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Kev Lawrence: five small, hopefully attainable resolutions
Like most people, I have always found New Year resolutions impossible to keep. Diets, getting a body like a Gladiator, running the Peterborough Half Marathon, learning to speak fluent Spanish – all desirable to me but, thanks to the time and effort required, utterly unachievable.
Like most people, I have always found New Year resolutions impossible to keep. Diets, getting a body like a Gladiator, running the Peterborough Half Marathon, learning to speak fluent Spanish – all desirable to me but, thanks to the time and effort required, utterly unachievable.So this year I have changed tack, and instead of big fat resolutions, I have made a list of five smaller, hopefully more attainable, health goals. They are:
1) Go to bed an hour earlier. Twenty odd years of waking up at obscene hours for radio shows is bound to take its toll eventually. And having fewer than six hours' sleep a night can lead to weight gain, (as my scales testify) because the hormones that control appetite become imbalanced. And thanks to the galactically brilliant invention of Sky Plus, staying up late to watch the decent telly shows should actually be a thing of the past, with a bit of discipline.
2) Floss. My wife has flossed all her adult life and has the gums to prove it. I haven't. So inside 12 months I want my own Hollywood smile and gums as pink and healthy as hers.
3) Eat Breakfast every day. Working on the Heart Breakfast Show with Abby every morning I often skip it and I am forever reading how it's the most important meal of the day. So here's the plan, each night before going to bed an hour earlier, and having flossed, I'm going to prepare a healthy little packed breakfast to take to work.
4) Hug my wife more. (If she'll let me.) Regular hugs can lower blood pressure and stress levels, plus boost immunity and increase levels of dopamine – a brain chemical that makes you happy. I'm not quite sure how this works, but it's surely worth a go.
5) Get to know my body better. This may sound a strange one. But it is vital we all do it. A few years ago I had a cancer scare after a mole turned weird. I also lost my dad to a brain tumour back in August. So understanding your own body and checking for changes is vital, as the earlier a condition is diagnosed, the better your survival chances. Look out for coughs that linger for more that three weeks, keep your eyes peeled for lumps, bumps or sores that don't feel right, unexplained weight loss, tiredness and changes in moles. All obvious stuff, but in hectic lifestyles, so often they are over-looked.
After writing these up, my wife peered over my shoulder, and pulled a face which was a mixture of a frown and a smile. I knew what she was thinking. That achieving any of these, based on my previous goal setting/getting experiences, is nigh on impossible. So, this year, finally, I'm determined to succeed.
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Weather for Peterborough
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North
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Cloudy
Temperature: 11 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: North east
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