As we all get back to work this week having piled on the pounds over Christmas, we look at the best ways to shift them and get more active.

After weeks of sitting on the sofa, grazing at anything that comes within reach, most people across the county have no doubt lived life to excess and consumed far too much food and alcohol.

It’s scary to think that the average adult in the UK will have consumed 6,000 calories on Christmas Day alone.

That’s almost three times the recommended daily intake for an adult.

With that in mind and everyone going back to work or school this week feeling guilty that they have done too little to compensate, now is the time where everyone looks to their New Year’s resolutions.

A crash diet and the promise of signing up for the gym are two favourites, but in reality, they rarely ever work. A healthier lifestyle in for life and not just the after effects of Christmas.

This is where willpower is required. It’s probably the hardest time of year to be the new you. The days are shorter, it’s wet, it’s cold, it’s windy. They’re all great excuses if you don’t want to do anything, but challenges if you do.

If you have the willpower to be healthier in 2016, there are loads of options across Kent and many are free.

You only have to look at parkrun if you want to start with something that will get you active, in a fun, friendly environment.

There are 14 parkruns that take part every Saturday morning across Kent with more planned in the coming year. All you need to do is register, take your barcode, pitch up at 9am and run (or walk) 5 kilometres. It’s that easy.

Everyone that turns up has made the hardest step – leaving the front door.

The numbers that do parkrun are growing all of the time and it’s not just adults that are getting into running.

There’s now junior parkrun for 4-14 year olds with 4,830 junior athletes having kicked off 2016 in the best possible way across 74 junior parkrun events across the UK on Sunday morning.

Run over 2 kilometres, it’s a great way to introduce young people to running for the first time, or getting them off the sofa long enough to be away from a screen.

It’s not just running that sees an uplift in numbers at this time of year. It doesn’t take much to find local sports opportunities happening in your area with netball, cricket, football etc all going on throughout the year in safe and fun settings.

There really is something for everyone out there, but you’ve got to want to do it.

No one else will care more about your health than yourself and we are all duty bound to take care of ourselves more.

With obesity on the rise across the country and an awful lot of desire to do something about it at this time of year, now’s the time to do something about being more active, but it’s got to be sustainable.

There is little or no point in going to the gym a few times, then settling back into the old routines of a takeaway and a pint (or glass of wine) of an evening.

Generally, the equation for living a healthier lifestyle is simple. Eat less and move more. It really is that simple.

Make today the day that you do something to improve your lifestyle.

To see what opportunities there are in your area, visit: www.kentsport.org