It's that time of year when we all turn over a new leaf health wise, but according to new research, the average "health kick" doesn't last very long.
Researchers have discovered that while the majority of Brits will start the year watching what they eat and hitting the gym, for many of us the new health regime is over before it's really begun.
It seems a large chunk of us put more effort into announcing the change in lifestyle on social media (13%) and telling our friends (40%) than we do trying to quit bad habits for good.
When it comes to reasons for falling off the health wagon, the temptation of a Friday night take away is too much to bear for 12% of the nation, while a holiday signals the end of abstinence for 14% of us, followed by "the weekend" in general (10%). As for foods that tempt us back to the "dark side" we are most likely to first succumb to chocolate (20%) then beer (14%) and wine (14%).
The study which was carried out by Asda among 1,509 adults in the UK of all ages also revealed the average adult will embark on four health kicks every year. Unsurprisingly 76% of us start our health kick in January, while a further try again in April (20%), May (24%), and June, (25%) as we try to get "beach body ready."
Yesterday a spokeswoman for Asda said "January is famous for the phrase, 'new year, new you,' but this research shows that being healthy is not just a quick fix. Whilst many of us start the year with great intentions, it takes a lot of will power to maintain our New Year resolutions to live healthier."
The study also found that daily exercise (53%) is the route most people take to get healthy while 47% will cut out fat in a bid to lose weight. Another 36% stop drinking alcohol altogether while slightly more than one in four (28%) will start to count calories and one in five (21%) will cut out carbs. 19% will start going to the gym and around 17% will slip on their running shoes and start pounding the pavements.
However, the research shows while our the long term aim may be to be fitter, healthier and happier for many the new regime is an unpleasant slog. As many as one in five (22%) said embarking on a health kick left them feeling miserable while a further 50% said being healthy was 'boring.'
Tellingly 78% of those polled said they wished they could be "more moderate" in their eating and drinking rather than embarking on health kicks. And 35% said they were more likely to fail if their partner doesn't join them on the health regime.
Once a strict diet has been broken, a staggering 88% of people go back to their bad old ways, rather than try to get back on the wagon. Gender-wise however, men's health-kicks were most likely to fail due to their love of beer, while chocolate was responsible for most women's failure to stick to their health kick. It also emerged a Friday is when a health-kick usually ends, with Saturday and Monday hot on its heels.
The spokeswoman for Asda added "Healthy living doesn't need to be boring. 2016 will see us launch a range of innovative dishes to help make nutritious eating effortless and tasty. We've also looked at how we can help customers adopt new trends such as souping with our ready-made soup kits in a range of flavours."
What The Health Kick Involves:
Daily exercise - 53%
Cut out fat - 47%
Count calories - 28%
Cut out carbs - 21%
Gym - 19%
Run regularly - 17%
How Health Kicks End:
Going on holiday - 14%
Being tempted by chocolate - 13%
Friday night take away - 12%
Meal with friends - 10%
Weekends in general - 10%
Trip to the pub - 9%
Beer after a busy day at work - 9%
The lure of the biscuit tin - 8%
The lure of the fridge - 6%
Restaurants with buffets - 3%
Colleagues who bring cake in - 3%
Food/Drink Which Prove Too Tempting:
For Men - Beer, Chocolate, Wine, Cheese and Pizza.
For Women - Chocolate, Wine, Cheese, Crisps and Cake.
Brits give up too soon on their 'healthier lifestyle'