Here's a question you're guaranteed to have been asked at Sunday’s New Year's Eve party over a glass of wine and a snack – or several: “Made any New Year's resolutions?”
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Most will have said yes, quietly knowing their good intentions won't endure far into January. Go online and there are lists aplenty to be found of the most commonly broken resolutions.
No.1 – to lose weight and exercise. Researchers apparently say 60 per cent of gym memberships signed in January never get used and most of the rest are ignored by mid-February.
No.2 – quit smoking. Only 15 per cent make it to six months.
And, just making the list at No.12 – to drink less. Alcohol consumption may confer distinct health benefits in moderation, it accepts. Moderation being key.
Clearly the reason these resolutions feature on most of the commonly “broken” lists are that they are the issues that we privately realise are the ones that could, potentially, be life transforming.
More than that, they might even be life saving. But don't splutter on that wine or choke on the canape. This shouldn't come as a surprise.
Year round we are regularly reminded through medical research of the ramifications of overindulgence on all fronts. Here's our quick catch-up guide from 2017 reports.
Diabetes. A staggering 280 Australians develop diabetes every day. That's one person every five minutes with a total annual cost impact of diabetes in Australia estimated to be $14.6 billion.
Obesity. We are a remarkably overweight population, and we are seeing it more and more in our children, said Professor Rosemary Calder, director of the Australian Health Policy Collaboration in May. “For obesity to be at such high levels among the young, something is going very wrong.” In Australia the guidelines say just five per cent of the daily diet, or about six teaspoons, can come from added sugars, but Australians actually eat double that – more like 14 teaspoons.
Alcohol. Seventy-eight per cent of people believe Australia has a problem with excess drinking, according to the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education's national alcohol poll.
So there you have it. It isn't really about making a New Year's resolution. It is about biting the bullet and making lifestyle decisions that need to be adopted long term.
