‘New year, new you’? How are we supposed to find the time? | Emma Beddington

Sure, most of us can fit in a few thousand steps a day, or bank up to 5k. But what about the strength training, the mobility routine, the cooking from scratch, the meditation, the breathwork, the eight hours of sleep…

I am not against resolution. I actually stuck with one last one year: since January 1, 2024, not a single microwave rice bag has passed my lips and yes, I do want a medal, thank you. But I also want to ask everyone who implements something “New Year’s new” in the wellness space: do you really have time?

The wellness timesuck starts innocently enough, setting a manageable daily number of steps, perhaps by downloading a bank to 5k app or focus on the NHS-recommended 150 minutes of weekly exercise. But once you get started, you’ll discover everything else you should be doing, especially if you’re a suggestive social media user. “Start with strength training,” your algorithms exhort, raving about bone density and heart health, so soon you’re adding deadlifts and split squats to your weekly routine. Then it’s mobility – don’t you realize this is the key to avoiding pain and problems later in life, dummy? Do stretching exercises daily or experience the creaking consequences.

Emma Beddington is a Guardian columnist

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