Acting editorin-chief Emma with cover star Alison
I’ve never been good at making (or keeping) New Year resolutions. Take these that I found scribbled in my teenage diary, circa 1989: Take up roller skating. Look cool. Tone thighs. By the end of January, I’d broken my ankle – roller skating wasn’t for me – and the other two remain a work in progress. I’ve lost count of the number of gyms I’ve joined, diets I’ve tried and hobbies I’ve half-heartedly started in the cold, dark days of winter. Studies show around 80% of New Year resolutions fail, usually within the first two weeks. So why, while nursing festive hangovers, do we keep setting ourselves up to fail?
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to make changes, but I hope our January issue inspires you to do them gradually, and only if they’re right for you. As I learned the hard way, self-improvement doesn’t happen in boots with four wheels.