Follow our ten key steps and you'll soon feel smiles better

Whatever a new year holds, there are some things you can always rely on. Such as the first few weeks of January being awash with suddenly slim, half-naked celebrities telling us how to shape up, that supermarket shelves will groan with 'diet food' and at least one gym will offer you cut-price membership. But living longer, happier and healthier is about more than simply tipping the scales at the right weight or running for an hour on a treadmill.

1. ASK THE FAMILY

Heart disease, breast cancer, diabetes and depression – to name a few – all have genetic links.

Being aware of your family's history of certain conditions can help you identify and change risk factors in your life.

The British Heart Foundation points out that not only can our family medical history increase our risk of cardiovascular disease, we are also at risk of inheriting our family's bad habits of poor diet, lack of exercise of smoking.

A spokesman says: "Some risk factors, such as being overweight, are related to lifestyle habits that are passed on from one generation to the next.

"Having a family history of cardiovascular disease is a risk factor that you can't change.

"But you can control other risk factors by not smoking, managing high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol, being physically active, controlling your weight, controlling diabetes if you have it."

2. TAKE SMALL STEPS

Thirty minutes of walking a day isn't much, yet Diabetes UK suggests that can be enough to cut your risk of developing the condition.

They found a group of "at risk" people who walked half an hour a day for a year cut their blood sugar levels by 15 per cent – greatly improving their chances of avoiding type 2 diabetes.

Regular exercise of any kind also reduces the problem of insulin resistance – insufficient production of insulin in the pancreas is a root cause of the condition

Personal trainer Tracy Griffen, who runs part of Edinburgh-based Weight Shed Bootcamp, agrees that just 30 minutes of exercise can be a great starting point to getting fit.

"Find something you like and stick to it," she says.

"Plan your exercise and write it in your diary as an appointment you have to keep. It acts as a record, too, so you can see how you progress."

3. STEP AWAY FROM THE SALT

Most of us eat far more salt than our body really needs – and too much is linked to high blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease and stroke.

According to the Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland, strokes are our greatest single cause of severe disability and the third most common cause of death. There are 13,000 new strokes in Scotland each year – around 3,000 affecting someone under 65. Preventable coronary heart disease causes the premature deaths of more than 9,000 Scots a year.

The average salt intake is between 9g and 12g per day, but health experts would like us to cut that to just 4g, less than a teaspoon.

Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland's chief executive David Clark says: "Researchers have shown that people who regularly consume 10g of salt a day increase their stroke risk by nearly a quarter and their heart disease risk by about a fifth."

4. TRAIN YOUR BRAIN

Physical exercise doesn't just improve your body, it also helps keep your brain fit and healthy.

Your brain will benefit from a less physically demanding workout too. Research shows that keeping the brain active – puzzles, crosswords and Sudoko are ideal – helps increase its vitality and may even build reserves of brain cells and connections. There's a possibility you could even generate new brain cells.

Even just going online can boost brain power: a University of California Los Angeles team recently found that searching the web stimulated centres in the brain that controlled decision-making and complex reasoning.

Don't forget to feed your brain the right foods too: wild salmon, blueberries, Acai berries and walnuts all contain "brain boosting" Omega 3s.

5. VEG OUT

We've all heard of the "five portions of fruit and vegetables a day" message, yet not many of us are bothering to follow the advice.

Research late last year showed only 20 per cent of Scots men and 24 per cent of women managed to consume the recommended amount or more.

Yet much of the nation's poor health record can be traced to a diet of high saturated fat, salt and sugar and our low consumption of healthy fruit and vegetables.

Our five a day provide essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C and potassium.

They are also an excellent source of dietary fibre, which helps maintain a healthy gut and prevent constipation and other digestion problems.

Not only that, but by filling up on healthier fruit and veg, we should be less tempted by fatty, unhealthy foods.

6. DRINK MORE

Water, that is, not booze. Our love affair with the bottle is being blamed for a 60 per cent increase in the number of Scots men dying from liver cancer – 213 lost their lives last year to the condition, with Scots' alcohol-related death rate twice that of the rest of the UK. By upping our water consumption, we can help lessen the chance of kidney stones, help prevent constipation, keep joints lubricated, and even help fight colds and flu.

Alcohol Focus Scotland points out that one in three men and one in four women drink more than the recommended daily limits.

"Reducing your alcohol consumption can bring many health benefits, including reducing the risks of high blood pressure, strokes, cancers, liver and heart disease," says spokesman Barry McGuinnes.

"Many people are also unaware of the high number of calories contained in alcohol and cutting back can also significantly help with weight loss."

7. SLEEP IT OFF

Sleep is vital for concentration, memory formation and the repair of damage to the body's cells. Chronic lack of it increases our risk of developing diabetes, heart disease and obesity and lowers our resistance to infections.

American research shows teens who don't sleep until after midnight are 24 per cent more likely to have depression than those who sleep before 10pm.

Sleeping less than five hours a night meant a 71 per cent higher risk of depression.

Insufficient sleep can affect our hormones, skin and lead to higher blood pressure.

To sleep well, Edinburgh herbalist Anna Canning of Floramedica recommends forward planning by avoiding over-stimulation and too much of the wrong food and drink.

"Have a milky drink – milk contains tryptophan, a precursor to seratonin which relaxes us," she adds.

Flood your bedroom with the aroma of sweet lavender or rose. But avoid stimulating essential oils such as rosemary and always opt for high quality oils to avoid overpowering artificial scents.

Finally, Anna suggests a herb parcel might help usher in sweet dreams. She says: "Make a little pillow and fill it with dried lavender and dried hop flowers and slip it under your pillow."

8. CHECK IT OUT

It's never been easier to keep a check on our health.

Some pharmacies now offer instant diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure checks, while cancer screening programmes and NHS health checks are there to help keep us healthy.

However, they are only effective if we bother to take them.

Cervical cancer screening has helped dramatically cut the number of deaths from the conditions, yet there are still around 300 new cases each year and around 100 deaths.

And despite publicity about breast cancer, nearly 30 per cent of women offered a mammogram last year in Scotland, refused.

Last week the Scottish Government confirmed a national bowel cancer screening programme for the over-50s, aimed at tackling the third most common cancer in Scotland after lung and breast cancer.

Every year, more than 3,000 people are diagnosed with the disease. However, take-up in pilot screening programmes was only around 57 per cent.

Keep Well Scotland is an optional, free health check for people aged 45-64 living in certain areas, which can check for conditions such as heart disease and provide suggestions for ways to go about improving your health.

9. FUTURE-PROOF YOUR BONES

Getting old is a fact of life. So lay the right foundations now to ensure that you stay fit, active and healthy into your twilight years.

Osteoporosis is common in women post-menopause. Up to the age of 35 we can build our bone density by eating plenty of green leafy vegetables and upping our intake of low-fat dairy products.

Vitamin D can help bone strength too. Any weight-bearing exercise can help build a strong skeleton.

Knee cartilage wears down with age and injury leading to stiff, inflamed and painful joints. Keeping our weight down can help reduce wear and tear and regular cycling will help keep cartilage healthy.

Supplements containing glucosamine and chondroitin – substances found in cartilage – can help to protect and regenerate cartilage and reduce pain.

10. AND RELAX

It's become the buzz word for modern society: stress. And for some of us it can spark a range of serious conditions, including depression. Figures for 2009 show that every tenth Scots adult is taking anti-depressant medication daily, with 4.01 million drugs prescribed last year.

Stress also has an impact on fertility, relationships, our ability to concentrate, blood pressure and heart. It can also lead to excessive smoking, drinking or drug abuse.

Depression Alliance Scotland chief executive Ilena Day says that now is a good time to examine our stress levels and act on them

"January is a good time to declutter your mind. With the festivities firmly over, feelings of stress, anxiety and depression can build up and quickly become problematic.

"Why not reflect on how you are feeling and plan small steps to take positive action to prevent this from happening."

Browned off with the cold? A tan should lift your spirits

CHANCES are, unless you've been lucky enough to jet off to warmer climes this winter, that it's been a while since your skin felt sun-kissed – in fact, more like snow-blasted over the last few weeks.

But just because the weather has been pale and interesting doesn't mean your skin tone has to match. After all, there's nothing like a tan to brighten your mood as well as your complexion. And since sunbeds are something of a no-no these days – under-18s have just been banned from using them anyway – the easiest, cheapest and safest way of acquiring one is to fake it.

The brand Fake Bake prides itself on offering a safe self-tanning method free from parabens – a chemical widely used as preservatives in the cosmetic industry – plus the added skincare benefits of anti-ageing and anti-cellulite agents. Stockbridge's 360 City Spa offers both Fake Bake and Fantasy Tan treatments from 28 for the whole body. Alternatively you can buy Fake Bake's Faux Glow or Aerosol Airbrush (9.75 and 27, both Harvey Nichols).

Once you are satisfied with the spray technique, you could even work a session into your social calendar with a Sienna X Spray Tan Party (15 whole body) offered by Edinburgh-based Salon in the City. Rather than brave the Edinburgh chill, have a luxurious night in with the girls: as the hostess of the party your tan is free.

Household brands offer a wide range of spray tans to fill up your New Year wish list. Try St Tropez Everyday Airbrush Spray Tan (18, Boots). Or, for more affordable products, treat yourself to L'Oreal's Airbrush Effect Self-Tanning Dry Mist (9.99), or the Piz Buin Self-Tan Spray (5.99). Now there's no excuse for fading away this month.