New Year resolution - two for the price of one?
Thursday December 29th, 2011
New Year resolutions often come in packages of two, government health experts said yesterday.
This
is because people who keep a resolution to break one unhealthy habit find
they tend to be better at adopting other healthy habits.
Britain's chief medical officer said the findings were a good reason to make and keep a New Year's resolution.
Britain's department of health commissioned social scientists to study the way people make decisions about their health.
This showed that non-smokers tend to adopt a healthier overall lifestyle than smokers - shunning "visible fat" on foods and eating more fruit and vegetables.
In contrast, other people ate fried food a great deal - and added salt to food, placing their blood pressure at risk.
And heavy drinkers tended to shun fruit and vegetables.
The chief medical officer Professor Sally Davies said: “The New Year is a great time to renew efforts and give up unhealthy habits, such as smoking, and take up healthier ones, such as regular physical activity, improving our diet and drinking less.
“This NatCen research shows that if you make one healthy resolution this New Year you might get double the benefits as you are more likely to make other positive healthier changes too. So, start thinking about other areas where you can improve your health and set yourself up for a healthier life, for 2012.”
Tags: Diet & Food | Drug and Alcohol Abuse | Fitness | General Health | UK News
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