidence) back before venturing out onto the road. I've opted for a hybrid, it should be able to cope with these surfaces.

Absolutely this. I've spent much of the last year hidden away, and not just for Covid reasons. I feel it's time to get back in the saddle (as it were - see above) and try to regain some normality.

Welcome to the forum, by the way

Nice! I should add, even though I'm sure it's obvious, that I would still advise much caution out there at the moment. Slippery surfaces everywhere... I count myself as an experienced cyclist these days, having been riding since 24th February 2020, but I still make novice mistakes like not going quite slow enough on suspect surfaces or not braking quite as early as I really should. Obviously after making that mistake twice in 3 days, I've learnt to be a little more vigilant!

Good news on a disused railway being nearby, I have a former GWR railway within a stone's throw of the house too. If it wasn't for the dog walkers getting in the way I'd love it even more!

My first ride was through the city centre and down to the railway station, which I enjoyed so much I was soon back on another Beryl bike (similar to Boris Bikes) and took on a busy main road to ride to the other side of the city How I managed it all for months without a helmet I have no idea, I did eventually get one of course. Upgraded to a cheap mountain bike from Halfords which I got in early May 2020, the day after I designated to being a 'get to know the bike' day. Which turned into something like a 30 mile ride into the countryside!

So if you're anything like me, you'll be riding along the roads in no time. It's a surprisingly addictive but fun hobby, maybe we should start a cycling thread for discussing tales of cycling etc. Hmm...

Perhaps connecting more with the outside world. I have been indoors a lot for obvious reasons and I think it's time to start going for walks and other things.

You might find that getting outside for regular walks will do wonders for your overall health, so I would recommend doing so. Maintaining distance from others when necessary etc. Of course, doing so at the moment I'd advise lots of warm clothing, but also have a bottle of water too. I know it sounds daft, to drink cold water on a cold day, but with multiple layers comes sweating, and too much of that will soon leave you dehydrated. It only needs to be small amounts regularly on walks, but still necessary.

 

[yorksrob]

I think I've been forced to give up enough already at the moment.

 

[C J Snarzell]

I've made a resolution to visit Barnard Castle when restrictions are lifted.

CJ

 

[Techniquest]

I think I've been forced to give up enough already at the moment.

Surely resolutions aren't about being forced to give something up Trying something new, improving on something, yes but forcing oneself to give something up is not what resolutions should be about.

Plenty of people will be making their annual effort to give up smoking, and lose weight, take up exercising, whatever they choose. Good luck to them I say, but forcing oneself to do such a challenging thing just because it's a new year and it's social convention to do silly things in January, well they'll probably give up on that in no time. Losing weight, giving up smoking, cutting down on/out alcohol etc is something that one can only really do when they're ready to. I did all of those many times without success, that was because I wasn't physically or mentally ready to do so.

When I was, then it became much easier. Packing in the alcohol was super easy to do, compared to the expected challenge, but I did it as a result of finally being ready to do it for my own gains. The other two were much harder, and I've only recently got a new but possibly better form of motivation to lose the excess weight again.

Anyway, my point is that I would recommend not giving something up but look for something to improve upon. It could be something as simple as committing to reading that book on the shelf which has been there for ages, or even actually getting on with cooking something new. Resolutions can be fun, not just a chore. If they're a chore, they'll soon be given up. I've made sure mine are as achieveable as possible, and I have multiple ways to keep motivated

 

[pacer89]

@Techniquest - cycling isn't entirely new to me, but I was sixteen the last time it was a regular form of exercise. That wisnae yesterday, either. I'm fortunate in that there's a disused railway line minutes away from my house, and a fair bit of forestry track from there, so I'll probably spend some away from the roads until I get my competence (and confidence) back before venturing out onto the road. I've opted for a hybrid, it should be able to cope with these surfaces.

Absolutely this. I've spent much of the last year hidden away, and not just for Covid reasons. I feel it's time to get back in the saddle (as it were - see above) and try to regain some normality.

Welcome to the forum, by the way

Thank you, regaining normality is exactly what I want and doing more every day things that I would have done before covid could atleast make things feel more normal.

 

[JohnMcL7]

I didn't manage to do the cycling challenges I set for myself last year due to the virus so did different ones instead, at the moment it seems we're going to have restrictions for a long time so really need to rethink this year as well. I definitely want to make more effort to cycle to further parts of the Highland Main line since there's a lot of great scenery, I've been working hard on fitness over winter so I'm hoping I'm more up to the big climbs and distance to get there more easily.

 

[Techniquest]

I didn't manage to do the cycling challenges I set for myself last year due to the virus so did different ones instead, at the moment it seems we're going to have restrictions for a long time so really need to rethink this year as well. I definitely want to make more effort to cycle to further parts of the Highland Main line since there's a lot of great scenery, I've been working hard on fitness over winter so I'm hoping I'm more up to the big climbs and distance to get there more easily.

I sympathise, I've got similar issues with not being able to achieve my goals with cycling too. Hopefully later this year things will ease enough so I can do more of my own county if nothing else.

Good luck on the fitness improvement, I'm slowly working on the same sort of thing currently. Not with a lot of luck, granted, but this time off work is giving me plenty of chance to make progress. Day 3 off work (booked holiday time, originally I'd have gone to New Zealand with the 10 days off but never mind) and I'm finally getting into the right mindset with nutrition. Which has reminded me that I am almost out of fruit and that's not good! It's the trying to shift the huge spike in body fat over the festive season I'm mostly focused on, as well as keeping the strength up. Not easy to do both at once!

Here's to brighter days later in the year, and in advance of your trip to the Highlands, I hope it goes well!

 

[ungreat]

I never make any
If I want to do something I will regardless of what time of year it is