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Healthy Lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle is
important for everyone. Eating a healthy diet,
managing stress, exercising, and having a good night’s sleep may help how you
feel emotionally and physically.
What healthy
living means?
- ‘Healthy
living’ means maintaining a healthy lifestyle and introducing habits that
improve your health.
- It’s
about enjoying yourself without risking your health. It’s what you eat and
drink; sleeping well and managing stress. It’s about practicing safe sex,
drinking alcohol responsibly and not abusing drugs. It’s about being
physically active and staying connected with others.
- It’s
about being aware of any health risks related to your illness and its
treatment, and working with your doctor to monitor these and then take
action.
- It’s
taking responsibility for your overall health including having regular
check-ups for your eyes and teeth.
- It’s
about feeling fitter physically, mentally and emotionally.
Benefits of
healthy living
Feeling
better mentally
Regular exercise can lift your mood and help you feel better.
Saving money
Eating junk food, smoking, and drinking sugary drinks or alcohol are all
expensive habits.
Fewer health
problems
Living a healthier lifestyle means a lower risk of developing many illnesses.
Taking
control of your life
Getting healthy helps you feel in control of your life.
A lot of what we do is driven by habit. It can be difficult to change old
habits, but there are steps you can take to become healthier. An important
first step is identifying less healthy habits and learning new, positive ones to
replace them.
Develop
positive habits – Start slowly, be flexible and build on what you already do.
- Try
changing just one thing at a time. See the benefits that can come from
eating more wholesome food, taking up exercise or quitting smoking.
- Start
slowly by making small changes that are more likely to be kept up. For
example, start by going for a regular walk, instead of pushing yourself to
run 5km every day.
- Be
flexible. For example, if you decide to cut down on sugar, do it gradually
over a few weeks rather than all at once. By cutting down from two
teaspoons in your coffee to one-and-a-half, then one and so on, your taste
buds will adapt and you’re less likely to crave for the sugar.
- Keep it
interesting. If you go for a walk, why not try different ways through your
park, or explore a new park altogether.
- Choose
the company you keep. Look out for others who would like to be healthier
and try to plan activities with them.
Remember,
increasing or adding even one new health behaviour can make a big difference to
your health.
Work around
challenges – There are
things you can do to manage any extra challenges related to your illness and
it’s treatment - such as drowsiness, sugar cravings or lack of motivation.
Steps you can take include:
- Organise
daily activities around side-effects of medication. For example, if you
are drowsy in the morning, organise exercise for the afternoon.
- Discuss
things with your doctor – there may be another medication you can try, or
ask for referral to a specialist such as a dietitian or psychologist for
expert advice.
Being healthy is about more than getting fit and feeling better, it’s about
staying that way too . . .
Bad habits
can re-appear when we are bored, tired, stressed, anxious or when we feel down.
Managing these feelings is very important.
Tips to help
you stay motivated include:
- Remind
yourself why you want to be healthy.
- Schedule
regular check ups with your doctor to monitor your progress and for that
extra push you may need to keep going.
- Many people
find it easier and more fun to stick with activities such as walking,
swimming, cycling or shopping at a market, when they are with a friend or
in a group. Join a group or see if someone you know is also interested in
keeping healthy. Try setting goals together.
- Look
after your mental health too. If you start to feel down and like not
bothering, it could be a sign that your mental health needs some extra
care.
- Relaxation
is important. Relaxing and managing stress is an essential part of being
healthy. Set aside time for ways to relax that leave you feeling good,
such as listening to music or slow breathing.
- Reward
yourself. Feel good about developing healthier habits by rewarding
yourself with something nice.
- Overcome
slip-ups. It’s natural at times to feel like giving up and going back to
old habits. If you slip-up, be realistic and start again.
- Learn
from your slip-ups. Be positive about them – they can help you in the long
run. Thinking about why they happened will help you learn to avoid them in
future.
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