Make a new New Year's resolution!

Hello again – hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and is happily settling into 2011!

However, if those New Year’s resolutions you made with such heartfelt enthusiasm just a few short days ago have already gone out the window, don’t despair. Research has shown that the nation struggles to adapt in the first two weeks of January – and that for a successful outcome, January 14^th is actually the ideal date to begin a New Year’s resolution.

A survey revealed that 15.5 million Brits struggle to stick to their resolutions in the first two weeks of the year – and 5 million fail all together. A combination of the body recovering from Christmas indulgence and the physical and mental shock of going back to work in January means the body is ill-prepared to cope with sudden drastic changes to our diet and lifestyle.

The research showed 52% of people ate and drunk substantially more over the Christmas period with 30% likely to have experienced some form of digestive complaint. So perhaps we should reassess the trusted tradition of starting resolutions on the first day in January; it seems that starting a few weeks later could not only be better physically but may also ease the mental struggle of trying to keep to your resolution.

There’s no doubt that returning to work after the festive period adds to the strain of keeping a resolution. 46% of those surveyed said going back to work after the festive period was a physical and mental shock to the system. When it comes to citing reasons for failure, 18% of people blamed the stress of going back to work, whilst 17% said it was a case of ‘January blues’ which led them to fail. 38% would delay starting their resolutions if they thought it would mean keeping them longer.

So give yourself a break; take time to think clearly about what you really want for yourself, write down your resolutions…and then resolve to start them on 14^th January! Good luck – let me know how you get on!

2,025 people surveyed by YouGov, December 2009; Figures based on a UK population of 61 million and a survey response of 42% of those who said they will making a resolution.