Healthy Lifestyles
Change a little – gain a lot.
There are some simple changes you can make to improve your health and wellbeing.
A healthy lifestyle will not only help you feel better in body and mind, but it can also reduce the risk of some illnesses, increase your life expectancy, save you money and benefit the environment.
One You Plymouth provides a range of services to help you improve your health and wellbeing. Their friendly Wellbeing Team are ready to take your call on 01752 437 177 or email them at oneyou.plymouth@nhs.net
Health Checks
Take the free NHS How are You? quiz to get your personalised health score, and find simple steps and ideas to look after your health and feel better.
If you’re aged between 40 and 75 years old you can receive a free NHS Health Check from One You Plymouth, that will check your blood pressure, cholesterol and body mass index (BMI) and offer advice and support on the steps you can take to improve your health and feel better for longer.
Contact the Wellbeing team today on 01752 437 177 or email oneyou.plymouth@nhs.net to arrange your free NHS Health Check.
Healthy Weight & Nutrition
Good nutrition can help you maintain a healthy weight and can improve your mobility, your mental health and help you sleep better. It can also reduce the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure and certain types of cancers.
Making small, simple changes to what and how much you are eating and drinking can help you manage your weight and improve your nutrition.
Gaining weight is often a gradual process – it happens over the years as a result of modern-day life and the odd unhealthy habit. If you want to lose weight, there are lots of FREE options to help you get started from downloadable apps to NHS weight loss programmes.
Mental Wellbeing
Having good mental health helps us relax more, achieve more and enjoy our lives. This free NHS tool can build your personal Mind Plan, offering simple tips and advice to help you to deal with stress and anxiety, improve your sleep, boost your mood and feel more in control.
Drink Less
Cutting back on alcoholic drinks can be a really effective way to improve your health, feel better, look better, boost your energy, lose weight and save money.
You don’t need to go teetotal to feel the benefits of drinking less. Even just setting and sticking to a few drink-free days a week, or swapping to lower-strength drinks, are great steps in the right direction.
It’s recommended to drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week, spread across 3 days or more. That’s around 6 medium (175ml) glasses of wine, or 6 pints of 4% beer.
Stop Smoking
Stopping smoking is one of the best things you can ever do for your health. When you stop, you give your lungs the chance to heal, helping you to breathe easier. Quitting can also improve your mood and help relieve stress, anxiety and depression.
What happens when you quit?
The sooner you quit, the sooner you’ll notice changes to your body and health. Look at what happens when you quit for good.
After 20 minutes
Check your pulse rate, it will already be starting to return to normal.
After 48 hours
All carbon monoxide is flushed out. Your lungs are clearing out mucus and your senses of taste and smell are improving.
After 2 to 12 weeks
Blood will be pumping through to your heart and muscles much better because your circulation will have improved.
After 1 year
Great news! Your risk of heart attack will have halved compared with a smoker’s.
After 8 hours
Your oxygen levels are recovering, and the harmful carbon monoxide level in your blood will have reduced by half.
After 72 hours
If you notice that breathing feels easier, it’s because your bronchial tubes have started to relax. Also your energy will be increasing.
After 3 to 9 months
Any coughs, wheezing or breathing problems will be improving as your lung function increases by up to 10%.
After 10 years
More great news! Your risk of death from lung cancer will have halved compared with a smoker’s.
Many people try to quit smoking with willpower alone, but it’s much easier to go smoke-free with the right help. One You Plymouth provide the support needed to enable you to stop smoking and can continue to offer you support until you feel completely confident to remain smoke free. Remember, you are four times more likely to quit for good with support. Contact their friendly Wellbeing team on 01752 437 177 today.
