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NEW YEAR BLUES
HITS WOMEN THE HARDEST
ARE you feeling down in the
New Year? It hits the most optimistic of us following the excesses
of the festive season according to a new report and sadly if you are
of the fairer sex, it seems it is you who will suffer most! Yes,
that is correct, as the female of the
species might be more deadly
than the male, but they also have the greatest numbers of sufferers
depression when the tinsel finally comes down and it's time to get
back to the daily grind.
The study was conducted by a plant-based food and drink company,
Alpro, and it has found out that female Brits feel the effects of
the January blues much more keenly than their male counterparts.
The OnePoll survey of 2,000 UK adults; commissioned by Alpro to
gauge the nation's appetite for New Year health kicks as it sets out
to brighten the nation's mood with the lowest calorie nut drink on
the shop shelves; found that 1 in 7 female respondents said they
enjoyed Christmas so much that they "couldn't bear" to
return to normal life. Going back to work appears to have been a far
greater trial for female respondents, with 1 in 10 going so far as
to say they "hated" being back in the workplace.
Half of the women surveyed added that they were left depressed by
"no end in sight to the cold, dark nights"; that is
compared with just 1 in 3 men, while 45% said they really couldn't
stand January.
"We always knew that January was a month that many people find
dreary, but maybe didn't appreciate just how many people, especially
women, found it quite so depressing. And with so many people failing
to stick to New Year healthy eating and exercise regimes, our job
now is clearly to help inspire as many as possible to make healthy
lifestyle choices that can help improve both body and mind following
the usual excesses of the Christmas break. It's all about making
simple swaps and incorporating more plant-based foods into your diet
to make a change that's sustainable. Small changes like this will
help you look and feel great not just in January, but all year
round." said Alpro dietician Kate Arthur.
1 in 5 women also claimed their dark New Year mood left them feeling
like they had nothing to look forward to as they faced another year
of "the same old", compared with 1 in 10 men, while 1 in 8 women
said they were always left feeling blue by their Christmas weight
gain.
Meanwhile, it appears that calculations regarding the most
depressing day of the year; said to be the 3rd Monday in January;
are now somewhat off the mark with Alpro's study suggesting that
Friday, 10 January 2014, was actually the most depressing day of
2014 for many.
It was found that January is without question the nation's
'bęte noire' in the list of Britons' least favourite months,
polling more than 2 out of 5 votes. Mondays were the least favourite
day of the week for 1 in 3 Britons. Friday, 10 January 2014, was
actually pinpointed by more respondents than any other date as the
day by which they anticipate to be the most depressed in 2014. That
specific date in the calendar collected 1 in 12 votes. Whilst half,
only 1 in 24, plumped for this year's official
'Blue Monday', 20 January,
as being the most depressing day.
Exercising and eating well were once again among the nation's
favourite New Year's resolutions, with one or both providing
inspiration for 3 out of 5 women and just under half of men.
These good intentions are likely to be short lived, with 1 in 28
respondents admitting their New Year's resolutions usually last less
than one day, 1 in 3 less than a week and 3 in 5 less than a
fortnight. ľ normally fail before the end
of January, but 1 in 14 claimed to never lose the willpower to see
their New Year's Resolutions through.
Alpro, which produces the UK's lowest calorie Almond Unsweetened
drink, is encouraging people to brighten up their 2014 mornings with
its New Year AlproAM campaign; Alpro Almond Mornings. Adding Alpro
Almond Unsweetened to a veg based smoothie or winter porridge can
help Brits look and feel great when they're down in the dumps in the
New Year!
"We are urging people to
raise a glass of Alpro Almond Unsweetened on the 10 January to help
ease the pain of the New Year blues." added Ms Arthur. |
Marius has
completed prestigious dentistry courses at home and abroad
MERSEYSIDE Police's new
Matrix Serious Organised Crime Department have conducted a ANPR
operation as part of the Force's expanding its use of technology to
tackle travelling criminals using the county's roads and motorways
on, Wednesday, 15 January 2014, resulting in:-
► 541 vehicles were stopped throughout
Merseyside.
► 20 people were arrested for offences
including firarms, drugs, assault, possession of offensive weapons,
drink/drug driving and driving while disqualified.
► 14 cars and other vehicles were seized.
► 1 stolen vehicle was recovered.
The Force's new network of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR)
cameras is now being increased in the coming months by 50 new camera
sites across Merseyside to aid in the fight against serious and
organised crime.
ANPR works by automatically reading the registration of every
vehicle that passes through it. The registration is then checked
against a range of databases, including the Police National Computer
(PNC), Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and local Police
intelligence systems.
Officers can then instantly tell if the vehicle is of interest to
the Police, such as being stolen or having been used in a recent
crime, and then take neccessary action.
The move to expand the force's ANPR network follows a recent review
of the use of technology and the launch of the MSOC strategy in
tackling organised crime groups who are becoming ever more
sophisticated in their methods and diverse in the crimes they
commit.
Funding for the cameras will be generated by the Police selling cars
and other vehicles seized from criminals and proved to have been
bought using proceeds from their crimes.
Chief Superintendent Mark Harrison said:- "ANPR is a vital tool in
our fight against serious and organised crime. Expanding it will
increase our capability, and that of other law enforcement agencies
here in the North-west, to identify how criminals are travelling
around, where they are going and what they are doing. Ultimately,
this will lead to more criminals being arrested, stolen vehicles and
illegal commodities being seized and serious crime being reduced in
our neighbourhoods."
Ch Supt Harrison added:- "It is satisfying knowing that these extra
cameras and camera sites will be paid for by the criminals we are
catching. We will be selling vehicles and other property that we
seize from criminals using Proceeds of Crime legislation and
ploughing that money back into crime-fighting. I am sure the public
will see this as a good thing and I would like to assure law-abiding
people that they have nothing to fear from these cameras. They do
not monitor speed, they simply check the number plate against a
database. It is the criminals using our road networks to carry out
crime that should really be worried."
Following ANPR operation on Wednesday, 15 January 2014, Merseyside
Police said the most notable arrests included:-
A 24 year old Liverpool man, who was arrested in Birkenhead, having
been wanted in connection with a shooting in Liverpool which
happened in the L13 area of the City in March 2013. The man was
arrested on suspicion of Section 18 Wounding and also on suspicion
of possession of a controlled drug after cannabis was found.
► A man arrested in Walton after he fled
from Police as he approach an ANPR site. Following his arrest a
large bag of cannabis was found!
► A man in Knowsley arrested, on suspicion
of domestic assault and car theft.
► A man arrested in Stanley Road in
Bootle, on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon.
► A motorist arrested on Aigburth Road in
South Liverpool, on suspicion of driving while unfit through drink
or drugs. |
