Today and tomorrow I'll be looking at some New Year's resolutions, particularly those focused on health.

It's interesting to compare the 43 Things pages for 'lose weight' and 'exercise regularly' — the former is very diet-focused, but the latter, thankfully, seems much more sane.

I won't bore you with the statistics on how many Britons will have joined a gym this week, and how many will have cancelled their memberships next week, but will bring you these two little nuggets of goodness:

Women: How to keep your resolutions

Professor Richard Wiseman of the University of Hertfordshire brings these tips for women: (guys, you'll have to wait until tomorrow)

Women who keep their New Year's resolution to themselves make it too easy to forget. Instead, go public.

For example, write down your resolution on a large sheet of paper, sign it, and place it somewhere prominent in your house. Tell your friends, family and colleagues and ask them to provide you with helpful nudges to assist you in achieving your goal.

Be persistent. New habits take time to learn, and once in a while you will slip up. People on diets might suddenly give in to temptation, or those trying to exercise more might not find the time to go to the gym for a week.

Remember that everyone messes up from time to time. Don't blame yourself if you falter, or allow the experience to make you give up.

— Telegraph, 28th December 2007

Join a free green gym

Why spend hundreds of pounds a year sweating away in an air conditioned box when you could be outside and doing valuable community work? BTCV have set up 'green gyms' around the country to do just that