The January reset: what are the most important things you should be doing for your health and wellbeing?
It’s that time of the year again when we have all vowed to turn over a new leaf and become a better, more productive, fitter, healthier person in the year ahead.
Most of these resolutions are laudable, but the problem is that while everybody goes into January determined to drink less, eat better and exercise more, most of us have given up before we’ve even got to February. In fact, a recent survey shows that only 8% of New Year’s resolutions are kept up for the full year.
So how can we make our aims more achievable in 2025, and still see the benefit? It’s all about making big changes to your health with small steps:
Move more
You don’t have to plan to run a marathon or get up at the crack of dawn every day to hit the gym. Just increasing the amount you move on a daily basis by a tiny bit can make a real difference in the long term, and it’s very easy to keep up.
If you already run regularly, you could increase your distance by 0.5km – small enough to feel achievable, but if you’re running twice a week that’s an extra 52km over a year. Or if your lifestyle is more sedentary, you could consider resolving to always take the stairs instead of the lift, or to get off the bus one stop earlier than usual.
Embrace mindful drinking
If drinking water isn’t your thing, then sinking the recommended two litres a day, every day, might not be the most realistic of goals. But why not keep a small glass of water by your bed, and commit to drinking that every morning before you get up?
When it comes to the drinks we should be having less of, like caffeine and alcohol, the temptation might be to go cold turkey – and of course for some people that is the right choice – but if you’re just trying to lead a healthier lifestyle, why not aim to cut down by just one caffeinated drink a day?
And if Dry January feels a bit much, then consider Damp January. Could you allow yourself one glass of wine on a Friday night? Or to go alongside a long, lazy Sunday lunch? If you usually drink more regularly, it won’t take long to see the physical and mental benefits of this, without feeling like you’re denying yourself completely.
Eat more fruit and veg
Rather than focusing on the things you shouldn’t be consuming, why not aim to eat more of the things you should? This could mean replacing some less healthy choices with fruit or vegetables, or it could just mean making sure there is a vegetable component to every meal you eat – a side salad with your pizza, for example.
Studies have shown that the more times you eat something, the more likely you are to develop a taste for it so, you never know, you might just end up choosing to eat the salad over the pizza.
Lifestyle medicine is the cornerstone of our practice This innovative approach focuses on how simple yet powerful changes to diet, movement, sleep, and stress management can transform your well-being.
Call +44 (0)20 4580 1152 or email [email protected] to arrange a consultation with one of our doctors.
