How to keep your New Year's resolutions 

Now that we’re a few weeks into the new year, those of us who made resolutions will fall into two camps: those who are marching doggedly on, and those who have given up in favour of a glass of wine, a big slab of dauphinoise potatoes or that much-needed lie in.

But keeping your resolutions needn’t be a chore. There are plenty of shops, service providers and restaurants in Mayfair and Belgravia that can make it painless … and even enjoyable.

Here are some common resolutions – and where to go to achieve them.

1. Cut down on the booze
At Amaya, a Michelin-starred Indian restaurant in Motcomb Street, teetotallers aren’t relegated to orange juice and fizzy drinks. Its expert mixologists pride themselves on their ‘mocktails’, so you can enjoy an exotic mixed drink without the fuzzy head in the morning.

2. Take better care of your skin
For 25 years, Australian skincare brand Aesop has been peddling its plant-based products with humour and subtlety. At its shop in Mount Street, customers can try its products and then wash them off at the huge circular sink that dominates the space. Look no further to find the product that will sort out that dull winter skin.

3. Eat your greens
Healthy eating doesn’t have to involve munching on dry lettuce leaves and cottage cheese. Yotam Ottolenghi, whose latest cookbook is the all-vegetarian 'Plenty', and his team at the Motcomb Street branch of Ottolenghi (pictured) are skilled at putting together dishes so tasty you’ll never know they’re good for you. Think mackerel with an olive and raisin salsa, or a sauté of chickpeas, butternut squash and chard. Ottolenghi also offers cookery classes in conjunction with Leiths, which is another way to achieve the next resolution…

4. Learn a new skill
If you’re going to indulge in some sugary sweets, why not burn off some of the calories by making them yourself? At the Peggy Porschen Academy on Elizabeth Street, you can learn the finer points of cookie, cake and cupcake decorating from the queen of cakes and her team. Who knows – maybe your creations will be too beautiful to eat!

5. Sort out the house
If there’s a DIY project that you’ve been putting off for a while, perhaps what you need is some inspiration. Find it at Potterton Books, the art and design specialist bookseller on Lower Sloane Street, just off decorators' heaven Pimlico Road. It stocks a huge range of interior design books, from practical to fanciful – so there’s no excuse not to get started overhauling that 1980s kitchen.

6. Take your vitamins
We’re all guilty of foregoing our five-a-day from time to time, and supplements can be an easy way of taking up the slack. Multivitamins (and history) abound at Elizabeth Street’s Walden Chymist, which was founded in 1847 and is a locals’ favourite.

7. Get fit – really
Getting in shape isn’t about a cursory jog round the block every now and again. The personal trainers at the Eaton Square branch of Bodydoctor Health & Fitness believe that diet and exercise must work hand in hand if their clients are going to make the lifestyle changes that will keep them fit for ever. And there’s good news for gym-phobes: after your personal evaluation, you’ll receive the Bodydoctor books, DVDs and CDs that mean a workout is only as far away as the next room.

Aesop, 91 Mount Street, London W1K 2SU
020 7409 2358
www.aesop.com

Amaya, Halkin Arcade, Motcomb Street, London SW1X 8JT
020 7823 1166
www.amaya.biz

Bodydoctor, 119 Eaton Square, London SW1W 9AL
020 7235 2211
www.bodydoctor.com

Ottolenghi, 13 Motcomb Street, London SW1X 8LB
020 7823 2707
www.ottolenghi.co.uk

Peggy Porschen Academy, 30 Elizabeth Street, London SW1W 9RB
020 7730 1316 ext. 3
www.peggyporschenacademy.com

Potterton Books, 93 Lower Sloane Street, London SW1W 8DA
020 7730 4235
www.pottertonbookslondon.com

Walden Chymist, 65 Elizabeth Street, London SW1W 9PJ
020 7730 0080