My health

Make sure that you’re in the best of health by following these steps. Please remember to refer to your GP before making any changes to your healthcare regime.

1. Eat well

It’s easy to eat too much of the wrong foods because they are convenient and seemingly cheaper. A healthy balanced diet can be enjoyable, cheap and easy.

Eating too much saturated fat (fat from meat and dairy products, for example, butter and cheese), red meat, salt and sugar can lead to a long list of diseases. Coronary heart disease, strokes, cancer, and obesity are all less likely to affect you if you control your diet, which means keeping red meat, salt, sugar and saturated fat to a minimum, and eating more fruit and vegetables - at least five portions a day. Eating healthily will also help you shift a few pounds if you’re overweight, and you’ll feel fantastic because your energy levels will soar.

Visit www.nutrition.org.uk for some excellent basic nutritional information. Remember that not all of this advice will apply to you if you’re diabetic. In that case, you should always get advice from your doctor first and foremost.

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2. Regular, moderate exercise

As well as helping you lose weight and look great, exercise is beneficial for the heart, lungs and your overall health. Regularly exercising decreases your risk of stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.

Take it slowly at first and start with a brisk walk just around your local area, perhaps to a local park, for 20 minutes, three times a week. You’ll soon feel the benefit!

When you exercise, endorphins (a type of hormone) are released that make us feel fantastic, so exercise can be great for tackling depression. Don’t forget to drink more water though to avoid dehydration.

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3. Drink right

Are you drinking enough? You are advised to drink at least eight glasses of water a day. Drinking enough water helps your entire body function properly, so you will feel and look better. Make sure you keep tea, coffee and alcohol at healthy levels too.
Although your morning cuppa won’t do you any harm, drinking too much tea and coffee and not enough water can lead to dehydration. Dehydration affects your ability to concentrate and remember things, as well drying out your skin and making it look older than it is.

Alcohol also affects your physical appearance and mental health. Conditions brought on by drinking too much include liver disease, cancer, strokes, heart problems, high blood pressure and fertility problems. It’s fine to have a drink now and then, but try to keep within your recommended limit to stay healthy.

This means no more than 2-3 units of alcohol each day for women, and no more than 3-4 units a day for men. Remember that one unit is roughly the same as a small glass of wine, or half a pint of beer. Watching what you drink can also prevent weight gain and help you avoid depression and anxiety.

 

4. Stop smoking

Stop smoking or at least make a commitment to cut down how much you smoke. Giving up smoking can be hard, but it’s well worth the effort. Ditching the cigarettes means you could live on average ten years longer. Everyone knows that smoking causes heart disease and cancer, but because we don’t see what’s happening on our insides, it’s easy to avoid the issue.

Giving up smoking, at any age, greatly improves your chances of avoiding smoking-related conditions. Plus you’ll look and feel better in the long run. Quitting can put a stop to premature ageing, yellow teeth, bad breath, and smelling of stale tobacco. Being free of nicotine also makes you feel great emotionally and mentally, once the withdrawal symptoms have passed. You’ll also save lots of money by quitting.

Visit www.gosmokefree.nhs.uk for trusted help and advice on how to stop lighting up or call the NHS Smkoking helpline on 0800 022 4332.

 

5. Smile

Medical studies have shown a positive attitude impacts on health in a good way. It’s completely free to be cheerful and you could benefit from it enormously.

Fast fact

Did you know that hayfever is also known as seasonal allergic rhinitis, and affects two in every 10 people in the UK?

 

Top tip

Reducing the spread of germs and flu can be achieved by following these three simple steps:

1. Catch it

Catch your sneeze or cough in a tissue)

2. Bin it

Throw your tissue away)

3. Kill it

Wash your hands!

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