Don't let Blue Monday get you down stick to your healthy living plans

Stay healthy after Blue Monday

Dubbed ‘Blue Monday’ it is claimed that the third Monday of January is when people feel the most down every year. In 2022 this fell on January 17.

It is the day of the year when many experts say people’s will is rock bottom and many break their New Year resolutions, including ignoring their promised health targets.

This year was no different as January 17 was the day that 47 per cent of us were expected to break health resolutions.

As many of us continue to work from home health food company Good4U has commissioned new research revealing that 46 per cent of us are eating more and 55 per cent are exercising less, with 38 per cent attributing this to boredom.

However, certain foods like sprouts can improve our mood and help people stick to healthier food goals.

Good4U along with registered dietitian Juliette Kellow and leading nutritionist Fiona Hunter, have highlighted the importance of looking after one’s physical and mental health.

Avoid the junk

Around 38 per cent of us admit that between 8-11pm is the key period we’re likely to reach for those unhealthy snacks at home, with 55 per cent spending less time exercising or taking part in physical activity while being stuck indoors.

Specifically, a staggering 47 per cent of us fall off the wagon and break our health resolutions on Blue Monday, just a few weeks after setting them at the start of the New Year.

Blue Monday is hailed as the most depressing day of the year, with our bank accounts feeling lighter after the Christmas period, the darker nights continuing to drag on, and summer still feeling a long way off.

Yet, 27 per cent, in fact, see the day after Blue Monday as the perfect time to adjust our mindsets and start setting positive goals for the year ahead. And it seems that health experts agree.

Healthy living advice

Juliette Kellow said: “Instinctively, the beginning of January seems the worse time of year to try and make major changes to our lifestyle – trying to exercise outside when it’s freezing cold, spending more on gym memberships and healthy foods when our bank balances are looking less than healthy.

"And this is only being worsened by the prolonged working from home guidance.”

Fiona Hunter added: “There are plenty of foods that may help to boost our mood with sprouted seeds and seeds themselves being key examples.

"Seeds and sprouted seeds are high in fibre and protein, important for helping us to feel fuller for longer and keeping hunger at bay.

"That’s important because ‘hanger’ – when being hungry makes us angry – is a sure-fire way to leave us in a bad mood.”

To help stay on track in the new year, Kellow and Hunter have developed five New Year/Blue Monday resolutions to avoid…and five essential resolutions to make: