Get health resolution help with a gadget
New Year's resolutions - they're started with the best intentions and a resolve that won't be broken. But as we all know, very few of us actually manage to stick to them once the cold, hard reality of January really hits home.
Thankfully, there are books and gadgets galore designed to keep you strong, motivate you and encourage you at every potential relapse. This year, be prepared and keep the momentum going...
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Get fit
Nike have been providing us with ever more impressive gadgets to help us keep fit, and if you're in need of a motivational boost when it comes to 'get fit' resolutions, they've got the answer. The Nike+ FuelBand (from £115) simply sits around your wrist as you go about your daily business, tracking every movement, from climbing the stairs to sitting at your desk to pounding the streets. Sync it with the Nike+ website and you can set your own goals, or test your activity level against friends or professional athletes. As you go through the day, the band will change colours from red to green when you achieve your goal. Now that should keep you going.
Lose weight
For weight loss and fitness in one, try the Lose It! app. Free on both Apple and Android, it allows you to look up the calories in your diet as well as track your exercise. By inputting your current weight and your goal, this handy little app will estimate how many calories you should be eating to reach your target. You can even scan barcodes in the supermarket for instant nutritional info.
Quit smoking
There's a good reason that Allen Carr's book the Easy Way to Stop Smoking has sold nine million copies worldwide - it works. His quit smoking plan is based on his own experiences, real-life situations, the triggers you're likely to face, and some of the misconceptions about nicotine addiction. It might not be 'easy' for everyone, but if you are certain that you want to be free of nicotine, you might find, like millions of others, that this book contains all the information, techniques and motivation to help you quit the weed too.
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De-stress
Along with back pain, stress is now one of the most commonly-cited reasons for missing work, but head to your local book shop and you'll find the shelves heavy with self-help tomes to help you beat anxiety. To help take the pressure off, or at least learn how to cope with it, try The Mindful Way Through Anxiety by Susan M. Orsillo, PhD. This book offers a method aimed at helping you break free of anxiety, not by avoiding it but by changing the way you relate to it. Alternatively, Steven C. Hayes' Get Out Of Your Mind and Into Your Life provides a ten-step plan to help you cope with life's stresses and strains, based on a research-supported form of psychotherapy called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
Eat well
If your 2013 eating plan isn't about losing weight but about avoiding all the secret nasties hidden amongst the supermarket shelves, then the Fooducate app is for you. Gone are the days when you have to trawl through the nutritional data and ingredients on every pack - with Fooducate, you simply scan the product's barcode and receive not only all the nutritional information you need, but a health score that comes with Food Points value for dieters and warnings about particular items. And that's not all. This handy little app will also make suggestions as to a healthier alternative if you are in any doubt about what to buy. Available from the iTunes App Store.
What books or gadgets have you found that really do help you to stick at it? Leave your recommendations below...
