Happy New Year!!!

It's that time of year when our resolve is tested. A week in, and all those New Year resolutions are beginning to fall by the wayside. It is so easy to think that that little bag of crisps won't really hurt, a small glass of wine doesn't really count and I'll go for a run tomorrow when it's stopped raining...

Like most people, I vowed to have a healthy start to the year. A week of eating and drinking too much (I was away snowboarding over Christmas so had to join in the apres-ski!) left me feeling tired, jaded and a bit podgy round the middle. I packed away the Christmas decorations, cleaned out the kitchen cupboards, finished the half-eaten packet of biscuits and tin of Roses and dug out my running trainers, head-torch and high vis jacket. A healthy eating campaign, with lots of nutritious fresh fruit and veg, plenty of water, and no alcohol or rubbishy snacks beckoned, with a daily jog around the village - no matter the weather.

One week in and I've been flawed by a forgotten box of Ferrero Rocher and the remnants of a chest infection. Not wanting to make it any worse ('don't exercise if you have symptoms below your neck!') I've refrained from my daily run, and thought that I had the self-control to limit myself to just one little chocolately, nutty nugget... I was wrong.

However, all is not lost - working on the premis that tomorrow never comes, I shall just start again today. A healthy stir-fry for supper, and then a walk around the village with a few stretches and core exercises back at home (probably best to let my chest get fully better) and I'm back in the swing of it. And that's what I remind all of my patients - it doesn't matter if you slip up with the diet, or forget to do some exercises, or have a 'greedy' day - you just have to start back where you left off, as soon as you feel ready. So many people throw their entire fitness campaign out of the window simply because they slip up the once - but this is just crazy! You're throwing away all the hard work that you've done, and will quickly get back to where you were - just as soon as you get back on track. So, here's to a fresh start this New Year... even if it is somewhat belated!

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