New Year’s Resolutions? Let Spain be your guide

Whatever your New Year’s resolution, Spain can help you achieve it

It’s that time of year again when the post-Xmas binge guilt begins to subside, threatening your good intentions and meaning it is only a matter of time until your New Year’s Resolutions lie crumpled in the detritus of failure for another year.

So if you find that you are struggling, here is one simple tip to help keep you on the straight and narrow – move to Spain.

That’s right. According to Statistic Brain, the six most common resolutions made at new year are 1) Lose weight; 2) Get organised; 3) Spend less, save more; 4) Enjoy life to the fullest; 5) Stay fit and healthy, and 6) Learn something exciting – and life in Spain can help you achieve all of these, and then some…

1. Lose weight

The key to losing weight lies within yourself… yadda yadda, yeah. It does. But it also helps if you live in an environment that affords easier access to landscapes and facilities that tempt you to move around more. So what’s it to be: a muddy, puddle-strewn field in the teeming rain, or a smooth, beachside promenade in the shining sun?

The Costa del Sol is warm, attractive and favours exploration on foot. So even if you don’t fancy taking up jogging, there are loads of opportunities to stroll around, taking in the stunning sights and charming atmosphere. Curling up on the sofa to avoid the horrible weather outside just isn’t an option in southern Spain.

2. Get organised

Nothing focuses the mind more than a move to an overseas country. Whether buying a property, taking up a new job or simply upping sticks, successful expats will have to have everything in order for it to work.

So what better way to sort out your finances, file your paperwork, address your career aspirations or simply achieve a more structured existence than undertaking one of the most rewarding journeys one can take? Relocating to Spain does not have to be stressful, but it will light a fire under those who fear their lives lack organisation or direction.

Spain affords you more time to spend with friends and family

3. Spend less, save more

Spain is cheaper than the UK for most things. Food, accommodation, drink, entertainment and utilities all cost less on the Costa del Sol than they do in the UK. Britain is generally cheaper for electronic goods and clothes, but then again, if you’re looking to save money, these are the two frivolities that you should cut out first-and-foremost.

Furthermore, Spain lacks the level of insidious marketing that compels Brits to treat themselves more often than is healthy. The pernicious ‘You’re worth it’ undercurrent running through British advertising is absent in Spain, meaning you will find yourself spending less on unnecessary items, and enjoying life more as a result.

The good life is pretty much a Spanish tradition

4. Enjoy life to the fullest

Which brings us nicely to point No. 4. Life in Spain is wonderfully geared towards those things characterised as ‘free’: sunrises over the Mediterranean, valuable time with friends and family, positivity, beautiful weather, freedom, mountains, good, cheap and wholesome food – it’s all there, packaged together under azure Spanish skies.

Moving to Spain will not magically transform your outlook and fortunes, but its unstinting pleasantness will chip away at whatever ails you, and its freedom – the lack of Nanny State meddling, few CCTV cameras, a media and government that treats its people as grown-ups, loads of space and areas of semi-wilderness to explore on the weekend – feel like a true breath of fresh air to most Brits seeking something more.

5. Stay fit and healthy

Spain’s Mediterranean diet is widely regarded as the healthiest in the world. Lashings of fresh fish, fruit, vegetables and olive oil dominate most mealtimes, delivering a dining health-kick that doesn’t need to be packaged as the latest fad. It is what it is: cheap, tasty, healthy food that is a staple of the Spanish way of life.

Leading a healthy lifestyle is easy on the Costa del Sol

Improved fitness duly follows. If you live on the Costa del Sol you are more active: you walk, swim, hike, chatter, bike, run, play. You do not retreat indoors after a hard day at work, but rather engage with your fellow man on al fresco terraces or shaded courtyards. The warmth keeps you feeling and looking good – a year-round tan, better diet and higher water intake are merely the offshoots of living on the Costa del Sol.

6. Learn something exciting

What could be more exciting than learning a whole new language and immersing oneself into the culture of a completely new country? Spanish is easy to learn, if you have the patience and desire. The first few phrases can be picked up before you go, and a few months of lessons should give you the vocabulary and grammatical understanding to feel more confident interacting with the locals.

And when you do, the rewards are wonderful. A whole new world opens up to you: new friends, new jokes, new love interests, new job opportunities, new hobbies, a new perspective. There is nothing more exciting than knowing you are learning things that will never leave you, and can only enrich your – and your family’s – existence.