The fireworks have faded, the leftovers are finished and photos of the last holiday of 2012 adorn your Facebook page. So now what?
Alas, it’s time to head back to reality and to face up to those resolutions that were so easy to proclaim to family and friends but may not be as easy to stick to. Never fear though, Penguin Books have a host of titles to help you achieve your goals and to make 2013 the best year yet.
Eat better, exercise more and lose weight
A perennial favourite when it comes to New Year’s resolutions and one of the hardest to achieve.
Healthy food doesn’t necessarily mean slow food. In Jamie’s 15-Minute Meals, one of the world’s best-loved chefs, Jamie Oliver, shows you how to cook tasty, nutritious meals in just 15 minutes. You can also find out more about the man himself and get some handy kitchen hints here.
Sometimes a bit of extra exercise is all anyone needs, but how do you stay motivated after a long day at the office? Running is one of the most popular forms of exercise in the world and Get Running includes the basics from good running technique, goal setting and motivation, to schedules, preparation and how to deal with injuries and strains. Authored by personal trainer to the stars - Matt Roberts, this book will give you the kickstart you need to get fit through running.
Dr Luc’s Promise: Lose the Weight and Keep it Off by local author Dr Luc Evenepoel takes a novel approach to food, exercise and weight-loss and explains (amongst other things) why sleeping more could help you lose weight, why diet drinks could lead to your gaining weight, and why less might just be more when it comes to gyming.
Travel more
Ah, the old travel bug. It tends to bite most viciously at this time of year when the months lie open before you, waiting to be filled with adventures.
So why not take a journey around the world on a yacht with Martinique Stilwell in her sailing memoir, Thinking up a Hurricane or start planning your next holiday with Bridget Hilton-Barber’s Travel Guide to Maputo and Southern Mozambique? And if you can’t settle on a place or author, there’s always the option of meandering across the globe with Paul Theroux’s compendium of travel writing – The Tao of Travel – from the comfort of your home.
Achieve success in life and work
Decided it’s time to find that dream job but not sure where to start? Navigating Your Career by Kerry Dawkins and Graeme Codrington takes you through the five steps to success in the new world of work and will help you figure out what you want and how to get it.
Malcolm Gladwell’s bestseller Outliers looks at everyone from rock stars to scientific geniuses, trying to distil the recipe for success. It’s a great motivational read that will get you thinking big.
And if you’re looking at the bigger picture and trying to find the right path for yourself, perhaps take a look at Finding Your Way in a Wild New World: Four Steps to Fulfilling Your True Calling by popular life coach, Martha Beck for some inspiration.
Write a book and get it published
Okay, okay, so perhaps this isn’t one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions out there, but it’s certainly one which many book lovers have committed to. We can recommend Get Your Book Published in 30 (Relatively) Easy Steps by Basil van Rooyen to get you going in the ‘write’ direction. If you’re an Afrikaans writer looking for some tips on creative writing, we suggest that you look at Die Afrikaanse skryfgids by Riana Scheepers and Leti Kleyn.
The Get Published page on our website explains more about Penguin Books South Africa’s publishing guidelines.
Read more
Whilst reading is a passion which many people share, the sheer quantity of books can be quite daunting at times and it’s often difficult to find the exact book that you’re looking for. Why not sidle over to our website to check out our latest releases and book club recommendations, or sign up to one of our newsletters for monthly recommendations on books in various genres?
With that, we say best of luck for 2013 and hope that some of the books mentioned above will help to make your New Year’s resolutions a reality. And remember, as the Chinese proverb says, ‘Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.’