Eat better

After a solid month of existing on chocolate gold coins, mince pies and prosecco, it’s almost a relief when January rolls around and the focus turns to healthy eating again (almost). If you’re looking for some delicious recipes, tips and tricks to get you started, or even if you’re considering giving Veganuary a try, the following articles are a good place to start.

Breakfast first

It’s often hailed as the most important meal of the day, so breakfast seems as good a place to start as any. These 10 hearty recipes will satisfy everyone, while starting the day on a high. Read here

The ultimate healthy recipes

Shake things up in the kitchen with our pick of 50 of the best healthy recipes online, including bacon and avocado grill pizzas, coconut curry noodle soup and kale walnut pesto pasta. Even better, each recipe takes no more than 20 minutes to prepare. Read here

Tiny tips to make your eating habits healthier

These 10 little tweaks will instantly up your healthy eating game - and all with minimum effort. From cooking with coconut oil to simply adding a dash of sage, this is one to print out and laminate. Read here

Tips for planning ahead

One of the biggest obstacles to healthy eating is undoubtedly a lack of time. Luckily, the internet is bursting with tips on how to (speedily) plan for a healthy week ahead, and we’ve rounded up some of our favourites. Read here

Simple swaps

You don’t need to overhaul your entire regime to eat a little healthier. Sometimes all you need is a quick swap, such as switching rice for cauliflower, or pasta for courgette. See 10 of the best here. Read here

Vegan batch recipes

Whether you’re a lifelong vegan, or dipping your toe in for Veganuary, you should add these batch recipes to your repertoire. Each one is a cook-once-eat-all-week affair, which takes the hassle out of planning and gives you a fridge full of healthy dinners to last the week. Read here

Exercise more

Hands up if you’ve ever vowed to exercise more in the new year, only to give up by mid-January because it’s too cold/raining/Netflix is more appealing? Yep, us too.

Luckily, adding a bit of extra movement to your daily life doesn’t have to be strenuous - there are plenty of ways to sneak exercise into your week, and it can even be enjoyable. Here are some of our most popular articles on exercise to get you started.

Step one: just do it

Having a little trouble getting motivated? We hear you. Try our no-nonsense guide to kickstarting your fitness and exercise regime to get you ready and raring to go. Read here

Stay motivated

One of the most common reasons we give up on our resolutions is a lack of motivation. If you feel your positivity starting to wane, try our tips for staying motivated to exercise - especially useful in the colder winter months. Read here

Get out of your rut

Sick of running around the same park, or can’t stand the site your local gym anymore? Then these tricks for shaking yourself out of an exercise rut are for you. Read here 

Go for a walk

It’s official: walking is the best exercise you can get, according to researchers. Reap the benefits by learning how to maximise the power of your daily walk. Read here

Spend less money

We rarely wait until New Year’s Eve to make a resolution to spend less money. This is more of a daily goal we set ourselves before our resolve quickly crumbles at the altar of Pret.

Luckily, help is at hand, with a swathe of money-saving ideas below.

10 easy money-saving tips

There are many ways to curb your spending, from cutting down on luxuries to skipping the bus in favour of a brisk walk. Here are 10 of the easiest ideas to help you save a little more each month. Read here

Try a kakeibo

The ancient Japanese art of kakeibo could help you spend less, save more and, happily, transform your bank account. Our guide will teach you everything you need to know about it. Read here

Ask for a pay rise

If saving more money is one of your goals for 2018 - and even if it isn’t - why not ask for a pay rise? The issue of salary can feel like a difficult topic to broach with your manager, so here are five tips to help you get what you deserve. Read here

Self-care

Self-care was undoubtedly one of the buzz words of 2017, and its influence is showing no signs of slowing down for 2018. Whatever self-care means to you, whether its an afternoon walking in the fresh air or an evening spent luxuriating in a foamy bubble bath, there are numerous ways to help you put number one first this year.

Take care of your mental health

This is probably the most important part of any self-care ritual. If you’re struggling with your mental health, or just need some time to press pause, we have compiled the best advice from the trending hashtag #MyTipsForMentalHealth. Read here.

Listen to a podcast

We’ve compiled a useful list of the best self-care podcasts to plug into when you’re feeling overworked and overwhelmed. Read here

Get more sleep

A third of Brits suffer from insomnia, and this lack of sleep can wreak havoc with our minds, moods and health. We’ve gathered 10 expert-approved tips to help you get the slumber you need. You can also find our exclusive playlist of classical music tracks guaranteed to help you nod off here. Read here 

Read more books

This has to be one of the best resolutions ever. If you’re looking to read more books, we have a host of brilliant round-ups to help you get started, check out our books section.

Learn a new skill

Trying something new can be exhilarating, and it’s even better if it adds a new string to your bow. 

Book an evening course

Why not enhance your CV and broaden your skill set by booking into an evening class? We’ve selected some ideas to get you started here.

Get crafting

Crafting is enjoying a bit of a renaissance. And not only is it a fun hobby, it’s also a potentially lucrative side hustle, with online retailers such as Etsy and Not On The High Street selling handmade delights from people all over the UK. Read here to get started.

Get a new job

New year, new job? If you’re looking for a fresh challenge, now is the time to dust off your CV and update your LinkedIn profile – and we have plenty of advice for doing both.

Craft the perfect CV

There’s more to writing the perfect CV than simply listing your achievements. Make yours stand out with these tips from graphic designers, ensure you highlight these four skills and even consider changing your name to boost your chances of getting an interview. Oh, and avoid these eight words at all costs.

Update your LinkedIn profile

Think of your LinkedIn profile as a virtual CV to impress potential employers. First, try these six ways to upcycle your profile, and be sure to prioritise these relationships throughout. You can also try these exclusive tips from LinkedIn careers expert Darain Faraz if you’re looking for a promotion to a new role. Whatever you do, don’t include this one thing in your profile.

Make new friends

We’re never too old to make new friends, but it can get trickier to meet new people once we’re out of University and working.

If you’re looking to make new connections of the purely platonic variety, you could read our guide to the art of “friend dating” here, or read what happened when one writer turned to an app to meet new pals.

Get a new hobby

If you can’t think of any past-times you enjoyed in 2017 that didn’t involve Netflix or gin, it might be time to find a new hobby. You can read our guide to finding the right one for you here.

Focus more on appearance

This might sound like an… odd resolution to make, but a New Year’s makeover can work wonders for the soul. In fact, clothes can have such an impact on our mood that researchers have dubbed the effect “dopamine dressing”. For a few pointers on where to begin, try our latest shopping guides, including this one for cold weather boots, this one for the perfect floral midi dress and this one for non-boring office handbags.

Images: iStock, main image Andrei Coman