Adopting Positive Lifestyle Choices 

Adopting a healthy lifestyle at any age can help people lead a healthier and happier lives.  

People who exercise regularly have a lower risk of developing many long-term (chronic) conditions, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and some cancers. Physical activity can also boost self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy, as well as reducing the risk of stress, clinical depression, dementia and Alzheimer's disease. 

Eating a healthy, balanced diet is also an important part of maintaining good health and can help improve mental health too. This means eating a wide variety of foods in the right proportions and consuming the right amount of food and drink to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. 

Cutting back on the booze can be a really effective way to improve your health, boost your energy, lose weight and save money. Any reduction in the amount you drink every week will be beneficial – and with the right help, it's easier than you think.

Drink Less 

There are lots of reasons you might want to take a look at your drinking habits, and you don’t have to be drinking every day for it to be an issue. Whatever your reason is, changing your drinking habits can have a big impact on everything from your relationships to how well you sleep. It can be hard to take that first step, but making changes can help you to be happier and healthier.

Have a think about the goal you want to achieve. Quitting alcohol completely can seem like a big step, but it could be the change of direction you need. Cutting down your drinking is also a positive goal, and it can even be the first step to quitting entirely.

If you’re ready to address your drinking, don’t be afraid to reach out for help. It’s much easier to make positive changes when you’ve got help and support from other people.

The NHS Better Health website has lots of beneficial information including tips for cutting down on alcohol, helpful apps you can download and a long list of benefits

Drink less - Better Health - NHS (www.nhs.uk) 

There’s always an excuse to have a drink, but it can all start to add up. Take the DrinkCompare Quiz to discover your drinking risk level and how it compares to the rest of the UK.

A member of the Carlisle Healthcare Team, Jennifer Nellis, Medicines Optimisation Pharmacist, recently completed a whole year without drinking alcohol. Jen has kindly shared her journey and the benefits she experienced with us. 

Read Jen's Story Here

Eat Well 

Eating a healthy balanced diet and maintaining a healthy weight isn’t just about what you eat – it’s also about how much you eat. We’re all individuals with different needs but for healthy adults the range of different foods we need is pretty much the same for all of us. However, the amount of food we need, varies from person to person.

Knowing what a single portion of food actually looks like can be tricky. That’s why The British Heart Foundation have created an interactive portion size guide that shows you photos of what single portions of different types of food actually look like, to make serving the right portions easier.

It’s important to eat the right amount of food. If your portion sizes are too big, your weight and your blood glucose control will be harder to manage. It will also stop or slow down weight-loss, which is often part of managing diabetes.

You should eat a variety of food from different food groups to make sure you get all the nutrients you need. And eat a number of portions from each food group every day. Most of us still are not eating enough fruit and vegetables. They should make up over a third of the food we eat each day. Aim to eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and veg each day. Choose from fresh, frozen, tinned, dried or juiced. The NHS Eatwell Guide had lots of useful information. 

Stop Smoking 

Smoking causes around 7 out of every 10 cases of lung cancer (70%).

It also causes cancer in many other parts of the body. Smoking damages your heart and your blood circulation, increasing your risk of developing conditions. Smoking also damages your lungs and can also worsen or prolong the symptoms of respiratory conditions such as asthma, or respiratory tract infections such as the common cold.

It can also reduce the fertility of both men and women.

Stopping smoking is one of the best things you will ever do for your health. When you stop, you give your lungs the chance to repair and you will be able to breathe easier. There are lots of other benefits too – and they start almost immediately.  It's never too late to quit. Let's do this!

The sooner you quit, the sooner you'll notice changes to your body and health. Many people try to quit smoking with willpower alone, but it's much easier to go smoke-free with the right help. There are lots of support options available, try a combination that works for you. The NHS Better Health Quit Smoking guide can help. 

Did you know?
Every year around 78,000 people in the UK die from smoking, with many more living with debilitating smoking-related illnesses.