New studies, books, apps and more to help you stay well in mind and body.
KEEP YOUR FIT FRIENDS CLOSE!
Make a date to spend time with your active friends – and their healthy habits might just rub off on you! Researchers found that people in social groups that value exercise are more likely to be active themselves. But the reverse is also true, with those in inactive social circles less likely to get moving. Lonely people were more likely to be sedentary too, so if you’re looking to kick-start a new fitness routine, try joining a walking, running or cycling group for a hit of motivation.
APPY AND YOU KNOW IT
Motivating you to walk every day, WeWard (free, en.weward.fr) monitors your steps and adds them up to offer bonuses, such as cash or charity donations. You can earn up to £1,000 a year, or just hitting your daily recommended target of 10,000 steps for a year can bring in £125 to give to charity or to keep. Put on your walking boots!
KEEP ON TRACKING
Using a wearable tracker to count and increase the number and intensity of your daily steps can reduce your risk of several chronic diseases, including diabetes, hypertension and sleep apnoea, say scientists from Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Taking more than 8,200 steps a day was found to offer some protection against multiple conditions, while overweight individuals can reduce their risk of obesity by 64 per cent through increasing their daily steps from 6,000 to 11,000. They also found tracker data could be useful to physicians who could use it to tailor physical activity suggestions for patients.
IS YOUR JANUARY DIET REALLY HEALTHY?
Eating more healthily or to lose weight is a common New Year’s resolution. But it’s worth being brutally honest with yourself about what you eat, if that’s your goal. Adults who made changes to lose weight tended to overestimate how healthy their diet was, according to the American Heart Association. Most thought they had improved the quality of their diet but researchers revealed not much had really changed! The organisation stresses that learning and understanding more about nutrition is key to getting it right in 2023 and beyond.
26% ...the percentage of Brits who would rather use a health app than visit a GP or hospital.*
TOP OF THE PODS
In need of a quick reset? Try a mini-hypnosis session with Professor Ursula James on her podcast HypnoSOS (ursulajames.co.uk). The bite-sized episodes of about 13-16 minutes are designed to improve your mental health as well as covering topics such as better sleep, re
