“Go on.” Lorna goaded. “You must have at least one New Year resolution for 2016?”

“Nope.” My good friend Christine was adamant.

“Drink less?”

“Exercise more?”

But no amount of cajoling could change her mind.

“Healthy eating?”

Christine was undeterred as she turned to me.

“Now let’s be honest Janice,” she explained.

“I’ve tried this New Year resolution lark for years,” she added. “And it just doesn’t work.”

“But…..”

I was about to explain to Christine that it only works if you make it happen.

“So what’s the point,” she shrugged her shoulders.

Christine seemed very clear about the fact that publicly stating your resolutions for the forthcoming year was a complete waste of time.

And maybe she was right because when I looked back at my resolutions, nearly all of them have fallen by the wayside by mid-January.

“Why don’t you just make it easy for yourself Janice and choose something that you’re actually going to be able to do?” My pal Mae suggested.

“Like what,” I said.

I was intrigued as to this new way logical of thinking.

“For example, why not make a resolution to book a sunshine holiday.”

“But I am planning to book a holiday in the sun.”

“See.” Mae smiled as though she had finally solved the New Year resolution mystery.

“You’re half way there already with that one.”

And perhaps she had a point.

I decided to put a more positive slant on the subject.

"How about you Yvonne, you’re an upbeat kind of person, haven’t you always said that you would love to stop smoking?”

“Yes, I did try last January, Janice,” she explained.

“But, apparently I was so crabbit and my mood swings were so bad that…….”

Yvonne looked rather sheepish.

“After a week, my Billy actually went out and bought me a pack of cigarettes and insisted I smoke one because he couldn’t cope with my morose temperament anymore.”

“All my family said I was like Jekyll and Hyde and avoided me like the plague.”

Lorna took this opportunity to get her bit in. “Did you know that only eight per cent of people actually achieve their resolutions?”

“We all need to make more of an effort and stick to our goals.”

“Janice, you need to tone up,” Lorna advised.

“Christine, you need to exercise more, Mae, you should……” the list of unwanted suggestions and advice from our friend was never-ending.

“Fiona,” she questioned. “Think of why you want to lose weight.”

“Because I’m fat,” Fiona added sarcastically. “And before you say anything, don’t anyone suggest one of these new corsets that are all the rage because I’ve tried one and they just squeeze the fat in in one area and it squeezes out of another!”

Ignoring her Lorna continued.

“Firstly clear the house of temptation,” Recommended Lorna.

“And…..”

But before she could continue.

“I saw you the night before your so called new regime.” Christine butted in. “And you devoured the last box of chocolates, a tube of Pringles and every single peanut there was in the house.”

“And…you drank the last bottle of wine too,” Christine added. “So that wasn’t much of a great start to the ‘new you.’

Lorna scowled. “You should all take a leaf out of my book and join the gym, or a walking club, and swimming and cycling are great ways to keep fit too.”

The drone of exercise and healthy living advice from Lorna was wearing us down and by this stage I was getting rather fed up with being told what I should and shouldn’t do in 2016 to improve my fitness and wellbeing.

“Yvonne, you’ve tried everything to stop smoking.” I reminded my pal. “Hypnosis, nicotine patches and now vapour cigarettes.”

“And you still smoke.”

“Fiona.” I turned to my dieting pal. “You have been on a diet for the last twenty years and have never really lost any weight.”

I was on a roll.

“In fact, over the years, you’ve gone up at least two dress sizes.”

“Christine, you’ve been jogging since you were young and now your knees have finally packed in.”

“And Lorna.” I turned to the Queen of exercise and wellbeing.

“You have exercised for as long as I can remember.”

“And you have had numerous sprains, ligament problems, shin splints, a dislocated shoulder, a strained back, cartilage problems, and torn hamstrings….”

I could have gone on all night, but all-in-all, unless you are one of the eight per cent of people who believe they will succeed in achieving their New Year resolution, I wouldn’t bother.

Happy New Year.

Janice x