Five products that are (not) going to help you keep your New Year's resolutions
1.1.2023
Translation: Veronica Bielawski
You had the best of intentions, but they just didn’t cut it? Here’s why an electric blanket, e-cigarettes and a Super-Mario-style board game will make 2023 better for you. Maybe.
Every year, people make resolutions to lose weight, save money or finally quit smoking. However, actually putting your good intentions into practice is often difficult – in part because you may not have the right products to help you get there. Lucky that Galaxus has pretty much everything! That should help turn your New Year’s resolutions into reality. Or maybe not.
Lose weight
If you’ve decided to drop a few pounds, you’re probably going to focus on exercise. Why yes, we do also carry sports articles. But honestly, who wants to move their frosty bones in winter? The couch is so much more comfortable. Add a warm blanket, and things get extra cosy. According to the manufacturer, Beurer, the Cosy Nordic HD 75 blanket is lint-free, machine-washable at 30 degrees and – safety first! – switches off automatically after 1.5 hours. It’s 180 by 130 centimetres in size, so up to two people can fit under it. You’ll just have to snuggle up close and tight.
Now, what does that have to do with your New Year’s resolutions? According to a Dutch study, you lose weight faster when cold. According to the research team, spending several hours a day at 15 degrees Celsius stimulates fat burning. So, the electric blanket won’t help you in that respect. Then again, maybe losing weight isn’t so important anymore given the body positivity movement.
Quit smoking
I don’t have to reiterate that smoking is unhealthy. And yet, very few people manage to keep their fingers off cigarettes in the long term. «Without support, however, the success rate of the first attempt lies at just three to six per cent,» says Professor Stephan Mühlig, psychologist, addiction researcher and head of the smokers’ outpatient clinic at Chemnitz University of Technology, in an interview with the German health magazine Apotheken Umschau (link in German).
One product that can help you quit smoking is e-cigarettes. Several studies on e-cigarettes (link in German) suggest that ten out of 100 people using nicotine-containing e-cigarettes no longer smoked tobacco cigarettes as long as after six or 12 months. Among users of nicotine-free e-cigarettes, the number was six out of 100. However, the data is lacking, not to mention that e-cigarettes aren’t exactly healthy, either.
Researchers at the University of California found that although e-cigarettes are generally less harmful to the lungs than tobacco cigarettes, users of e-cigarettes still have a 30 per cent increased risk of suffering from respiratory diseases such as asthma or chronic bronchitis compared to non-smokers.
Still interested in trying e-cigs to cut out the real thing? You’ll find some options here. Vapes by the brand Nasty Juice have received high ratings from our customers. They’re available in many flavours, such as watermelon and vanilla. According to the manufacturer, one disposable vape should last about 675 draws.
If, on the other hand, you’re thinking, «What the heck, I’m not gonna quit smoking anytime soon!» then you might as well indulge yourself – at a whopping 955 francs, the Cohiba Linea 1492 Siglo II is the most expensive cigar in our shop. And that’s the perfect transition to our third resolution ...
Save money
There’s no shortage of budgeting hacks on the Internet – bring your budgeting book, shopping list or use cash only on your shopping trip, to name just a few. Unfortunately, Galaxus can’t really help you with this one. After all, we’re an online shop. The fact that you spend your money here is what keeps us alive.
But if you’re not one to give up and have just under 10 francs to spare, get yourself a budget planner. This one is in German and includes everyday tables where you can enter your expenses for insurance, subscriptions, rent and so on, as well as tables for your income. That way, you can take stock of your finances with relative ease and (hopefully) get a better handle on them.
Do a digital detox
Want to work on having more alone time away from your phone? Good idea. Employees of the Mental Health Research and Treatment Center (MHRTC) at the Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) have found out that completely forgoing smartphone use for a limited period may have a positive impact on overall satisfaction.
The time you gain through not hanging around Instagram and the like is time you could invest in real-life social interaction – like a board game night with friends. If you don’t want to completely forgo the digital flair, then this Super Mario-themed version of Hasbro’s «Game of Like» might be right up your alley. In this remake of the classic 1960 game, you’ll race through the Mushroom Kingdom with Mario, Peach, Luigi and Yoshi to defeat Bowser at the end – analogous to Nintendo’s video game.
Eat healthier
If the electric blanket above is to keep you from going to the gym, you could balance that out with healthy and sustainable food. Loosely based on the motto «swap out the bacon for the bulgur salad» you’ll find canning jars, lunch boxes, and other reusable containers suitable for storing homemade food and taking it to work – check out our «Storage + Preserving» section.
However, looking at some of the kitchen items in our store, you really do wonder what in the world the product designers were thinking ... for example, the Ceravegan frying pan from Just Vegan. The manufacturer advertises the pan’s non-stick avocado oil coating, likely aimed at vegans in particular. «If the manufacturer can be believed, the avocado oil coating isn’t harmful to your health. Whether or not that’s really true remains to be seen,» one user comments.
Header image: Andres Siimon/Unsplash
Anika Schulz
Teamleader Editorial
Anika.Schulz@galaxus.deAs a child, I was socialised with Mario Kart on SNES before ending up in journalism after graduating from high school. As a team leader at Galaxus, I'm responsible for news. I'm also a trekkie and an engineer.
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