Health A-Z – how to live longer and fitter

Health A-Z – how to live longer and fitter

This is MyHSN’s Health A-Z – top tips for a healthy, fit and long life.

A is for Alcohol

Drinking alcohol is OK so long as its controlled. Upto 14 units a week is recommended. The occasional party (with binge!) is fine too.

B is for Blood Pressure (BP)

Controlling BP prevents strokes and heart attacks. Keep it <120/70 if under 30 years, <130/80 if 30-60 years, and <140/90 if >60 years. All the time, at home, hospital or GP surgery.

C is for Cancer Prevention

There are things you can do to prevent cancer:

• Don’t smoke. Stopping smoking is the single most important thing you can do to improve your health.
• Keep active and your weight down.
• Check for inherited disease (e.g. BRCA genes in breast cancer) if appropriate.
• Men should report symptoms of prostatism to their doctor.
• Women should have cervical smears, mammograms and do breast self-examination.

C is also for CKD. Have a blood test for kidney function (especially if you are Black or Asian) every 6 months from the age of 40. CKD, in its early stages (like diabetes), it is a ‘silent’ disease.

C is also for cholesterol. If yours is over 6 mmol/L, you may need to change your diet, or have medication.

D is for Diabetes (DM) Prevention

• Try to keep your weight down.
• Prediabetes and DM in their early stages are ‘silent’ (no symptoms).
• Losing weight can make prediabetes or DM2 go away.
• If you are at higher risk, have a blood sugar measured every 6 months from the age of 30. Black and Asian people are especially prone to diabetes.
• The NHS’s Oviva programme is great for assisting with weight loss, and reversal of diabetes or prediabetes.

D is also for Dental Health. Brush teeth twice a day with fluoridated toothpaste. Attend routine check-ups at your dentist at recommended intervals.

D is also for ‘Do not run out of tablets’ – use the NHS app or GP’s website to order them in advance.

E is for Exercise

Keep active. This can be a walk, run, circuit train, swim, cycle, pilates, team sport .. whatever. At least 3x a week.

F is for Friends

Focus on friends. They are very important. Text, email, or better speak to or meet a friend today.

G is for Gratitude

Saying ‘thankyou’ to people is a lot better than insulting or criticising them. Then they will be nice back to you.

H is for a Healthy Diet

Eat a healthy diet, but eating cake, chips or crisps occasionally is not a crime! Don’t punish yourself for the odd naughty day,

I is for I (eye!) Care

Humans rely on eyesight and are very visual animals. So take visual issues seriously. If in doubt, go to your optician today, or local ‘eye casualty’ (hospital A&E department with eye doctors there).

J is for Journal

• Read the health section of the BBC website (and/or MyHSN!) once a week
• If you are a health professional, or interested expert patient, we recommend the New England Journal of Medicine, NEJM. It is from the USA but written in a way that is good for people all over the world including the UK.

K is for Keep a Medical Record

Hospital, GP and pharmacy computers are not linked. This leads to medical errors. So keep a copy of your medical record and up-to-date drug list and allergies

K is also for Kindness. Be kind to yourself, and more importantly, be kind and generous to the people around you – at home and at work. They will then be kind and generous to you.

L is for Laughter

Having a laugh will make you feel better. There is no point in having friends or a partner that do not make you laugh.

M is for Mental Health 

It is as or more important than physical health. Significant mental health problems affect 30% of the population. If you are feeling anxious, depressed or disturbed, speak to someone soon.

M is also for Music. Listening to music can lift your mood instantly.

N is for NHS

• The NHS will look after you. Use it. But you need to understand it, to use it properly.
• You can understand the NHS and how it works better by using MyHSN  – especially the ‘How the NHS works’ and ‘Better health’ areas.
• But it is also important to ask yourself how you can help the NHS help you – e.g. you can be a portal of communication between your GP, and the hospital or mental health team.
• You can do other things: know your medical record and up-to-date tablets, and attend appointments.
• Ask yourself how are you helping yourself be more healthy and get better healthcare.

N is also for No. Learning to say no can be very liberating, leaving a big impact on your mood and making you feel empowered. So why is it so hard to say? Have a few phrases to hand that help you politely decline invitations or requests you do not want to fulfil. “Thanks for the invite but I won’t be joining you” or “I’d love to help but I just have too much on at the moment.” It’s also OK to say ‘no, to a takeaway pizza thanks, I am watching my weight”

O is for Organisation

Getting organised can be very satisfying, and improve your healthcare (e.g. not missing appointments, or rebooking if you do).

P is for Perfection

Give yourself permission NOT to be perfect. So many of us always strive for perfection – and it is exhausting. It is much better if you aim to DO your best rather than BE the best. Being 80% good at something, 80% of the time is OK.

P is also for posture. A good posture is important for preventing back pain.

There are 5 principles of a good posture (‘British Army position’):

1. Stand up straight and tall – keeping your head level
2. Shoulders back
3. Stomach in
4. Arms hang down naturally by your side
5. Feet a shoulder-width apart – putting your weight mostly on the balls of your feet.

A good posture

Q is for Questions

Ask questions throughout your life. All questions are good questions. You will learn a lot more by not assuming you know it all (even if its ‘your’ subject).

R is for Red Flag Symptoms

A red flag symptom is something abnormal about your body or mind, that may indicate something is significantly wrong. ‘Red flag’ means potentially serious (and potentially treatable). See you doctor soon (even today) if you think you have one.

R is also for Reading. There is nothing quite like a good book, magazine or journal. Don’t just save them for holidays. A book (or similar) can be a real pick-me-up and give you something to look forward to. Go one step further and become a critic by joining a book club or even starting your own. If a novel is too long, read a short story.

S is for Sex

Have it. It is fine. It is part of enjoyment in life.

S is also for Sun. Enjoy the sun. But protect yourself from sunburn, and skin cancer. Protect yourself by using shade, a hat, a shirt, and a high SPF (sun protection factor) sunscreen. Do not use sunbeds or sunlamps.

T is for Time

“If only we had more time ..” is a phrase we all find ourselves saying. Though if we did, we would only fill it pretty quickly with more things to do. There are 168 hours in each week, and we all make choices how to use those hours. Try to be aware of your time-wasting ways so you know when to tell yourself to snap out of it.

U is for Unusual

Common diseases are common. Rare diseases are rare. But someone gets them. Ask for a second opinion from a doctor if you think something is being missed. They will not be upset. They do not want to miss things either.

V is for Vaccination

Have them. Full stop. The benefits outweigh the risks.

V is also for Vice. Remember you are human and minor vices (e.g. chocolate, a bit of alcohol, buying something you may not need) are all fine in moderation.

W is for Work/Life Balance

Life is not just about ‘work, work, work’. Have a good work/life balance. Developing interests outside of work can help reduce stress and improve productivity.

W is also for Why Not. Why not take up a new hobby or interest this year, or expand one you already have? They are fun, a good way of meeting similar people and important in retirement.

X is for X Factor

We all have our very own X factor. It will be something we do well or maybe something that makes you different. It may be a talent like singing or something seemingly simple, such as making an amazing roast dinner. So do it .. today.

Y is for Yoga or Pilates

• If this conjures up a picture of someone upside down with their legs wrapped around their neck, think again. Either can be good for alot of things especially chronic pain.
• If you don’t fancy yoga or pilates, circuit training is good too.

A typical circuit training programme, of 10 exercises. Some of these (e.g. burpees) are for quite fit people only. Work up to them slowly.

Z is for Zzzzzz

We can become obsessed with how much sleep we get. Our bodies do not always need as much as we think. It helps to put your body into a healthy routine, by: going to bed at roughly the same time each night, after a hot bath. Keep your bedroom dark. NO screens.  Older people need less sleep than younger (4-6 hours vs 8-10 hours). So a 70 year old going to bed at 9pm isn’t a great idea.

Summary

We have described a health A-Z – and explained how to live longer and fitter. We hope this A-Z helps you.

Other resources

10 tips for ageing
5 principles of a good posture
NHS Oviva programme
Normal blood pressure by age and gender