Everyone’s a Health Nut on Monday

Aimee+Swarts

Tradition suggests that January 1 is the perfect time to decide to improve your health. But our collective success rate there is grim： one survey found that only about 17 percent of people who make New Years resolutions stick them out for more than one month. So when do we make behavior changes that really stick？

Research has shown that more people start diet and exercise regimes2）， quit smoking， and make doctors appointments on Mondays than any other day of the week. Now， a new analysis of online search queries shows that health-related contemplations3） are also most likely to take place on a Monday.

The study， to be published early next week in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that health-related Google queries peak on Monday and Tuesday. They then decline throughout the week before plunging on Saturday and rebounding again Monday.

“These findings show that healthy thinking and behavior is synced to the week， with Monday being the day were most likely to start healthy，” said Morgan Johnson， a co-author of the study. “This suggests that people see the new week much like a new beginning—a January 1st that happens every seven days.”

Similar to the 24-hour circadian rhythm4） that serves as a natural “body clock，” a 7-day cycle known as our circaseptan rhythm5） governs numerous biological functions. Monday spikes6）， in particular， have been associated with several cardiovascular7） events， such as high blood pressure， heart attacks， and stroke， as well as infectious disease. Now， says Johnson， it appears that healthy considerations follow the same kind of rhythm.

As part of the study， Johnson worked with researchers from San Diego State University， the Santa Fe Institute， and Johns Hopkins University to monitor queries from 2004 to 2012 for searches that included the word “healthy” or that were Google classified as “health-related” （e.g. healthy diet）. Data showed that health-related queries on Monday and Tuesday were 3 percent greater than Wednesday， 15 percent greater than Thursday， 49 percent greater than Friday， 80 percent greater than Saturday and 29 percent greater than Sunday.

Johnson notes that the “rhythms were unfailingly consistent” across the weeks and were not influenced by factors such as media reporting on health. Knowing that healthy considerations follow a week-long cycle “opens the door for more targeted and， ultimately more effective， health promotion，” Johnson said.

An estimated $76.2 billion is spent annually on health promotion programs—money Johnson suggests could be better spent “if everyone were timing their health messages to days of the week when people were most open to hearing them.”

Thats precisely the idea behind the Monday Campaigns， a joint project of Columbia Universitys Mailman School of Public Health， Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health， and the Syracuse University Newhouse School of Public Communications， where Johnson serves as research director. The Monday Campaigns mission is simple： to make Monday the day we associate with healthy behaviors.

“Friday is payday. Saturday is play day. Sunday is pray day. Were trying to make Monday the ‘all health breaks loose8） day，” said Sid Lerner， a former advertising executive who founded the Monday Campaigns.

So far， the Monday Campaigns most successful initiative has been Meatless Monday， a movement that asks carnivores9） to give up meat one day a week for both health and environmental reasons. On average， Americans consume 8 ounces of meat per day—45 percent more than the USDA10） recommends.

Cutting-back on red meat consumption， in particular， can reduce ones risk for chronic preventable illnesses—such as colon11） cancer and heart disease—and help people live longer， healthier lives. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization also says reducing meat consumption can also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions—a leading cause of climate change—produced by the meat industry， and conserve natural resources， such as fresh water and fossil fuel， that are used to raise livestock.

Since its launch in 2003， Meatless Monday has made its way into corporate cafeterias， hospitals， K-1212） schools， colleges， and local governments. It is supported by celebrities like Oprah and Sir Paul McCartney. Even meat-loving chef Mario Batali has joined the movement by offering Meatless Monday menu options in all of his 14 restaurants.

Meatless Monday is practiced in 31 countries worldwide in 21 different languages—a testament， Lerner says， “to the universal appeal of an idea that is easy to understand and easy to do.” Most recently， the Norwegian Army took up Meatless Monday on one of its bases， with the intent to expand to its bases worldwide.

Based on Meatless Mondays success， the Monday Campaigns has launched several additional campaigns， including Move It Monday （a day to jumpstart physical activity for the week）， Monday 2000 （a day to balance our daily recommended calorie count）， Kids Cook Monday （a day for children and families to prepare healthy meals together） and Man-Up Monday （a day for young men to get screened HIV and STDs）. More campaigns are also under development， including one set to launch later this year that focuses on stress reduction.

Lerner attributes the Monday Campaigns successes to the fact that they build upon an existing pattern—the week—instead of creating a new one or tying behavior change to a specific date， such as New Years Day or a birthday or anniversary.

“If you believe that you can only change on January 1st—the inherent message of New Years resolutions—you will have to wait a whole year before you get another shot，” said Lerner. “When you associate getting healthy with Monday， you have 52 cues every year to take action.”

Lerner also thinks the Monday Campaigns success-factor lies in their focus on incremental13） changes that will translate into making healthier choices overall.

“Going meat-free or whatever change you want to make for one day wont leave most people feeling like they have to deprive themselves，” he said. “Its the kind of easily achievable goal that people can build on over time.”

And， Lerner adds， “Even if you do slip up14） or fall off the wagon15） theres always another Monday less than a week away to get it together again.”

傳統表明，1月1日是下決心改善自身健康狀況的最佳時間，但我們總體的成功率卻很慘淡：一項調查發現，在制定新年計劃的人群中，只有大約17%的人能夠堅持實施一個月以上。那么我們什么時候才能做出真正持久的行為轉變呢？

已有研究表明，更多的人會在周一開始執行節食和鍛煉的養生計劃、戒煙以及預約看醫生，比一周中的其他任何一天都要多。現在，針對網上搜索查詢的一項新分析表明，與健康相關的思考也最有可能在周一出現。

這項研究將在下周初（編注：英文原文發表于4月17日）刊登在《美國預防醫學雜志》上。該研究發現，在谷歌搜索引擎上，與健康有關的查詢數量在周一和周二最多，隨后查詢量在一周中會逐日下降，在周六會驟降，而在周一會再次反彈。

“這些研究結果表明，與健康相關的想法和行為是與星期同步的，周一是我們最有可能開啟健康生活的一天，”該研究的一位合著者摩根·約翰遜說，“這表明人們將新的一周視為一個新的開端——就像是每七天就要過一次1月1日似的。”

人體具有24小時的晝夜節律，這是一種天然的“身體時鐘”。與之類似，一種被稱為“每周節律”的為期七天的周期控制著很多生理機能。特別是在周一，一些心血管疾病，如高血壓、心臟病發作和中風，以及傳染性疾病都會激增。約翰遜說，現在看來，人們對健康問題的考慮也遵循同樣的節律。

作為該研究的一部分，約翰遜與來自圣迭戈州立大學、圣菲研究所和約翰·霍普金斯大學的研究者們合作，監測了2004年至2012年間包含“健康的”一詞的搜索或是被谷歌歸類為“健康相關”的搜索（如健康飲食）。數據表明，在周一和周二，與健康相關的查詢比周三高出3%，比周四高出15%，比周五高出49%，比周六高出80%，比周日高出29%。

約翰遜指出，在每一周，這種“節律始終不變”，也沒有受到諸如媒體對健康問題的報道等因素的影響。認識到人們對健康問題的考慮遵循為期一周的周期，這“開啟了更具針對性、最終也更加有效的健康促進活動”，約翰遜說。

據估計，每年投入健康促進計劃的資金達762億美元。約翰遜認為“如果大家都選擇好時機，在每周中人們最愿意聽取健康信息的日子發布這些信息”，這筆錢就能得到更好的利用。

這正是“周一運動”背后的理念?！爸芤贿\動”是哥倫比亞大學梅爾曼公共衛生學院、約翰·霍普金斯大學布隆博格公共衛生學院和雪城大學紐豪斯公共傳播學院的一個聯合項目，由約翰遜擔任研究主任?！爸芤贿\動”的宗旨很簡單：讓周一成為我們的健康行為日。

“周五是發薪日。周六是娛樂日。周日是祈禱日。我們正努力讓周一成為‘健康解放日?！毕隆だ占{說。他曾是一位廣告經理，是“周一運動”的發起人。

迄今為止，“周一運動”最成功的一項倡議是“素食周一”，該活動呼吁肉食者每周有一天不吃肉，這既是為了健康，也是為了環境。美國人平均每天食用8盎司（譯注：約227克）肉——比美國農業部的推薦量高出45%。

減少紅肉的食用量尤其能夠降低人們患上可預防慢性病的風險——比如結腸癌和心臟病——并有助于人們過上更長壽、更健康的生活。聯合國糧農組織也表示，減少肉類的食用量還有助于減少肉類工業所產生的溫室氣體排放——而溫室氣體是氣候變化的一個主要原因，并有利于節約喂養牲畜所消耗的自然資源，例如淡水和化石燃料。

自2003年發起以來，“素食周一”活動已經延伸至企業餐廳、醫院、幼兒園、中小學、大學和地方政府，也得到了奧普拉和保羅·麥卡特尼爵士等名人的支持。甚至酷愛肉類的大廚馬里奧·巴塔利也加入了這項活動，在他所有14家餐廳中都提供了備選的“素食周一”菜單。

“素食周一”在講21種不同語言的31個國家得到推廣——勒納說這證明了“一個簡明易行的想法具有普世的吸引力”。最近，挪威陸軍開始在一個基地上實行“素食周一”計劃，并有意將其推廣至它在世界各地的基地。

在“素食周一”獲得成功的基礎上，“周一運動”又發起了其他幾項運動，包括“周一動起來”（開啟整周體育活動的一天）、“周一2000卡”（平衡每日推薦卡路里值的一天）、“孩子下廚周一”（孩子和家人共同烹調健康飲食的一天）以及“男子漢周一”（年輕男士進行艾滋病和性傳播疾病檢查的一天）。還有更多運動正在準備中，包括計劃于今年晚些時候發起的一項以減壓為重點的運動。

勒納認為“周一運動”獲得成功的原因是它們依賴于一個現成的模式——星期，而非創造出一個新的模式，或將行為的轉變與某個具體的日期（如元旦、生日或周年紀念日）相關聯。

“如果你認為自己只能在1月1日改變——這是新年計劃的固有含義——你必須等整整一年才能得到另一次機會，”勒納說，“當你把追求健康與周一聯系起來時，你每年會得到52次提示，促使你采取行動?！?/p>

勒納還認為“周一運動”成功的因素在于這些運動關注循序漸進的改變，這將轉化為在各方面做出更健康的選擇。

“一天不吃肉，或者在某一天進行你要做出的任何改變，這不會讓大多數人覺得他們必須苛求自己，”他說，“這是那種易于實現的目標，隨著時間的流逝，人們可以積沙成塔?！?/p>

而且，勒納補充道：“即便你真的失敗了，或是半途而廢了，在不到一周之后，總會有另一個周一能夠讓你重整旗鼓?！?/p>

4. circadian rhythm： [生] 晝夜節律，24小時節律

5. circaseptan rhythm：以七天為

周期的節律

6. spike [spa?k] n. （價格、數量的）

突然上升，劇增

7. cardiovascular

[?kɑ?（r）di???v?skj?l?（r）] adj. [醫]心血管的