Healthy Living
- Kareen Ekenachi-Augustine
- Jan 18, 2022
- 6 min read
What does it mean to live a healthy lifestyle?
A person living a healthy lifestyle engages in a range of habits that improve their health. Some diseases are unpreventable; but a healthy lifestyle lowers the risk of serious illness and early death.
Based on guidance given by the NHS and WHO, here are some suggested changes you can incorporate into your daily life in order to have a healthier lifestyle.
Controlling Unhealthy Habits
Tobacco, Alcohol and Substance Abuse
According to the mental health organisation, smoking leads to a large release of dopamine resulting in temporary feelings of pleasure. Positive emotions can also result from consuming alcohol and other substances. Hence why those with poor mental health often use these methods as a coping mechanism.
Cessation is the most healthy option. But, reducing the use of said substances i.e. not binge drinking or chain smoking, can also have huge health benefits such as reducing the risk of cardiac and respiratory complications in the future.
There are many organisations and resources online that aim to support you in reducing the use of tobacco, alcohol and other substances which you will find below.
This Nottingham based service allows you to have a personalised smoking cessation programme with professional support throughout the whole process
The FRANK recovery network provides support and treatment for people who misue alcohol and drugs
Good Nutrition
Staying hydrated
As most of us know, approximately 60% of our body is made of water. So staying hydrated is key to allow our body to function properly. It aids in digestion, maintaining your core body temperature and overall cardiovascular health.
NHS choices recommends that we drink 6-8 glasses of fluid a day. So get drinking!
Don't skip breakfast
As medical students with very busy schedules, we are more prone to skip larger meals and resort to cheaper, tastier, more convenient snacks throughout the day. More often than not, those snacks are not the healthiest.
However, research suggests that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and helps reduce the risk outcomes of conditions such as cardiovascular disease. By having breakfast we provide our body's enough energy to get on with our day and reduce snacking!
Found below are some quick, tasty and nutritious breakfast ideas! There is no pressure to have a full breakfast every morning but if this is a habit you can form, once or twice a week is a great start.
Food prep
Food prepping has many benefits such as, saving time making food in your busy life as a medic; lowering your stress regarding what to eat every day and ensuring you have all the macro and micronutrients to make a nutritious meal.
Prepare food in a safe and hygienic way is recommended and you can also steam, bake, boil or microwave to help reduce the amount of added fat.
Remember that balance is key!
You don't need to be overly controlling of the food you consume. However, by taking small steps to look after your physical health you indirectly look after your mental health.
Below you will find some suggestions on the different types of food that are recommended for a well rounded diet
Base your meals of higher fibre starchy carbohydrates
Starchy carbohydrates should make up just over a third of the food you eat. They include potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and cereals.
Choose higher fibre or wholegrain varieties, such as wholewheat pasta, brown rice or potatoes with their skins on. They contain more fibre than white or refined starchy carbohydrates and can help you feel full for longer.
Taste the rainbow
It is important to eat a variety of vegetables and fruits, preferably fresh and local, several times per day (at least 400g per day).
At least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and veg every day is highly recommended. They can be fresh, frozen, canned, dried or juiced.
Getting your 5 A Day is easier than it sounds. Why not chop a banana over your breakfast cereal, or swap your usual mid-morning snack for a piece of fresh fruit?
A portion of fresh, canned or frozen fruit and vegetables is 80g. A portion of dried fruit (which should be kept to mealtimes) is 30g.
A 150ml glass of fruit juice, vegetable juice or smoothie also counts as 1 portion, but limit the amount you have to no more than 1 glass a day as these drinks are sugary and can damage your teeth.
Eat a nutritious diet based on a variety of foods originating mainly from plants, rather than animals.
Cut down on saturated fat
Control fat intake (not more than 30% of daily energy requirement) and replace as much of your daily saturated fat intake with unsaturated fats.
Why not try meat free Mondays where you can replace meat products with beans, legumes, lentils etc.
If that is too much of a challenge, you can try substituting fatty meats such as beef and pork with fish, poultry and lean meat.
Reduce you sugar and salt intake
Select foods that are low in sugar, and eat free sugars sparingly by limiting the frequency of sugary drinks and sweets.
Total salt intake should not be more than one teaspoon (5g) per day, including the salt in bread and processed, cured and preserved foods. (Salt iodization should be universal where iodine deficiency is a problem)
Physical Activity
Keeping active and improving your physical health can be good
for improving your mental health. Studies show that exercise
helps reduce anxiety and depression whilst increasing self-
esteem and cognitive function.
Gym
Due to the current lockdown gyms are not open. However, there are some great online classes that you can do from the comfort of your own home. You can find them here !
Go for a walk or a run
Exercise doesn't have to just be about going to the gym. So, if hitting the gym is not your cup of tea, the University of Nottingham also have a lot of amazing initiatives to encourge us to walk and run whilst enjoying our beautiful campuses.
Walks
During the active trail you are encouraged to walk around campus and do a variety of exercises at the various outdoor 'stations'
This initiative allows you to go on long walks as part of rambiling hiking society
The friends of University Park offer engaging guided visits of the different historic buildings and gardens around campus
If you are interested in geology/flaura and fauna, the university's sustainability department have put together maps of walking routes that highlight these aspects on campus.
Due to corona virus, unfortunately a few of these initiatives have been put on hold. However, that shouldn't stop you from taking your daily walk around campus, Highfields lake or even at Wollaton Deer Park.
Running
Park Run
There are local parkruns held in Nottingham in both Beeston and at Forest Recreation Ground
Run Talk Run is a weekly 5km gentle jog, their mission is to "increase accessibility to mental health support through running & walking peer support groups"
Cycling
Cycling can be a great form of physical activity for those of us that want less strain on our joints.
Follow this link to have a look at the different cycling trails in Nottingham
If you are interested in more competitive performance cycling this will be perfect for you !
Social Sports
You can also join social supports at any level of proficiency. Head over the the SU website where you can find medical and non-medical sporting societies.
State of Mind
Good sleep hygiene
Sleep hygiene is used to describe healthy sleep habits. Research suggests that good quality sleep is important for wellbeing, to de-stress and help you improve your memory.
Here are some tips to improve your sleep hygiene if you struggle to get to sleep/ wakeup
Mindfulness
Mindfulness and yoga can get a bit of a bad reputation, but it has some great benefits in terms of clearing your mind and focusing. This can be good when one is getting overwhelmed with lots of different things to slow down and focus on one task at a time to better cope with the stressful situation. There are plenty of apps that can help you create a habit out of practicing mindfulness.
Keep a journal
Writing your worries on paper can really help, and writing things you’re grateful for can help boost mood long term, top tip: buy a nice notebook to write in
Volunteering
The altruistic feeling of volunteering may be a great way of de-stressing whilst giving back to the community.
There plenty of oppurtunites to volunteer in Nottingham such as Street doctors, Soup runners and Food print to name a few.
More volunteering oppurtunites can be found here
Expanding your interests
Read a book, an actual book not a medical textbook https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/5070874/Reading-can-help-reduce-stress.html
Colouring books/knitting/crochet - something crafty you can get lost in
Talking to others
Tell someone you trust that you’re struggling, they may not be able to help but just explaining how you’re feeling can really help
Self Care
Do something just for you it can be small like lighting a scented candle or big like booking a mini break
Why don't you try and challenge yourself to self-care bingo !
Comments