Not just a simple choice

It’s the start of a new year, and all across the country earnest pledges about diet, exercise, smoking and alcohol are being put into practice.

While this is great news, the fiery enthusiasm with which we embrace these healthy lifestyles in early January usually dwindles to good intentions by the beginning of February. And the big question is why, after all the determined efforts of the first few weeks, do most of us slip back into our old unhealthy habits?

CONDITIONING: To understand this, we need to realise that few if any of these habits are determined by logic. While it’s true that poor knowledge about the health risks of poor diet, physical inactivity, smoking and high alcohol intake can be part of the problem, it is also clear that psychological, social and emotional factors can be very potent influences.