By Dr Fiona de Ferrars

Co-author James de Ferrars

Resolutions

for the New Year

I have now been writing Health Matters for a year, and so thought that it would be suitable time to reflect on past articles and plan for the future.

I decided to write these articles as a way of helping people to learn how to improve their fitness and health as I have been worried by the current trends.

I described how we should all aim to be 'Fit for life' so that we can do all the things we want to do, whether this is cycling over Dartmoor or coping with the shopping.

Muscles shrink and bones grow weak if they are not used, so you need to 'Use it or lose it.' As you grow older there is an increased risk of falls and fractures if muscles and bones are weak.

I also discussed whether you were feeling comfortable.

We all like to feel comfortable, and instinctively try to arrange our lives to be as comfortable as possible. It is much easier to always stay in your comfort zone, and not to push yourself. It often seems silly to go to a lot of effort just to be hot and sweaty. Many people think that it is uncomfortable to feel breathless, with aching muscles after exercise. However, if you avoid the mild discomfort of exercise then you are much more likely to suffer the pain and inconvenience of a serious disease such as diabetes or dementia.

There are also a lot of additional benefits to exercise. Exercise causes the production of endorphins by the body.

The word endorphin is an abbreviation of endogenous morphine. Endorphins inhibit pain signals and make you feel good in a similar way to morphine. Some people enjoy exercises such as running as it can cause a 'runner's high' which results in a positive and energising outlook on life. Exercise can also help with the treatment of depression and stress. 

It is important to try to put the effort in to maintain good physical health so that after exercise you feel fitter, and it is equally important to be comfortable with your mental health.

Your mental health is hidden deep inside you, and is formed by the essence of your sense of self or 'ego'. 

The New Year is a good time to look at your whole life, including your mental state, so that you make decisions as to improve your feeling of well being. One way to do this is to draw a circle and then to divide it into segments which represent how you spend your time. This can be quite enlightening.

It is obviously important that there is time to look after yourself and your own health, but perhaps equally important is the time you spend building and maintaining relationships with those you love. This is often your partner, but may also be a parent, child or friend. Happy relationships help maintain a healthy mental and physical state.

It takes a lot of hard work, effort and conversation to maintain a healthy relationship. It can be rewarding to find time to really listen to those who are close to you. It is not healthy to fight those you love. 

Often aggression rebounds and hurts the attacker more than the defender. It is not weak to be kind, it is essential. Arguments, unkindness, aggression and stress lead to estrangements and destroy good health and lives.

So, maybe a good New Year's resolution to help us all with our health, both physical and mental, is to live peaceably together, helping each other.

I wish you a Happy New Year.