New year's revolution
Millions of people make the same round of health-related resolutions each January, only to break them a few weeks later. We look again at some of the typical resolutions and ask what might really make you happy and healthy next year.
1. Don't join a gym...
Well, alright, if you are 25 and sleek, a gym may be just the thing to tone your muscles further. But if you're older, unfit, intimidated, or broke - or if you just don't like the idea of running on a treadmill like a gerbil on acid, then you can get fit in other ways. And of course, finding a kind of exercise you enjoy means you are far more likely to stick with it.
...try outdoor exercise
There's been a resurgence in schemes to help people exercise outside, and rediscover pockets of natural beauty. Green gyms combine gardening with stretching exercises that you might find in a more traditional class. The volunteers for these schemes conserve the countryside as well as working on their own bodies. Alternatively, walking groups allow people to socialise while getting fit.
There's some evidence that exercising outside is actually better for you. Research commissioned by Mind shows that exercising in a green environment reduces blood pressure and improves people’s self-worth more than exercise in a less attractive place.
These green exercise groups run schemes in most areas of the country:
BTCV's green gym projects - volunteer for green projects and get fit
Sustrans - the national car-free cycle network has been growing quickly over the past few years. Discover places across the country where you can cycle without fear.
Walk for health - enter your postcode to find a walking group near you.
2. Don't go on a diet...
Many people, especially women, want to go on diets for completely unhealthy reasons - because they feel devalued in a society that venerates twig chic. Having discarded the corset, we try to recreate the impossible body shapes they imposed in other ways, especially through continuous dieting.
It's worth reminding ourselves that health, vitality and confidence - and the charisma that comes with them - are sexy too. Part of the art of dieting is knowing when to stop obsessing about calories and instead sustain a balanced choice of food - to be vibrant because you are wired on good eating and not on sugar hits and caffeine.
Still, many people will be starting the new year knowing they need to lose weight, and will look around for a quick fix. A slow fix is a much better option. Crash diets decrease your metabolism because your body responds to sudden, drastic deprivation by conserving energy more carefully. So NHS Direct argues for gradual change, and weight loss of no more than one or two pounds a week. The gradualist approach means dieters don't get trapped into a cycle of frequent deprivation and increasing weight.
... eat more
Dieters often focus on what they should eat less of, but need to concentrate on what to eat more of too. The average person in the UK eats just 2.4 portions of fruit and vegetables each day - half the recommended 5 portions.
Many try to make up for this deficiency by popping anti-oxidants and vitamin pills, but it's very questionable whether these do as much good as a diet rich in plants. In his book Oxygen scientist Nick Lane reminds us that 'the benefits of fruit and vegetables have never been reproduced simply by taking antioxidant supplements.' A recent study suggested that prolific vitamin-poppers did not increase their life expectancy. By eating vitamins instead of fruit and veg, we may in fact be paying more for something that does us less good.
3. Don't live in a concrete jungle...
What can you see out of the window? Rolling countryside?... the local park?... a tree-lined street?... unremitting concrete jungle?
The more natural the view, the better you are likely to feel. This may seem like an emotionally obvious but scientifically unproveable statement. But a few years ago, groundbreaking work by Dr Roger Ulrich, a behavioural scientist, explored just how much difference a room with a view can make.
He showed that tenants living in urban flats were more likely to be depressed and violent to their partners if they could see no greenery at all from their window, compared to neighbours whose flats looked out on grass.
An expanse of grass may not sound like the definition of 'natural beauty' but it seems that even this slight improvement can make a difference.
... do live in a community
If moving house seems like a bit of a drastic new year's resolution, then perhaps a few pot plants and a window box would be a start.
If you wish you could make bigger changes to your surroundings, being part of a strong local community can help. CABE is the government's advisor on urban design and public space. It is increasingly vocal about the need for human-sized new developments, including green space. It helps communities to have a say in redevelopments that are happening around them. Other building firms may be less idealistic and receptive, but strong community responses can and do affect what gets built and how it is designed.
Across the country, sixties tower blocks are being demolished - not because they are structurally unsound, but because they created frightened, unhappy communities with high crime rates. Look for your moment in 2008: is this the time to do something a little radical in your own neighbourhood?
4. Don't be a wage slave...
Whether or not you enjoy your job can affect your health. Studies in America have shown that you are more likely to suffer from back pain if you're in a company that doesn't treat its staff well. More recently the UK’s Chartered Management Institute warned that 'the effect of management styles on performance can be marked. It has a direct bearing on the levels of health, motivation and commitment linking employers and staff.'
It's worth asking why you are doing the job you have. If you're trading for money and status with daily disillusionment, it may be time to consider your options. A decision to be part of a happy workplace can be a health choice too.
... do work out what's worthwhile in your life
Not everyone can have a fulfilling job, but all of us need something central and worthwhile in our lives that keeps us going in difficult times. Families, hobbies, study or spirituality might all be the focus for some people.
Before you begin your list of healthy resolutions, it's worth asking yourself what you want to be healthy for. If you are making resolutions to be fitter or eat better, it will be easier to achieve if you have thought through what effect this will have on the things you like to do.
5. Don't think alone...
Most new year's resolutions reflect our society – they emphasise individual willpower and choice, quick fixes, sudden transformations. The sorts of changes that might really alter our lives are often too vast, too slow, too difficult to imagine for most of us to keep making an effort by ourselves.
... think together.
When we make up our new year's resolutions, it helps to realise that our sense of 'normal' is created by our social networks. It's much easier to eat healthily or stop smoking if everyone around us is doing so. In some areas whole communities can go under because their definition of 'normal' has disastrous consequences.
So here's our most radical suggestion: don't make all your resolutions by yourself.
Try making a resolution with your family, your friends, your colleagues, or even with the people next door. Whether you're trying to eat less chocolate, keep fit or redesign the neighbourhood, you are much more likely to succeed collectively. People catch good habits from each other, as well as bad ones. Your new year's resolution could be the tipping point for a much bigger change.