Healthy resolutions that just won’t work

40% of weight-training injuries occur in people’s homes rather than gyms From juicing to buying an exercise bike...

MAkIng and breaking new year’s resolutions is as traditional a festive activity as opening presents. But studies show that two-thirds of us cannot keep our pledges for longer than a week. Is the problem that we’re setting ourselves the wrong goals? Here, experts reveal the most pointless resolutions…

GIVING UP ALCOHOL FOR JANUARY

mAny of us wake up bleary-eyed on January 1, resolving to undo the damage of the previous fortnight’s excesses with ‘dry January’ — abstaining from alcohol for the entire month.

But Andrew langford, chief executive of the British liver Trust, says: ‘you are better off making a resolution to take a few days off alcohol a week throughout the entire year than remaining abstinent for January only.

‘The problem is that some people think if they choose to stay dry for January, they can drink every day for the rest of the year — which is just not true. Far better to take two to three consecutive days off every week, without binge-drinking on the other days either.’

EXERCISING AT HOME TO SAVE GYM FEES

yoU want to get fit but can’t face wasting money on unused gym memberships. The obvious answer is using a home treadmill or exercise bike.

But consultant physiotherapist matt Todman of Six Physio clinics in london warns that not only will you not work as hard as you would in a gym or fitness class (because there’s no one watching), you could injure yourself.

‘you’re in the house, you’re already warm, so you don’t do any preparatory work like warming up, and the chance of injuring yourself is greater,’ he says.

‘Worse still, you are more likely to run in the wrong position as you are still fresh from the sofa. If you hold on to the arms of a treadmill — even lightly — your upper back will tense up and not be mobile as it should.

‘Bad posture puts your lower back under pressure as it does all the twisting work. you could easily slip a disc this way. If you were in a professional gym, staff would be on hand to correct your posture.’

Running outside involves two basic movements: hopping up and hopping forwards, because the land stays still while we run over it. on a treadmill you hop up and the land moves underneath, so you run slower and shorter.

‘I think you’d have to run indoors 25 per cent as long as outdoors to get the same results,’ says matt. ‘And running on a flat treadmill puts your ankles and knees under pressure. you should always run at a slight incline – some treadmills don’t offer this option, but unless you are leaning slightly forward as you move, you simply don’t put in enough of an effort to have an effect.

‘A last thought: you get what you pay for. The more expensive the kit, the better it will be. The cheaper, the more wobbly, the worse for your body and the less rewarding for your efforts.’

DRINKING YOUR WAY TO FIVE A DAY

‘FRUIT juices and smoothies look healthy but can have a high sugar content and even added sugar,’ says dietitian Sian Porter, spokeswoman for the British Dietetic Association. ‘If you eat a piece of fruit you benefit from the action of chewing and its fibre, which can help fill you up, and slow digestion. ‘once a fruit has been juiced, the fibre is often discarded, meaning the sugars are absorbed more quickly.’

In 2008, researchers at Harvard medical School in the U.S. found that just one glass of orange juice a day could significantly increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, possibly because the lack of fibre causes dangerous spikes in blood sugar levels. eating whole pieces of fruit cuts the likelihood of developing the disease.

Sian says many people think that because juice is a healthy choice and one of your five a day, it’s calorie-free. ‘A 150ml glass of apple juice provides 57 calories and 15g sugar, but most of us glug a lot more than that — 300ml (approx half a pint) provides double this (114 calories and 30g sugar).

‘Contrast this with a medium-sized apple that provides 47 calories and 12g sugar, but also 1.6g fibre. ‘ Stick to one small glass a day. your dentist will be happier, too.’

POPPING MORE VITAMIN PILLS

THe Uk market for vitamins and supplements is now worth £ 385 million a year, and popping a multivitamin each day seems an easy way to improve your health.

But many experts say the evidence just isn’t there. In 2010, for example, the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reviewed 63 respected trials and found that multivitamins did nothing to prevent cancer or heart disease (except for in developing countries, where nutritional deficiencies are widespread).

It is far better to get your vitamins and minerals from a healthy diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, lean protein, wholegrains, and some ‘healthy’ fat from sources such as nuts, says dietician Sian Porter. This is because you’ll get the vitamins in their natural form, along with muchneeded fibre.

The other danger with multivitamins is that people subconsciously feel they are ‘off the hook’. A study by Taiwanese researchers in 2011 found that taking multivitamins can lead us to be less disciplined about all-round healthy living.

They said: ‘Because dietary supplements are perceived as conferring health advantages, use of such supplements may create an illusory sense of invulnerability that disinhibits unhealthy behaviours.’

BURNING OFF WHAT YOU EAT

WHIle useful for motivation (‘oh look, I ran off a mars Bar’), calorie counters on exercise machines or those you attach to your body like watches are not often reliable.

In 2010, scientists at the University of California tested how many calories we really burn by measuring the maximum capacity of an individual’s breathing while exercising. They found that on average, machines such as treadmills overestimated calorie burn by 19 per cent and measuring watches overestimated by 28 per cent.

exercise physiologist Joe Smith says that the number of calories we burn is susceptible to variables including height, age and body fat.

When challenged, manufacturers admitted that calorie counters don’t adjust to machine wear-and-tear over time — and they can’t tell if a user is leaning on the handles, which makes a workout easier.

WEIGHTLIFTING TO BUILD MUSCLE

THe trend for bulging biceps and a six-pack means many men (and women) may kick off the new year aiming to build muscle. But it’s not enough on its own — and indeed people who look muscly on the outside may be incredibly unfit on the inside.

Personal trainer kathryn Freeland of Absolute Fitness says: ‘We all need to work on our fitness but in a holistic way. That means combining workouts to build strength, flexibility, coordination, balance and, of course, cardiovascular health. This will give you greater results and less risk of injury.’

Aerobic work is crucial to heart and lung health, says a spokesman for the British Heart Foundation. ‘your heart is a muscle and needs exercise to help it keep fit so that it can pump blood efficiently around your body.

‘most helpful for the heart is aerobic activity — repetitive rhythmic exercise involving large muscle groups such as swimming, or even everyday things like walking, gardening and climbing. Aim for at least 2½ hours a week.’

FINALLY… GOING FOR BROKE

mAny of us launch headlong into an exercise ‘binge’, says personal trainer Roger love of love london Fitness. ‘If you set yourself goals that are too high, such as exercising every day or running too far too soon, you may be setting yourself up to fail.

‘If you’re unable to sustain it, you will soon be demoralised and give up completely.

‘Far better to commit to one piece of exercise a week, whether that is a class, a run, or a session with a trainer, and then stick to it regardless of the other pressures in life.’