National Healthy Weight Day.

 National Healthy Weight Day.

You know what's it like don't you? You wake up on the first day of a New Year and you take a long self critical look at your stomach, the midriff you believe is rapidly expanding every time you eat a flapjack, a bowl of muesli or the latest bar of chocolate that is supposed to be good for you but quite clearly isn't. So what do you do? There is a moment of self examination, a frustrated grunt of disapproval and then the guilt, the overwhelming guilt, the obsessive determination to cut out the carbs and then go on that legendary diet.

You beat up yourself mentally, reprimanding yourself severely, telling yourself off over and over again but it won't achieve anything because you're the one who got themselves into this state in the first place. You'd eaten vast quantities of Christmas turkey, roast potatoes, brussels sprouts, far too many tins of chocolate biscuits and sweets, eaten at least 10 Christmas puddings in just one afternoon and don't even get us onto the delicate subject of crisps and cheese and crackers. Here we have  everything relating to chronic cholesterol because that's just bad news and besides who needs that when pangs of regret are still gnawing at you? 

But what are you going to do about these raging, conflicting discussions on diet, exercise and stringent, disciplined and healthy eating and no more alcohol at least until next Christmas? You panic because you're suddenly confronted with so many private dilemmas. Do you just cut out bread, meat, cheese, full English breakfasts, fish and chips and pizzas for the rest of your life or do you slump despondently in the corner of your sofas and reluctantly accept defeat. That is the question why or so a literary giant by the name of William Shakespeare once said.

Now we've all heard about the art of moderation, finding that elusive happy medium of not eating so many heavy portions of food that just leave us feeling bloated and just eating the right amount. It's a difficult balancing act because although we blame comfort eating for our discomfort around the waist, we just love to reward ourselves for just the simple act of enjoying food and drink. But then after eating  seemingly excessively over the festive period we begin to think we've committed the ultimate crime. This has got to stop because if we keep looking for snacks in the fridge or that packet of peanuts which are surely harmless then things will get worse and the road to ruination can only follow.

So what to do? Yes let's think about that old chestnut. We'll take out our yearly subscription for the gym, the sweat factory, the exercise room, that clanking, metallic noisy sanctuary where the sound of heaving, growling and grunting, groaning and fiercely determined athletes let off steam. For decades now we go through that same familiar procedure. We empty our pockets of loose change, break into our accounts before embarking on that journey. It's time to get fit convincing yourself that the stones we've piled on almost inevitably over Christmas have to be removed immediately or sooner rather than later.

This is what some would regard as our customary vanity project. But surely not. We just need to feel better about yourself and if you get on that gym bike and rowing machine, those hundreds of dumb bells and machinery will strengthen the core muscle group in our arms, chests and legs. Before we know it, we'll all resemble Arnold Schwarzenegger at the height of his Mr Universe days as the most muscular man in the world. Get that six pack and that flat as an ironing board tummy before it degenerates into floppy flesh.

Oh but no this is just an urban myth. All of those remarkably popular gyms are just a smoke screen. There's nothing wrong with being slightly overweight and obese because all we need to do is stop eating these cheese and onion crisps at 9.30 in the evening. It's simple and straightforward. You will lose vast quantities of weight by the pound and stone, look like an Adonis, gorgeously proportioned, fit as a fiddle and ready to embark on several marathons around the world.

But the temptation is irresistible. Why kick those fast foods, drinking and smoking into touch since these are hard wired vices, things we shouldn't be doing but then do because we've always done this? Those cream cakes, Danish pastries, chocolate chip cookies and lashings of apple crumble with custard for dessert are just there on the dinner table and that buffet in a hotel has to be eaten in one sitting- the lot.

Then come the private concerns with our bodies, the desperate need for restraint, cutting out the sugary additives that are cunningly hidden away on the back of packets. There's the small writing which, if you look  properly will reveal that you shouldn't be consuming whatever it is that you must never eat again. Now we can't drink those Fruit of Forest bottles of juice because they're just overflowing with sugar, allegedly healthy saccharine. But we'll just accumulate the stones and pounds and we'll find yourselves wrestling with diet fads, reading recipes for healthy teas or suppers in newspapers, sticking to rigorous regimes and constant advice about eating more carrots, lettuces, tomatoes and cucumbers, plenty of vegetables and olive oils on our salads. It's enough to drive you crazy but it has to be done.

Eminent doctors, food scientists, nutritionists and educationalists are forever telling us that if we eat to bursting point we'll invariably end up at Accident and Emergency hospitals or clinics in the certain knowledge that you may have to wait ages before we're seen. The NHS and the unbearably onerous strain on their resources are just part of the news agenda. Soon they may never be able to cope anymore but  they did give us ample warning.

The experts are always telling us that we have to get out there and walk, run, swim, go to the gym, swim the Atlantic if possible. They accuse us of leading lazy, sedentary lifestyles and we refuse to exercise more regularly. They keep warning us about the dangers of over indulgence, of too many greasy chips, pizzas by the lorryload and an assortment of other fatty comestibles. We don't live in ignorance because the media advertising campaigns about physical health are now almost constant so let's be good to our waistlines. Or just an invigorating walk around the park a dozen times.

In a world where Alzheimer's disease, cancer and Parkinson's disease are now salutary reminders of our mortality and fragility, a healthy weight day has to be considered and acknowledged by all and sundry. We all need to look after both our mental and physical health because life is beautiful and the sanctity of life can never be overlooked. 

So let's get out there and just do those press ups, keep active, pre-occupied, take your dog for a walk and just enjoy the great outdoors. You've seen the campaigns so let's put it into practise. It's National Healthy Weight Day. The opportunity is there and let's seize the day as a gifted American comedian once said.