Drynuary to Movember

Woo hoo it's Spring?! So maybe it's time to adopt a new health kick. To be honest, fads are really not my thing and the thought of giving up chocolate or - heaven forbid - coffee makes me feel a little faint. There seems to be something for every month and here's a list for those of you with more willpower.

• Dry January or Drynuary is the UK version of Dry July, don't think it would work here as it BBQ / holiday season. There are many articles on the benefits of abstaining from the demon drink. Check out Consumer Health Complete for information on the benefits like weight loss and better sleep.
• Frugal February is perfect remedy to Christmas excesses, spend less and save some cash. If you have indulged too much over the summer, FebFast might be the one for you, another chance to exercise some temperance when it comes to eating and drinking.
• March no catchy name or anything but there is Lent so give up something, sugar or alcohol if you couldn't face Drynuary or FebFast.
• Grateful in April is a global campaign to get people focused on feeling good about what they’ve already got in their lives. Check out the health benefits of being  grateful with these articles from Heath Source - Grateful-ology  and Gratitude boosts mental and physical health from Heath & Wellness Resource Center.
• Meat free May or No Meat May, plant based diets constantly in the news and what better way to try it out with Meat Free May, it is better for the environment and better for your health. Need some inspiration here is some links to vegetarian cookbooks on OverDrive.
• Junk Free June, run by the Cancer Society. You can pick the junk you remove from your diet can be anything from sugar to fast food, fizzy to lollies your call. We all know that too much junk food is bad for you, but check this article How Junk Food Affects Your Health.
• Dry July - yes, another quit alcohol month. This is the New Zealand version and personally middle of winter seems like a great month to abstain here is some tips to help you Stay Dry this July.  There are other options for July -    
  • Plastic Free July and do your bit for the environment and not use plastic for the whole month.
  • Beer and Pie July, the idea here is to celebrate our best pies and beers by consuming one of each everyday in July. This one I am pretty sure has no health benefits and the only gain would be a beer and pie gut.
• Abstain August Not an official event but abstain from your choice - could be sugar, alcohol, beer and pies (especially if you did beer and pie July).
• Steptember - Yes get your fitbit out start moving. Steptember is a fundraising activity supporting those with cerebral palsy. Scientist have collected smartphone data to determine which nationalities walk the most throughout the day check out the article from Health & Wellness Resource Center Which Countries Walk the Most--and the Least?
• Blue September Prostate Cancer Foundation's national awareness campaign. Wear a blue ribbon, dye your hair blue or hold a blue do and raise money or awareness around prostate cancer.
• Biketober partake in Christchurch's own festival of cycling and Find Happiness on a Bike.
• Movember the worldwide annual event to raise awareness of men's health issues such as prostrate cancer, testicular cancer. Personally I dislike the moustache, they remind me of policemen from the 1980s. Searching Movember on Health & Wellness Resource Center I discovered all sorts of fascinating Movember facts like the world record for moustache length is 12ft 6 inches, and that Movember was dreamed up by four Aussies in a Melbourne pub.
• December is just festive, so Have yourself a Healthy Little Christmas with this article from Heath & Wellness Resource Center.

So if you can't wait for next July to go dry check out some healthy tips from our Health based eResources.

For more on getting healthy:

• Read uncover huraina issue 9
• Download uncover huraina issue 9 [11.83MB PDF)

Kōrerorero mai - Join the conversation.