How to keep your resolutions in Essex this year

And with millions of us having once again pledged to adhere to a number of resolutions now is the time to make them count. But once the streamers have been swept away and life goes back to normal how likely is it we can keep to those promises? And with giving up smoking, losing weight, taking up exercise and adopting a healthy lifestyle some of the top resolutions people will be making.

STOP SMOKING APART from October, when an annual drive to get people to ditch cigarettes gets underway, the New year must surely be the most popular time for trying to kick the habit for good.

As well as helping people to give up smoking, the Essex Lifestyle Serve also offers support for people wanting to make a change in their lives in general.

The service has been available since April 2016 and is available to all Essex residents to help them make changes that will enable them to live The Essex Lifestyle Team’s advice is New Year’s resolutions are more likely to succeed if you make a plan and get help and support.

As well as giving up smoking the service can also help with healthy eating, cutting down on alcohol, increasing physical activity, dealing with long term conditions and also emotional issues such as stress depression and loneliness.

Ellen Van Gemmert, health development manager at Provide, which runs the service, says: “If you are aiming to lose weight, get active, or want to give up smoking or reduce your alcohol consumption, then you are more likely to succeed with our help. A member of our team will work with you to develop a plan and can offer support, motivation and, in some cases, medication.

“We can also help people who are experiencing loneliness, depression or isolation.

“These issues can affect not only a person’s mental and emotional well-being but also their physical health.

“I would urge people to get in contact with our service sooner rather than later.

“Change is hard but we can help you make lasting changes to your lifestyle.”

The Essex Lifestyle Service focuses on the whole individual, not just one aspect of their lifestyle. There are many ways the service can help. This could be face-to-face, by telephone or email.

As well as delivering services, such as the stop smoking service, and offering advice and support on a range of health issues, lifestyle staff will also signpost people to other health and care services, when appropriate, for example to specialist weight management programmes.

Ellen’s says you need a plan to give up smoking.

“Smoking remains the nation’s highest cause of preventable and premature death.

“But it can be hard to quit and evidence shows that people are four times more likely to succeed if they have support and treatment from a service such as the Essex Lifestyles Service.

“It’s never too late to stop.

Stopping smoking significantly reduces risks to your health, even if you have been smoking for a long time.

“Contact the Lifestyle team to get the help you need.

Visit essexlifestyleservice.

org.uk Call 0300 303 9988 (this is a local rate call).

You could also use hypnotherapy to try to give up smoking.

Counsellor and hypnotherapist Liz Sharpe, who lives in Southend and works across Essex, says you should think about the reasons for giving up should they be health worries, the expense or the smell of stale cigarettes.

“Plan how you are going to quit – talk to your doctor or local chemist for things that might help.

“Write a list of reasons to quit. Money, health, not smelling of stale tobacco. Keep it on you and read it regularly.

“Set a date and time for stopping – and stop completely.

“When you stop – get rid of anything smoking related. You don’t need them anymore.

LOSE WEIGHT WE have all promised ourselves we will drop a few pounds and get into that bikini or slinky dress for summer.

And we usually do it as we toast the arrival of a new year.

And while there are a number of ways of achieving this - research suggests you are far more likely to succeed if you join a weight loss group.

Slimming World and Weightwatchers are among the most popular of those on offer.

Consultant Heidi Cripps, who runs Slimming World groups in Colchester and Braintree and is team developer for the area, says people who join a club and stay to group are far more likely to keep to their promise.

“January and after the school summer holidays tend to be the busiest times.

“Having the support of a group means even if you have had a bad week everyone can support each other,” she says.

Going to groups can also be a very social affair too and can change lives in more ways than one.

Heidi, a consultant for 15 years, explains: “I have a class on a development that was fairly new and no-one new any of their neighbours but through the class they have made really strong friendships and go out together outside of our meetings now.

Her top tip for sticking with any resolution to lose weight is to set a meaningful target.

Karen says: “It has got to be your own choice and your own goal- eg to lose a stone or fit into a dress you like.

“You also need to eat lots of the foods you are allowed to eat and stay to group every week.

“Those who do are two and a half times more likely to achieve their weight loss goals than those who don’t stay..

Go to www.slimmingworld.

co.uk to find your nearest group orweightwatcher.co.uk

GET HEALTHY AND DO MORE EXERCISE IT is all very well pulling on the jogging bottoms and trainers and standing by the front door next to the discarded Christmas tree but how is it best to approach taking up exercise?

Venessa Moffatt, a personal trainer and triathlon expert from north Essex, says the important thing is to be prepared and take things at a steady pace.

If you need a helping hand then Essex has a number of personal trainers and bootcamps to choose from which help keep you on the straight and narrow.

Venessa says the first thing to remember about changing your lifestyle for health reasons is short-term faddy flings simply don’t work in the long term. “It has to be viewed as a long term change, otherwise, you’ll be constantly waiting for the end of it when you can get back to the previously, relatively unhealthy way of life.”

Her five top tips to stay the course are have goals and keep re-setting them, make small changes rather than huge ones straight away, log everything, take photos of yourself from the same spot everytime and measure yourself, making a note of all food and drink consumed.

“You are human - If you miss a day, or accidentally eat an entire packet of cup cakes, don’t beat yourself up.

“Start again the next day. You will get there."