Five weeks ago we asked four guinea pigs to share their new year's resolutions with us and to try to stick to them with the help of Boots' Change One Thing experts. So, how did they get on in January? Has the expert advice helped them stay on track? Find out more ...

Half a million try to quit

Since the launch of the Change One Thing campaign 500,000 Boots customers have tried to give up smoking and more than 30,000 customers have signed up online to the Change One Thing programme. If you want to de-stress, lose weight, give up smoking or get fit, sign up to www.boots.com/changeonething . Until the end of February, users will be able to get information and advice on how to achieve their goals. People who want to stop smoking will also be offered a smokealyser test — which measures carbon monoxide levels in the lungs — at 270 Boots stores. And in other stores nationwide, customers can have a consultation on choosing the right nicotine-replacement therapy.

DAVID CAMERON: Giving up smoking

HOW IMPORTANT WAS THE SUPPORT? The real benefit was providing the spur to do it in the first place — I haven’t felt the need to go back to Sarah Cameron, a pharmacist at Boots’ flagship Oxford Street store, for more support.

BEST ADVICE? To use nicotine patches. There’s no doubt in my mind that they’ve really taken away the immediate urge to smoke. I forgot mine one morning and after a few hours I was starting to really notice — and starting to get pretty tetchy with it.

HOW HAVE YOU DONE? It’s more than a month since I smoked my last cigarette. There have been good moments, and difficult moments, but I’m hanging in there. I’ve made it through what’s officially the most depressing day of the year — January 24, apparently (according to Dr Cliff Arnall of Cardiff Univeristy). I’m now down to the second stage: the patches are smaller and administering a lower dose. I’ll probably go down one more level in a couple of weeks’ time, staying on those for a few weeks with the aim of being completely “clean” in about a month and a half.

HOW DID YOU STAY MOTIVATED? You’ve got to keep reminding yourself of all the good new things in your life. Giving up smoking gives you more time: you stop worrying about when the meeting will be over so you can get your next fix of nicotine. And it’s so much better at home to know that you don’t have to keep popping out for a cigarette. This is particularly precious when time is at a premium. It’s rare enough that I get home for bathtime, so it’s great to feel that every minute can be spent with the family. One thing that really helps is to keep in mind the health benefits of giving up. I’ve built lots of walking, cycling and fresh air into the weekly routine in order to reinforce the new feeling of wellbeing and to serve as a regular reminder of positive change. It also helps being busy (there’s just less time to think about it), but for me at the moment this isn’t a choice but a necessity.

ANY SLIP-UPS? No. But there have been some difficult times: those moments when in the past you would kick back after a long and tiring day, have a drink and light up a cigarette. That’s a real danger point. And the other major challenge is having dinner with people who still smoke. But so far, so good.

HOW DO YOU FEEL NOW? There’s no doubt about it, I feel a lot better. Walking up a flight of stairs, riding my bike — I’ve definitely noticed the positive sensation of having more oxygen in my lungs, and the healthier, fitter feeling this brings. There’s also a general sense of wholesomeness that comes from not having clothes that smell of cigarette smoke. I can also taste my food better, and it’s great not to feel chained to a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

PERMANENT CHANGE? That’s the real test. The challenge for me is not giving up but staying smoke-free. Ask me again in a year’s time.

SARAH VINE: Eating better and losing weight

HOW IMPORTANT WAS THE SUPPORT? Quite important but not vital. Like many women, I know the theory; it’s just the practice I have difficulty with. Vicki Pennington, the Boots nutritionist, kick-started things by making me realise that, really, it was up to me to change the way I ate. There was no magic cure and no one else could do it for me.