Healthy Living
Being healthy is a large part of being happy. A healthy lifestyle means that the way you are day to day, makes you feel physically and mentally fit and well and happy.
If you don't have a healthy balance in your lifestyle - for instance through not exercising, eating an unbalanced diet, drug abuse or bottling up problems and concerns - you are more likely to become ill, have difficulty concentrating at work or school or be unhappy or depressed. Your lifestyle affects how you feel and what you get out of life, so it's worth finding out more about how to live healthily (For local Advice centres and contact details see bottom of page)
Healthy living covers many parts of our lives, for example:
Healthy Eating
Eating a balanced diet is one of the best ways to a healthy lifestyle. Eating a load of junk food everyday (even if you do exercise) can still harm your body. A balanced diet will keep you fit and your weight at a healthy level. You don’t have to give up all your favourite foods in order to have a healthy diet, you just need to have a sensible balance of food types.
Here are a few top tips to make ensure that you're having a good mix of foods:
- Eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day
- Base your meals on starchy foods like potatoes, brown rice and wholemeal bread
- Try to eat oily fish like mackerel, salmon or tuna twice a week
- Always go for low-fat cheese, milk and yoghurt
- Try and cut down the number high fat or high sugar snacks and drinks you have every week
- Drink plenty of water - we should be drinking about 6 to 8 glasses (1.2 litres) of water, or other fluids every day.
- Try to eat less salt – no more than 6g a day.
- Don’t skip breakfast
There's loads of help and advice available on healthy eating, the following websites and organisations can help:
DirectGov Young People- Healthy Eating
British Heart Foundation has a young persons section wtih information on a range of topics including healthy eating. There are games, competitions and more.
British Nutrition Foundation Check out this site for lots of information about nutrition and healthy eating.
Food Standards Agency includes information on nutrition and interactive games and quizzes and a body mass index calculator. It also has a section about the food you need as a teenager .
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Keeping Fit
How much exercise do I need to do to be fit?
Exercise is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. Regular exercise helps to maintain fitness and health. Not only does it increase energy levels, it also helps to improve general health, circulation and posture. There are lots of ways you can take exercise – it’s important to find something you enjoy such as dancing, BMXing, swimming, trampolining, skateboarding or skiing.
If you haven’t exercised for ages, you need to take it slowly and build up to a level that will keep you fit. Try to do a little exercise daily and build up the amount you do. For example, you could try to fit in as much walking as you can into your daily routine. Try to build up to walking at a good pace. You could get a pedometer and monitor the number of steps you take per day.
Click on one of the links below for more ideas on how to build up your exercise levels and the activities you can try.
DirectGov Young People- keeping fit
BBC Health Site - Lots of interactive games on mind and body matters.
Extreme Sports - BBC's website on extreme sports including skate-boarding, windsurfing, surfing and mountain biking.
NHS choices - Fitness for everyone.
Other areas of Healthy Living that you should be aware of are:
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Local advice centres
- Hereford Youth Counselling Trust
CLD Trust is a specialist youth counselling service for young people aged between 11 and 25. Telephone: 01432 269245. Hereford House, 3 Offa Street, Hereford, HR1 2LL Open: 9am - 5pm weekdays
- NHS Alcohol Campaign
- List of Local Dentist Practices
- List of Local Doctor Surgeries
- List of Local Opticians
- Hereford Hospital NHS Trust- Telephone 01432 355 444, Website Hereford Hospitals