How did you fare with your New Year resolutions?

We’re one whole month into 2024, and lots of us will already have given up on the resolutions we made as Big Ben rang in the New Year 31 days ago.

One recent study, conducted by Opinium, suggested that whilst 62% of people who planned to make a New Year resolution wanted to focus on improving their health and wellbeing, over a fifth of them will probably have let it lapse before January is over.

The next few weeks will be a critical point for many more of us, though: 34% of people said that their resolutions usually last between one and three months.

If you’re worried about your willpower, or if you need a bit more inspiration, there are a number of apps and other sources of advice available to help you achieve your aims, as listed on the NHS Better Health website:

• NHS Quit Smoking app (giving up smoking)
• NHS Weight Loss Plan app (losing weight)
• Couch to 5k and Active 10 apps (becoming more physically active)
• Drink Free Days app (cutting down on alcohol)
• Your Mind Plan (improving mental wellbeing)

Dr Sanhita Chakrabarti, deputy chief medical director at Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board, said:

“Lots of the most common New Year resolutions are health-related but if you’re finding it hard to stick to your promise this year then help is available.  Maybe the end of Dry January is set to send you back to your old habits, or the long winter evenings are making you feel you want to stay at home, on the sofa, instead of going out for some much-needed exercise.

“The NHS is here to help you improve your health, not just to care for you when you’re poorly.  Even better, all of these apps are free to use.

“And don’t forget that if you’re aged 40 to 74 then you’re entitled to a free NHS Health Check every five years, where a trained professional will take some details, then work out your personalised risk score for a number of health conditions.  It takes just 20 to 30 minutes every five years, so it’s well worth your time.”