15 New Year’s Resolutions to Commit to if You Live in Saskatchewan

January 26, 2018

The New Year is a blank slate: A good time to start over or start up. And Saskatchewan is the perfect place to make those goals and dreams happen.

Here are a few Sask-based resolutions to make in 2018.

1. Get off the beaten path and explore further

Have you hiked the Gem Lakes, explored the Beechy Sandcastle and Sunken Hill Trail, visited the Nipekamew Sand Cliffs or walked the Crooked Bush? If not, make a plan and go.

View of The Crooked Bush in Beechy

The Crooked Bush

2. Volunteer

Saskatchewan has one of the highest volunteer rates in Canada. Nearly 60% of locals take time to support their communities with fundraising and organizing events.

3. Make more of an effort to enjoy winter

It’s here and it’s not going anywhere for a while. Get outside and enjoy all the fun that comes with snow: cross-country skiing, fat biking, tobogganing, snowmobiling, ice skating, winter camping and drinking copious amounts of hot chocolate (with or without Bailey’s to take the edge off the cold).

4. Download apps and games on your phone that are actually useful

The days of Plants vs. Zombies and Pokémon Go are over. Instead, download Super Stickman Golf designed by Saskatoon’s own Noodlecake Studios while you wait for your appointment. Or connect to the Mysask411 app to find more of what you’re looking for in Saskatchewan.

5. Try something new

Face your fear of heights and jump out of an airplane with Skydive Saskatoon or try ziplining at Treeosix Adventure Parks and Blue Mountain Adventure Park. Rent an electric fatbike from Biktrix or turn your mind off with a sensory deprivation experience at Float Now.

Female sitting in plane ready to go skydiving

Skydive Saskatoon

6. Make more money

Did you know 99% of businesses in Saskatchewan are small businesses? That means there is a lot of support to help you launch your great idea. And 2018 is the perfect year to finally make it happen.

7. Watch a sunrise or sunset every week

We’re known as the Land of Living Skies for a reason. It’s not hard to see why.

View of the sunset over Sandy Lake

Sandy Lake

8. Cheer even harder for the Riders

We bleed green when it comes to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. And despite losing against the Argonauts in the last minute of the division finals in 2017, things look positive for 2018. We’ll be there supporting and cheering them on no matter what.

9. Drink less beer

This resolution doesn’t count if you’re supporting local. In that case, pick up a six-pack or growler from any of nearly a dozen craft breweries in Saskatchewan. But always make sure to plan a safe ride home (hint: use the Mysask411 app to call a cab).

Cheersing two cans of District Brewing on the shore

District Brewing

10. Lose weight

You can join a gym like Encompass Fitness in Estevan, practice goat yoga with Grotto Gardens in Maple Creek or hop on a bike with Wheelhouse Cycle Club in Regina. Or you can take off your toque, scarf, mitts, winter jacket, ski pants and boots. Both will help you lose at least 20 pounds.

11. Share with the world how “not flat” Saskatchewan actually is

Did you know Cypress Hills is home to the highest point in Canada east of the Rocky Mountains at 1466 metres above sea level? Please tell anyone visiting the province to venture off the Trans-Canada Highway. Its flatness does not represent the entirety of the province.

View of the Conglomerate Cliffs in Cypress Hills

Conglomerate Cliffs – Cypress Hills

12. Wear sunscreen to avoid a farmer’s tan

Saskatchewan is home to several of the sunniest cities in the country clocking in more than 2300 hours of sunshine a year. If you’re heading to Kindersley, Swift Current, Estevan or Regina (or anywhere outside), slap on some sunscreen to avoid sun damage and that red neck look.

13. Watch the stars and northern lights

There are few places in this world with access to a clear view of the billions of stars in the sky. Take extra time this year to appreciate both the Milky Way and the incredible aurora that’s so easily seen in Saskatchewan.

Couple looking up at the Northern Lights

Northern Lights

14. Spend time with family and friends at the lake

The province boasts 100,000 fresh water lakes and 84 national, provincial and regional parks. If you ask people what they’re doing on a weekend in the middle of summer, they’re likely to answer “heading to the lake.”

People sea-dooing at the lake

15. Wear less plaid

Just kidding. Plaid is practical, warm and stylish. Keep rockin’ it.

Young adult female walking on a path through the forest
– Ashlyn George is a travel blogger extraordinaire and former Saskatchewanderer.