Being out the country for most of January was a real godsend. Besides the obvious joy of seeing my family and being in the sunshine, I managed to avoid the usual avalanche of media cliches regarding New Year Resolutions, detox diets, gym memberships etc. Woman's mags and daytime TV journalists must love this time of the year. It's a no brainer!

Every day we're bombarded with contradictory messages regarding health - particularly with regards to nutrition. How Daily Mail readers ever put anything in their mouths is an amazement in itself.

I was pleased to discover this new site called Sense About Science. I don't believe that something can't exist, or indeed yield results, without scientific evidence, however, the idea of having some quackery exposed appealed to me.

An article I particularly enjoyed debunked the whole idea of detoxing. I challenge you to walk around Boots, or indeed your local supermarket and notice how grossly over-used this word is - sometimes on the most unlikely products. If you'd like to check out some of these bizarre products click here. The mind boggles!

I'm a long time fan of running to dance music. I was pleased to read over the weekend that my penchant isn't just a hangover from my wayward youth but actually has some sound scientific basis. After all what's good enough for World Champion Haile Gebreselassie is good enough for me!

This article in the International Herald Tribune says "studies have shown that listening to music during exercise can improve results, both in terms of being a motivator (people exercise longer and more vigorously to music) and as a distraction from negatives like fatigue. But are certain songs more effective than others?"

Read further to find out what motivates Haile to run like the wind.