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Nutrition, Physical Activity and Keeping Track of New Year Resolutions

28 January 2019

For many people, improving exercise and nutrition are common New Year resolutions but with January almost over, now is the perfect time to check in and remind yourself why you made those resolutions.

Bay Health and Care Partners are encouraging everyone to think about making choices that will bring positive changes to their health, whether that be drinking less alcohol, improving their diet or doing more exercise.

To stay healthy, adults should try to be active every day and aim to achieve at least 150 minutes of physical activity over a week through a variety of activities.

Andy Maddox, Clinical Chief for Out of Hospital for Morecambe Bay, said: “Most people make a New Year resolution with the best of intentions however as time passes, they can soon be forgotten so it’s important to remind yourself why you made them in the first place.

“Whatever your age, being physically active can help you lead a healthier and happier life and eating a balanced diet can help you feel your best, so we urge everyone to keep on going with their resolutions.”

According to NHS guidelines, adults aged between 19-64 need to do two types of physical activity a week: aerobic and strength exercises.

Taking part in exercise can reduce your risk of major illness, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer by up to 50% and lower your risk of early death by up to 30%.

Research has also shown that physical activity can boost self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy, as well as reducing your risk of stress, depression, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Alongside exercise it’s also a good idea to eat a healthy balanced diet as this can help prevent diet-related illness and will give you energy and nutrients to keep you active and maintain a healthy weight.

To find out more about the different food groups and how they can benefit your health visit https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/.

To keep your resolution at the forefront of your mind, why not set small goals for the month ahead and check in weekly to see if you have achieved them. You could put a reminder up somewhere prominent in your house, car or place of work to keep your focus or you could tell someone else what your goals are, as this can improve your motivation and make you more likely to keep it up.

Healthier choices usually mean a healthier you so why not make a commitment to your future self; it’s in your hands after all.