New Year, Same Me

So it's that time of year again. The indulgence of Christmas is over again. The extra food that we bought for the festive period is sitting nicely on our hips and as we all crawl out of our lovely warm homes squinting in the daylight we have become unaccustomed to, slowly reality returns and the panic sets in.

The panic of those extra pounds. The panic of the onset of general lethargy and laziness and the feeling of wanting to feast on salad and fruit for the rest of your days.

Of course the world of commercialism is quick to jump on the excess of Christmas bandwagon and soon enough, the shops are stocked full of fitness equipment and DVD's and the weight loss companies go all out to get us to join up and lose those excess pounds.

I can see why they do it. Most of us do indulge. We gain a few extra pounds and that can be enough to send us screaming to the nearest Weight Watchers. I've done it. In fact I blogged this time last year about my New Year dalliances with new fitness regimes; anything from Strictly dance DVD's (utterly hilarious as I have the coordination and grace of a blindfolded elephant) to a hula hoop (no I have no idea why either).

But for me they is something about New Years Resolutions in general which make the words "YOU WILL FAIL" resonate constantly around my brain. If I go on a proper diet, I become so utterly obsessed by food that I would probably eat my own arm is it was covered in chocolate and if I start a new exercise regime, it gets too dark and cold for me to feel any motivation to do anything except curl up on the sofa with a blanket and a bar of chocolate.

Don't get me wrong, I am not against the whole New Year thing.  Well it would be stupid to be really as it is kind of inevitable isn't it?  2012 has been a long old year with all the ups and downs that you would expect from family life. Fortunately more ups it has to said and looking back through my 366 project last night, it reminded me that we have had some brilliant times together as a family.

With that, I am looking forward to 2013.  Already, there are big changes afoot with me starting a new job next week; my first 'proper' job for eight years and then my husband starts a new job in April which is going to mean we see a lot less of him. With all that in mind, if I was forced to make any resolutions at all, it would be to simply survive these changes and the chaotic childcare arrangements with some sanity intact, that would do me for the time being.

So sadly unless they move January 1st to the summer (now that's a really good idea!) there will be no 'new me' in 2013. It will be the same one. I will endeavour to try and get myself fitter and healthier again as I have slobbed out a bit over the last few weeks, but it will not be starting from January 1st, it will be when I am ready and I have the time and motivation to do so.  Yes, I will be working, but only part time and my family will still be my main focus.  But whatever happens, I will carry on blogging about it.

I hope you have a very Happy New Year