Tag: goals

Scottish soldiers share top tips to stick to New Year resolutions

Soldiers from The Royal Regiment of Scotland have revealed their army hacks to help civilians stick to their 2024 goals

Nearly a third of the Brits will be setting New Year’s resolutions just now, with ambitions around health and wellbeing, from reducing stress to exercising more, being among the most popular.

But despite these good intentions, one in five resolution setters will call it quits by the end of January, with many citing feelings of pressure and lack of perseverance as their main setback.

With characteristics of resilience and dedication built into them from the start of their army careers, soldiers from The Royal Regiment of Scotland have shared their top tips help the British public stick to the commitments they’ve made to themselves this year.

  1. The key to success? Visualise it.

“Don’t let negative thoughts embed themselves. A positive and can-do mindset is the bedrock of success. Take the time to visualise your goals – it will make the path to success much clearer. Flexibility is key too. If one day doesn’t go as planned, get up and start over afresh the next.” –   Cpl Fraser Hall, 3rd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland

  1. 10 minutes is all you need to set yourself up for success tomorrow

“I always make sure to set aside 10 minutes after every working day to sit and digest my tasks and goals for the next day. That small space of time is crucial to help me mentally prepare for the next day.”  – WO2 Sean McKnight, Regimental Sergeant Major, 6th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland

  1. Keep cool and carry on

“An ice bath is a great way to de-stress and think clearly. Whilst taking the initial plunge may be a bit daunting, it forces you to focus on being present in the moment and concentrate solely on your breathing, helping you to feel calmer. But, if it’s really not for you things like the headspace app are great for mental health and wellbeing, and getting you into the right space of mind for the day ahead.” WO1 Ryan Robertson, Regimental Sergeant Major, 1st Battalion The Ranger Regiment.

  1. Embracing the outdoors? Be prepared

“To help you spend more time outside, rain or shine, it’s a good idea to ‘waterproof your waterproofs’. What this means is layering up and wearing the correct fabrics to make sure you don’t end up soaked through!

 Your mid layer fleece or jacket shouldn’t be cotton either, as this will retain moisture and not protect you from any wind or rain – a polyester-base is best as it will keep you protected against the elements. We always keep a dry kit in our bags, too. Using it is an absolute last resort, but can be a life saver when out in tough weather, so it’s definitely something to consider if you plan to be outdoors for longer periods of time, or on tough terrain.” Capt Scott McFadden, Regimental Adjutant, The Royal Regiment of Scotland

  1. Work movement into everyday

“Try to work movement into activities that would usually be stationary. Can your meeting be done while taking a walk round the block? Then what’s stopping you? Life at the regiment requires you to balance a lot of different training, activities and information, so one thing I always do is make any sit down meeting a moving meeting. When you get up and start moving, your ideas flow a lot more and a change of environment can help when needing a fresh perspective.” – WO1 Bradley Warwick, Regimental Sergeant Major, 7th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland

Healthy Tip: Setting Effective Goals for Your Health

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK


Healthy Heart Tip: Setting Effective Goals for Your Health
January marks the start of a new year and it is a good time to evaluate the current state of your health.

Many of us use the new year to set health related goals, which often include stopping a bad habit or introducing a new healthy one.

However, a goal without a plan is just a dream and it is worth spending some time to set effective goals if you want to make positive strides towards better health in 2023. Here we outline some tips to set effective goals.

Make them SMART

SMART goals are:

SPECIFIC: ‘Eat healthier’ sounds like a good idea, but what does that look like for you specifically? It could be eating five portions of fruits and vegetables a day or increasing the amount of water you drink to two litres. Whatever it is, make it as specific as possible.

MEASURABLE: Set goals that are trackable and allow you to measure your success. For example, a goal to reduce your alcohol consumption is hard to quantify, but a goal to limit your alcohol consumption to three drinks a week is measurable.

ATTAINABLE: It can be tempting to set huge goals when we are feeling really inspired, however, it is important to think realistically and set goals that you can actually achieve. For someone who has never run before and doesn’t have a good level of fitness, setting a goal to run a marathon may be a bit of a stretch.

RELEVANT: Make the goal align with your values and longer-term health goals. Why is this goal important to you and what impact will it have on your health if it isn’t achieved?

TIME-BOUND: An effective goal has an end date, when will you achieve this goal by? Planning to stop smoking by 1st August 2023 is a time-bound goal. It enables you to plan what steps you need to take to achieve it by the end date.

Track your progress

It’s a good idea to write your goals down on paper or in a journal and keep track of your progress. You could break down the year by quarters and plan what you want to have achieved in relation to each goal by the end of every quarter.

For example, by the end of quarter one (January through March) you will have achieved consistently drinking one litre of water a day and by the end of quarter two (April through June) you will have achieved consistently drinking two litres a day. 

For more tips on how to stay healthy, sign up for our weekly healthy tips at www.heartresearch.org.uk/healthy-tips.

To help keep your heart healthy, why not try out some of our Healthy Heart recipes from our website: https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-recipes-2/.

Or have a look through our Healthy Heart cookbook filled with recipes from top chefs, celebrities and food bloggers:https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-cookbook/.

Four tips to help keep routines on track amid uncertainty

Scots have been encouraged to build extenuating circumstances into their plans, look at the smaller goals and reward themselves to help them stick to their routines during this difficult time.‎

The team from Blackwolf Workout  have offered those struggling four tips to help keep their days more structured.‎

A lack of motivation and productivity is normal for anyone during a global pandemic, whether this is in terms of keeping to a gym routine or adapting to working from home.  ‎

Everyone is feeling different day to day so it’s important to not let your entire week or routine be overshadowed by one slip-up. ‎

A spokesperson for  Blackwolf Workout  said: “This has been a very uncertain year for everyone where normal routines, such as commuting to and from work, have been disrupted.  

“It can be difficult to stick to the routines of the ‘new normal’ when everything is so uncertain with further potential lockdowns still possible.

“By planning ahead and building any uncertainty into your routine you’re more likely to stick to it.” ‎

These are Blackwolf Workout’s  tips on how to keep to a routine:

1. Goals

Everything seems more achievable with smaller goals. If you have one finish point in mind, try and break down the journey between where you are now and the endpoint. Within the journey, you should highlight several markers or smaller goals to help show you’re on track. ‎

2. Reward

Everyone likes a reward and they can sometimes be just the motivation you need. If you’re struggling to motivate yourself to go to the gym, why don’t you treat yourself to your favourite meal on a Saturday night if you go three times a week? Be careful not to burn yourself out otherwise you’ll never want to get back to a routine. ‎

3. Remind

Write down exactly what you want to achieve by our routine. Do you want to lower your body mass, look more toned or reach a lifting goal? By writing your goal down and displaying it somewhere within your house, maybe on your desk or the door of your fridge, it’ll remind you of why you’re doing what you are and help motivate you. ‎

4. Location

With further potential lockdowns looking likely it can be hard to create a routine which you know will look the same in the next few months. Try and incorporate things that you can do at home, such as home workouts, into the routine.

If you do want to go to the gym, consider how you could do this at home if they shut. By planning as much as you can and considering these options before they happen it means you’re less likely to be thrown out of routine if they do.