Hi, I’m Nicole! Entrepreneur, Mummy, Wife, Consultant and overall wellbeing enthusiast.

I’m going to be writing a monthly wellbeing column for the Oxford Mail discussing all things health, fitness and wellbeing. This month I am going to talk about how to keep your January “Buzz” throughout February and all year long.

I’m personally not a fan of ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ as I find waking up on January 1 and deciding to make a load of drastic changes all at once, is simply setting yourself up for failure.

Now, I understand that the start of a new year, symbolically, means a whole year ahead to make better choices, so what I am a fan of is making small, realistic changes that are cumulative towards a greater goal. So now January is over and we are fully in the swing of things, how do we ensure we keep the same positivity and motivation through to February and throughout 2020.

Below are my three top tips to ensuring you have a fabulous, motivated year.

Re-evaluate your goals

Simple but true. Take a few minutes and give your January goals a second look.

Is this still what you want to achieve? How are you feeling? What worked for you at the beginning of the year may not be working anymore and that’s fine. Evaluate your progress, evaluate how you’re feeling and adapt any changes. Just be sure that any changes you make aren’t too drastic and are still realistic.

Keep it exciting

Often, we find excitement in things that are new to us. If you have set yourself a goal to get fitter or stronger this year, avoid boredom or getting stuck in a rut by adding variety to your exercise regime. There are so many exciting fitness classes to do these days, including Barre (a ballet-based workout), Bounce (a trampoline-based class) and even things such as ‘Hip Hop Yoga’. If you feel yourself losing enthusiasm and motivation, try something different, you might find you love it!

Reward Yourself

Staying motivated is easier if there is a reward for the effort expended! Whether that effort was physical, mental or emotional, we all love the thought of a little treat after, right? If you set yourself the task to read more this year, once you completed your first book, treat yourself to new book straight away to keep that motivation.

If you’ve decided to get more active this year, if you feel you’re achieving this, that’s brilliant, be sure to treat yourself to some new gym leggings or maybe some new trainers?

Having said this, rewarding yourself doesn’t just have to be in terms of products as this can end up being pricey, so if you’ve smashed a spin class, or finally managed that dreaded yoga backbend, treat yourself to your face cookie.

Remember, sticking to a new goal or any changes, especially one that includes creating a change in your lifestyle, will always come with its challenges. The most important thing is to not beat yourself up if things aren’t going to plan, try and keep it exciting and don’t do anything you don’t enjoy. There is always an alternative.

“ Is this still what you want to achieve? How are you feeling? What worked for you at the beginning of the year may not be working anymore and that’s fine. Evaluate your progress, evaluate how you’re feeling and adapt any changes.

Just be sure that any changes you make aren’t too drastic and are still realistic”