4 strategies for sticking with your health plan

Making and sticking to a health plan isn't as easy as it sounds, or we'd like it to be, especially if the intention is for the plan to be life-long. Here are some factors that will contribute to your success.

Maintaining commitment to your goals is easier if you understand, and can visualize, how your body will benefit from a healthier lifestyle.

Think about the factors that contribute to that overall picture. For example, the research that says our bodies respond best to certain types of food; and that just like our hunter-gatherer forebearers, we are meant to be active — simply sitting down for too long makes blood fats collect in our arteries, causing plaque to build up over time.

It is important to have some stress-beating tactics lined up to help you survive the times when you are most likely to give in to temptation. Decide in advance on a few actions you can take when you're feeling low or under pressure — for example:

• Put on your coat and go for a short walk
• Dig in the garden
• Take a hot shower or have a self-indulgent soak in the bath
• Call a close friend and have a good chat.
• You'll find that your mood will lift and the craving for oral gratification will subside.

• If you do fall off the wagon, don't berate yourself.
• Remind yourself that you are making progress — you are a success.
• Give yourself encouragement, get back on to the program you have devised for yourself and focus on moving forward.

While the basic principles of avoiding cardiovascular disease are pretty straightforward — eat healthily, sleep well, avoid stress, get some regular exercise and keep your weight within normal limits — the mechanics ofjust how to achieve this are much more complex.

There is an enormous variety of different ways for you to achieve your aims in ways that are most suitable for you. Find the ones that work for you.