It’s not the easiest time of the year, is it? We tend to feel lethargic and as if we’re not achieving much.

So here are a few initiatives I’ve come up with. Maybe one of these will hit the spot for you this week and help you feel more productive.

Number one is how to avoid the common cold. Let’s face it, these really drag on once we have them,  so life would be so much better if we didn’t succumb in the first place.

Sadly, we all know there’s no fail-safe way of dodging them, but we did have far fewer colds during Covid, so maybe we could adopt some of the tactics that were routine them.

The main one was that we washed our hands a lot. Do you still do it to the same extent? No?

Neither do I but perhaps we should. It might also be an idea to wear a mask in supermarkets, or on buses, or at the cinema if lots of folk are coughing away.

Other good ploys are to keep warm, exercise several times a week, eat plenty of fruit and vegetables and get adequate sleep.

Above all, avoid grandparent-duty where possible when young relatives have brought home the latest lurgy caught at school. 

I mentioned bad backs last week and there are a lot of them about. Perhaps one reason is that we do more lounging around at this time of year and this is rarely good news for people prone to back trouble.

The truth is that most of us give little thought to our backs until they go wrong.

Certainly, I was 45 before I realised that prevention is easier and more effective than trying to cure pain once it takes hold.

In fact, it was an osteopath who pointed out to me that if we were all more proactive in looking after our backs, we would suffer far fewer aches, pains and injuries.

He told me that the key to better back health is to improve the core muscles.  

He also advised us to keep moving, and to regularly stretch out and do exercises for rotation and flexibility throughout the spine.

For me, a weekly Pilates class seems to be the best thing for back maintenance. But there are several options.

Why not take a trip through all the free You Tube videos on stretching exercises, yoga, Pilates or Tai Chi. What might suit you best? This could be a good week to do some research and maybe join in with an online class or even book to take a class with a good teacher in your own town or village.  

This could also be a great time to sharpen up your mind by adding another couple of puzzles into your routine in a bid to maintain or even improve your memory?

Every time I’m in the company of people of my own age, the subject of memory crops up.

It seems we all worry about it. I’ve said before in this column how experts believe that the best strategy for cognitive health is to exercise regularly. Getting oxygen pumping around your body and into the brain is the smart way forward.

But we can also give ourselves greater confidence about our memory if we do more brain training. So, here’s an idea for you.

Next time you write a shopping list, try noting down all the items in alphabetical order and then do your best to memorise it.

Read it through out loud, and also try to visualise the words on the paper. Then, when you go shopping, leave the list at home and see how you get on. If you do this regularly you should find that you can rely on your memory more than you thought.

Another trick you can do involves crossword or codeword puzzles.

All you do is complete the puzzle as usual, then put it away. For crosswords, try then to recall the “across” answers and then the “down” ones.

Or if you do codewords, once you have finished one, take a sheet of paper and write out numbers 1 – 26 and then try to remember which letters you matched with each number in the puzzle. This is just a bit of fun. But it sharpens up the mind.

Finally, this is the season when we overeat. All those pies and festive food are just too tempting. But if you’re overweight and always trying to lose a few pounds, you don’t want your mealtimes to get out of hand.

Many experts on ageing say that we can improve our health and longevity if we eat only 80% of what we want at any one meal. Could you try this a few times a week?

Simply give up eating at a number of meals before you feel truly full and satisfied? It might retrain your appetite and your eating habits. And next year, when everyone else is moaning that they can’t get into their summer clothes you won’t be one of them.

Have a productive week!