Whether you make New Year’s resolutions or not we all have things in our lives we would like to improve.
Sometimes it is hard to know how to get started or the best way to achieve your goal.
Fortunately there is a wealth of great free information available at your fingertips.
A common New Year’s resolution is to lose weight.
There are so many different “miracle” weight loss programmes on the market and conflicting messages that it can be difficult to know what to do.
The best way to lose weight and keep it off is to eat a healthy balanced diet that does not exceed your daily calorie requirements and to be active.
The NHS has created a free 12-week programme to help you lose weight.
It gives you medically correct information about healthy lifestyle choices and helps you create weekly plans to achieve your goals.
You can find the programme here: http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/weight-loss-guide/Pages/losing-weight-getting-started.aspx
Another common resolution is to get fit.
Being physically active reduces your risk of developing a number of illnesses and can improve your wellbeing.
There are thousands of different ways that you can get active.
The NHS choices website has lots of information about ways you can increase your activity levels; it also has free programmes and activity classes that you can download and complete at home.
You can find links to all of this information here: http://www.nhs.uk/LiveWell/Fitness/Pages/Fitnesshome.aspx
Finally, don’t forget about the great health and wellbeing programmes the council supports in the district including Walking for Health, Exercise Referral and the Kitchen Garden project.
You can find out more on the following link: http://www.sholland.gov.uk/health/GetInvolvedGetMoving.htm
by Jess Horn
Community development officer at South Holland District Council
