|Lifestyle Factor |Lifestyle Improvement Strategy |
|Physical Activity |The government recommends that every individual should aim to participate in three thirty minute sessions of physical activity a week. Depending on the fitness level and health |
| |of the individual the physical activities can be performed in a variety of ways such as yoga, walking, cycling or even intense household chores such as gardening. Increasing the|
| |level of physical activity of an individual is likely to benefit their overall health, and it will reduce the chances of the individual developing a major illness chronic |
| |disease, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and some cancers. The individual can start slow and gradually increase their level and intensity of physical activity |
| |whenever they feel like it is needed. If the individual participates in physical activities regularly and are getting healthier there will be many beneficial effects on their |
| |body, for example, their cardiac muscle (heart) will get bigger and stronger and the risk of heart diseases will reduce. The individual’s blood pressure will lower and then |
| |there will be an increase of good cholesterol and a decrease of bad cholesterol. Regular exercise can also help to improve the individual’s skeletal system as it will improve |
| |their bone strength. Improving the bone strength can lead to a better level of coordination and balance, so the posture will improve and this will help reduce the risk of |
| |muscular problems such as back aches and strains. |
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|Alcohol |The government advises that people should not regularly drink more than the lower risk guidelines of 3-4 units of alcohol for men (equivalent to a pint and a half of 4% beer) |
| |and 2-3 units of alcohol for women (equivalent to a 175 ml glass of wine). There are short and long term effects of regularly drinking more than the lower risk guidelines. For |
| |example an individual may start to suffer with sleeplessness, memory loss, sweating, anxiety, weight gain and possible addiction. But when an individual reduces their drinking, |
| |the short term symptoms of consuming too much alcohol can improve and reduce. Alcohol Anonymous is a nonprofessional, self-supporting, multiracial, apolitical, and available |
| |almost everywhere which helps support and gives advice to alcoholics. If an individual regularly drinks and finds it hard to stop then they might consider going to this charity.|
| |Alcoholics Anonymous is an international fellowship of men and women who have had a drinking problem. There are no age or education requirements. Membership is open to anyone |
| |who wants to do something about his or her drinking problem. |
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|Smoking |There are a few ways an individual can quit smoking, including quitting all at once or slowly cutting back their number of cigarettes before quitting completely. Different |
| |methods will work and affect each individual differently. Quitting at any age will reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic bronchitis and several other health |
| |conditions related to smoking. After the first few months of quitting the individuals health will improve, benefiting their heart and lungs and also increasing the blood flow to|
| |their hands and feet. The NHS has numerous resources and help lines available to any individual who wishes to stop smoking. Stopping smoking can have many benefits on the |
| |individual not just internally but externally as well. Resources such as help lines, motivational videos, advice on nicotine replacement products, support and advice is given |
| |out. This can help people quit smoking as they feel like they are not on their own. |
| |Another strategy used to help smokers quit is to change their habits. An individual can try new activities to replace smoking. For example, instead of smoking after a meal, take|
| |a walk around your neighbourhood or around your office building. Take up knitting, carpentry, or any other type of hobbies and activities that keep your hands busy. Try to avoid|
| |other people who smoke. Ask those you can't avoid to respect your efforts to stop smoking and not smoke around you. |
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|Stress |Too much stress to an individual may cause them to become emotionally drained and upset. |
| |One way to help reduce stress is to participate in some assertiveness training. Many individuals become stressed because have a difficulty to say ‘no’ to any individuals, when |
| |they find it hard to say no they tend to take on too much responsibility. For example an individual may take on a heavy load of work with a little duration of time to complete |
| |it in. Learning to be assertive can help the individual say ‘no’ to others and this could potentially help reduce stress levels. |
| |How to cope when you’re feeling under stress is to learn to recognise when you are feeling stressed. Learn to tak time out to relax so you don’t get too worked up, listen to |
| |music or quietly think about something that makes you feel relaxed. Another thing you can do is learn to say no, even though you might not like disappointing people or letting |
| |them down, it is best to think about yourself so only doing as much as you can physically and mentally handle will make things a bit easier. |
| |There are plenty of helplines to go to if you are feeling stressed, there are plenty of websites, books and telephone helplines for people with stress. |
|Drugs |If an individual has drug issues they should seek help from the NHS. The NHS can provide a variety of resources and advice specifically to the individual. Treatments and |
| |strategies varies depending on the type of drug and the characteristics of the individual. |
| |If any individual with drug issues wants help but doesn’t not want to reveal their identity then can get in touch with Ask Frank either by phone or website. They provide |
| |helplines and advice 24/7. They can help suggest things for an individual to do. For example they will suggest them to get a new hobby to keep their mind of taking drugs and |
| |they would even suggest getting a pet as then the individual will have some sort of responsibility to look after it. |
|Diet |Obesity is a growing problem in the UK and dieting can be very difficult for individuals. Changing bad eating habits will be beneficial to the individual in many ways. For |
| |example they will lose weight and this will help boost self-esteem levels. There are many positive long term effects eating healthy has on the body. |
| |The NHS have realised a scheme called Change4Life. In every doctors there will be information provided in leaflets and booklets filled with ways on how to kick start eating |
| |healthy. Change4life suggest tips and ideas on what an individual may want to eat that is healthy rather than unhealthily. For example it suggest that an individual could swap a|
| |packet of crisps for a bowl of grapes. Change4life also makes suggestions where an individual could slightly alter their dieting habits, for example instead of frying an item of|
| |food then could steam it or put it in an oven to reduce the fats and oils produced. |
| |Another way to help keep a healthy diet, is to prepare the ingredients needed for the next day’s dinner/lunch the night before. This may help you keep a healthy diet because you|
| |have thought about what to eat beforehand. If planning what to eat an hour before you have lunch/ dinner you may just want to eat unhealthy foods as it saves time and effort. |
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