GMFA’s Matthew Hodson gives his top ten tips for a refreshingly healthy overall overhaul this Spring. Dig this detox!

1. Learn from the past but don't live in it. We all make mistakes, do stupid things or have rotten relationships. Beating yourself up about what you've done in the past won't do you any good. Learning from your mistakes, and making sure that you don't repeat them, will stand you in better stead.

2. Find out your HIV status. If you don't already know, get tested. Learning that you're HIV positive isn't easy but you’re likely to live longer. And knowing your status means that you’re more able to look after your own health and the health of your partners.

3. Resolve conflicts with the people you love. A friend of mine died not too long ago whilst we were going through a bad patch and had been out of contact. I wish I had the chance to tell him how much he meant to me.

4. Get a sexual health check up. Having an STI is unpleasant enough and it also increases your vulnerability to HIV if you're HIV negative and makes you more infectious if you're positive. Most other STIs are easier to catch than HIV so it's worth having a regular check up even if you only have safer sex.

5. Look after your body. Plastic surgery aside, it’s the only one you’ve got. If you don’t fancy the gym, there are plenty of gay sports clubs.

6. Take responsibility for your own actions. Everyone has shit to deal with, but blaming other people for the things that you do only disempowers you. Take responsibility and take control.

7. Stop smoking. An estimated 12,000 gay men die each year as a result of smoking-related illness. Do a stop-smoking course or take one of the new anti-smoking drugs - whatever suits you best, but just stub it out.

8. Make a commitment to safer sex. Whatever your HIV status, it's up to everyone to stop HIV devastating our community. Stock up on condoms and lube, and be extra careful with yourself if you're feeling depressed, or under the influence of drink, drugs or love, because those are the times that you're most likely to slip up.

9. Accept getting older. Grey hair and wrinkles are never going to be the height of fashion but getting older is so much better than the alternative.

10. None of the above should make you miserable. Taking control of your own health and wellbeing is a necessary step towards happiness… so the 10th resolution, above all others: enjoy yourself!

For details on sexual health clinics, counseling services, stop smoking & assertiveness courses, gay sports groups and information about HIV & AIDS, visit www.gmfa.org.uk

Adrian Gillan