We are all starting to sense that winter is finally on its way out and spring is most definitely on its way in. Here at The Forge, we’ve all been coming in commenting on the beautifully bright mornings and the flowers starting to blossom all around.

Spring brings with it the desire for fresh starts – it’s why so many of us feel compelled to ‘spring clean’ and de-clutter at this time of year. If you’ve been having trouble maintaining your new year’s resolutions, now is the perfect time to reboot them.

In the long dark days of winter, it’s difficult to find the motivation to get out of the house and go for a run, or even a walk, let alone reach for lighter healthier food over the stodgy comforts of stews and pies!

With spring in the air, it’s so much easier to make healthier changes, so if you have been feeling despondent about your resolutions, try these tips for kick-starting a new regime.

Define your goals
Think back to your resolutions – how specific were you? It’s so much easier to stick to goals if you are specific. It’s easy to lose heart when your only aim is to ‘lose weight’, but if you aim for something more specific like ‘lose 1 stone’ it’s easier to feel a sense of achievement, knowing that every pound you lose is taking you closer to your ultimate goal.

Change your outlook
It’s so much easier to go for a walk to ‘enjoy the sunshine’ than it is to ‘get some exercise’. One outlook feels like a treat, the other like a chore. Change the way you approach moving more and it becomes a lot easier to work into your day – you will also enjoy it more, which is just as important!

Be kind
We often have a tendency to beat ourselves up more than we congratulate ourselves. So next time you feel like berating yourself for having a pudding, take a moment to consider all the things you did that day or week that moved you closer to your goal. Did you congratulate yourself for any of those things?