It is normally around this time of year that our New Years resolutions go the same way as the left over brandy sauce and mouldy mince pies, in the bin. In reality, less that 10% of us manage to carry our resolutions past the middle of January, so is this down to the fact that we try to pass off things that we know are unattainable as resolutions, or simply the fact that what seemed like a great idea after a gallon of wine on new years eve is a really bad one when it comes to our every day lives.
Stopping smoking, stopping drinking, going to the gym, losing weight, changing our lifestyles are all examples of the kind of resolutions millions of us make every year, and fail. You can tell a smoker or a drinker that what they are doing is bad for them, can kill them, makes them socially unacceptable ’til you are blue in the face. They know this, they aren’t stupid, just addicted to these substances that make them feel sooo good when all else fails.
Giving up one of these is not something you can just decide during a drunken game of spin the bottle, it needs a lot of time, effort, self control, will power and you really have to WANT to do it. We all know the smoker who bemoans the price of their ciggies as they light one off the other one, or the drinker who falls into the house, makes like a worm on the carpet trying to get up, then proudly brandishes 4 fingers as they declare they have only had ’2 pintsh’.
The same applies to the perpetual dieter, they have been on every eating plan ever created, and while there are those who know exactly what shape they are and dress accordingly, there are also those who clearly see a size 8 when they look in the mirror and wobble around with acres of flab and stretch marks on display. These people shouldn’t make a resolution to lose weight, they should make a resolution to buy clothes that actually fit them!
That said, why do plus size clothes always have willowy models with tiny waists modelling them? Those in denial of how big they really are think by buying that strappy mini dress they will look exactly the same as the model, and the fact that that strappy mini dress is available in a size 30 also needs addressing. Bigger ladies can still dress stylishly, but there are things that should be covered up, dimpled thighs that rub together being one of them.
Going to the gym is, for the majority, a self inflicted form of torture, so why do so many think that it is the answer to their prayers. Spend a years wages on a membership and a set of gym clothes, buy a bottle of water and a headset and bingo, you’re all set for the treadmill. Then they go once, pull a muscle, or fall of the treadmill, and never go back again. These torture chambers serve their purpose for whose addiction to adrenaline equals that of a smoker, but for the rest of us, forget it.
