It makes a certain sense; after all, a Forbes Health/One Poll survey found that the average resolution lasts just 3.74 months, with eight per cent of respondents sticking to their goals for one month; 22 per cent for two months; 22 per cent for three months; and just 13 per cent for four. See, it pays to choose to do things that actually bring us joy. Some of them might even have similar effects to the self-denial resolutions – it’s all in the way we frame them.
Go For A Walk Before Work
Many of us find ourselves flat out with juggling work and family life. However, it pays huge dividends, both for our mental and physical health, to make time for a walk, however quick, before you start work. Even just fifteen minutes of keeping up a brisk pace can increase our energy levels, improve our mood and, according to a 2016 Harvard study, sharpen our decision making. In addition, the more we move, the better we sleep. Plus, for those who work from home, a walk can help to give us time to gather our thoughts in the same way as we might on a commute to work. And, unlike in the gym, you actually get to see the world and how it changes through the seasons, which is unendingly good for the soul.
Light A Candle At Breakfast
There is something very uplifting about introducing ritual to our days, as well as in enhancing the atmosphere of our meals – whether it’s a feast for a few or just a quick weekday breakfast. The Italians call it La Bella Figura, a concept that encompasses a great deal, not least of which the art of doing things properly and with decorum. In winter, we can’t recommend pouring a morning coffee by the flicker of candlelight highly enough: it at once elevates our daily buttered toast and bestows an abiding sense of calm for the day ahead.
Try To Eat 30 Plants A Week
Dieting fads tends to dial up around new year, just at the point that we have overindulged sufficiently to give into the volume of calls to cut this or that food group out entirely. Eating 30 plants a week is not one of those fads. In fact, its many benefits are truly substantiated by science. Zoe, the company co-founded by scientist Tim Spector, urges us to follow just this advice, explaining, ‘Eating patterns, like the Mediterranean diet, which contain a wide range of plant foods have strong links to a reduced risk of long-term health conditions, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. These ways of eating may even lower your risk of cancer and help you stay healthy as you age. But eating a variety of plant foods is also important for the health of your gut microbiome — the community of bacteria and other bugs that live in your gut. This is because plants contain substances called prebiotics, which provide fuel for your ‘good’ gut bugs. The prebiotics in plants include different types of fibre and other carbohydrates, as well as chemicals called polyphenols.’ Plus, cooking with plenty of veg means thinking creatively in the kitchen – a new year challenge we’re more than happy to rise to.
Make Time To Call Your Friends
As increasing numbers of us work from home, feeling cut off from social communications can be a real hazard. This year, then, do prioritise chatting to friends – even if it cannot be done in person, pick up the phone: a study published in Communication Research in January 2023 revealed that a single conversation with a friend each day can have a huge impact on mental wellbeing. Connection is key.
Seek Out Bodies Of Water
Many stressed out townies have long sought solace in green spaces, with forest bathing having gained a lot of traction over the years. But ‘blue space’ – the areas around river, lakes and especially the sea – can have an even more profoundly positive effect on our health. In 2013, a large study involving 20,000 participants revealed that coastal locations were consistently the happiest. Not all of us can decamp to the seaside, alas, but we can at least seek to spend time near water whenever we can.
Eat What You Love
A little of what you fancy does you good. Sure, your favourite food may not count as one of those 30 plants a week extolled above but, in moderation, things that bring us pleasure are good for our souls. Love chocolate? Have a little when you fancy. We cannot be paragons of virtue all of the time.
Turn Off Your Computer Three Hours Before Bed
The same goes for your phone. Studies have shown that two hours or more of screen time in the evenings can disrupt the melatonin surge we require to fall asleep. Instead, try taking a bath or reading a book and thus unwinding in a way that is conducive to better quality sleep and thus health.
Take Time For A Long Bath At Least Once A Week
Baths can elevate your mood, make you sleep better, relieve muscle pain as well as cold and flu symptoms and give us womb-like comfort. Plenty of reason, then, to ensure that you get one really good long one in a week – ideally with a book or a diverting podcast for company. Or, simply, silence, if that is what you most crave.
By Nancy Alsop
January 2024
