Make a healthy start to the New Year

2 January 2018

Have you vowed to lose weight this year? Or are you planning on eating healthier? What about smoking, will you be going smoke free in 2018? Whatever your New Year’s resolution may be, there is support available to help you succeed and lead a healthier lifestyle.

Get support for a healthier new you

Southwark Council is supporting Public Health England’s One You campaign to help you to make simple changes for a longer and happier life. One You provides tools, support and encouragement every step of the way, to help improve your health right away. From advice on better sleeping and managing stress and sexual health, to preventing diabetes, you can find lots of information and many tools to help.

Reduce your alcohol intake

The New Year kicks off with Dry January and encourages us all to reset our relationship with alcohol by giving up alcohol for the month. Just some of the benefits of giving up alcohol include weight loss, better sleep and improved skin. According to Alcohol Concern the average person spends £50,000 on alcohol in their lifetime, so by the end of Dry January you could have more money in your pocket.

Be more physically active

If you want to get more active in 2018 then remember as a Southwark resident you can take advantage of our free gym and swim offer.  For more information on how to sign up and when the offer is available, take a look at our website.

If the gym isn’t for you then there are plenty of parks across the borough with a variety of different activities on offer.

Or if you’re looking to try something a bit different, Burgess Park is home to the BMX Track London, a national standard BMX race track. Don’t worry if you’ve never tried BMX riding before, there are classes available for novices and all experience levels are welcome.

A full range of sport and leisure activities in the borough is available on our website.

Quit smoking for good

According to the NHS, smokers who use their local support services are up to four times more likely to stop smoking for good.

In Southwark, you can contact our free stop smoking service. They can give you advice, support and encouragement to help you stop for good. If you are a Southwark resident you can book an appointment by emailing gst-tr.stopsmokingsouthwark@nhs.net or calling them on 0800 169 6002.

You can also pop into a local pharmacy who provides a stop smoking service. 

Cllr Maisie Anderson, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Social Regeneration said: “New Year is a time when many of us resolve to get healthier, try new things or kick a bad habit for good. In Southwark there are lots of ways that you can get support to achieve the goals you have set yourself for 2018.
“Even if New Year’s resolutions aren’t for you, positive changes like quitting smoking, getting more active and eating healthier food will have a huge impact on your health. Across the borough there is a huge choice of activities to help you get fitter or just try something different.”

Page last updated: 04 January 2018