This week, our guest blogger, Stacey Mensah, finishes off our series on the health benefits of various leisure activities. In previous blogs we’ve explored the health benefits of writing and listening to music and in this current blog Stacey puts the spotlight on reading. 

Good Morning, Everyone! I hope you’re doing well! Today’s post is on the topic of reading but more specifically with the health benefits that are associated with it. I love to read because it allows me to widen my perspective of the world and that has always been important to me. It’s also a great way to mentally escape from that morning commute or even the noisy neighbours. The benefits of reading – for the most part – can be grouped into the external and internal. With the internal referring to how reading changes you from the inside and external being how it affects your outwardly health.  As I’ve gotten older it’s become a lot harder to read as frequently as I would like. The urgent commitments of life always seem to overshadow the casual commitment to read and that frankly is the problem! Keeping these benefits at the forefront of your mind will ensure we no longer view reading as a secondary task. So, here we go:

The Internal Benefits of Reading

Cognitive Stimulation

Reading has shown to slow the progress of Alzheimer’s and Dementia, as it keeps your brain active and prevents it from losing power. This means that it’s great to challenge yourself when choosing a book. I’m about to read the book, ‘Gut’ by Giulia Enders. It’s a book that I’ve tried to read before but of course has challenged me and therefore has stayed on my withering bookshelf. It’s ok if you’re stopping to define words, underlining or simply just stopping for time to internalize. If we don’t challenge ourselves daily, we will not grow as human beings and stagnation is a dangerous thing!

Say Bye-Bye To Stress

Weight Watchers has recently reported that cuddling up with your favourite book can reduce levels of stress hormones called cortisol. Studies have shown that participants who read after partaking in a stressful activity are more likely to have their stress levels drop by more than 50%.

Vocabulary Expansion

This is personally one of my favourite benefits of reading. It certainly beats reading a dictionary, which no one should ever do willingly. Researchers estimate that we learn up to 15% of our vocabulary through reading. This is significant for children, whose vocabulary size is directly related to the books they read. By reading in your spare time you will feel more comfortable reading to your children. Especially if they are asking you to explain concepts, and hey, you may even enjoy it.

Peace

Do I need to say anymore? Reading is a source of tranquillity and with the pressures of everyday life it’s important to not get caught up in the hustle and bustle. Reading is your way of giving yourself a time-out. Time out from the world to find your centre and re-group – making you a stronger individual in the long term.

Improved Focus and Concentration

It’s sad to say that in our technology advanced world, the average attention span has greatly diminished as different platforms are continuously vying for our attention. Within the first few minutes of waking up the average person will check their various social media profiles, check emails, monitor their smart phones and interact with their family and friends. This wouldn’t be so bad if those few minutes didn’t turn into an hour or possibly more. Reading a book allows all of your attention to be focused on the story. Try reading 15 minutes a day before you go to work and I’m sure you’ll see the difference.

The External Benefits of Reading

Read – Your Muscles Will Thank You Later

Reading is a great way to stay focused while working out. A grappling plot may keep you on that cross trainer a little longer than expected. Remember to always keep your posture as failing to do this would result in injury.

Reading Can Encourage Life Goals

I liken reading a biography to the equivalent of getting a cheat sheet on that test you just can’t seem to pass. Someone has basically condensed their life and logic into the pages of a book, that you now happen to be the owner of. Recounting all of the mistakes they made and the lessons they learnt so you don’t have to. Reading about someone inspirational can also motivate you to reach your own goals.

Brighten Up Your Day

Novels drum up positive feelings in more subtle ways. Your favourite character happens to become an extension of you and when they happen to have a triumph and overcome an obstacle your day will suddenly become a lot brighter.

Entertain Yourself While Saving Money

Reading a is a low-budget source of entertainment and can be next too free if you choose to borrow books from your local library. Cue the angel chimes. Libraries have books on every subject and usually rotate their selection so you will always be met with a challenge. If you aren’t able to get to a library however, then you can always download e-books, or a version suitable for your kindle in order to get your fix. There is a topic for everyone, so, please, don’t be shy and get stuck in!

Comment down below and let us know what your favourite books are…

This week, our wonderful guest blogger, Stacey Mensah, discusses whether blueberries are a superfood or a superscam. Tell us what you think in the comments sections below. 

Welcome back to the ​Lake Foundation! How has your week been? This week for me has been an incredibly tiring one. I couldn’t even tell you what happened on Monday because one: I currently don’t have enough energy to think that far back, and two: I honestly just don’t want to. With moving into a new place and the intensification of work and social commitments, I haven’t been consuming the beloved 10-a-day – heck, if I consumed 3-a-day that would be an achievement. On this particular day I was feeling skinny – you know, think and you become and all of that – so as I said, I was feeling skinny and so I popped into a local health food store. My plan going into the shop was to simply pick up a few superfoods, some vegetables, and poultry. Nothing too extravagant. What I was faced with when I walked in was absolute madness. The prices of the superfoods were robbing me of any dignity I had left. I proceeded to pace up and down the shop floor wondering if this was a system error or if Johnny got a bit too excited with his marker. Nonetheless, I walked out with no superfoods in hand.

It begs the question: are superfoods a super scam? I would happily agree, end this discussion here and go eat a Kit-Kat. That, of course, is because with the prices independent stores are charging one would think that these superfoods would be​ covered in gold dust. That, of course, is not the case. The superfood in question today is the humble blueberry. With its low glycaemia index and antioxidant qualities, you can definitely be prepared to pay the premium for a punnet. There could possibly be a reason behind this.

New research that has conducted by the European Journal of Nutrition found that the daily consumption of one cup of fresh blueberries can improve cognition in healthy older adults. Meaning that you will understand, learn and remember things far more easily. Not too bad when you’re trying to remember what you did last week. The study was conducted over a 3-month period, with 13 healthy men and 24 healthy women between the ages of 60 and 75 being randomly assigned to receive Highbush blueberry powder daily (the equivalent of one cup of fresh blueberries) or a placebo powder. The results were incredibly telling and emphasising the importance of the promotion of healthy ageing. So, we’re in agreement; yes, blueberries are fantastic for your health, but what does labelling them as a superfood do to our pockets?

When a piece of fruit or veg is more expensive I automatically think that it must be better for me. Unfortunately, the hipster-ish packaging only encourages this mentality. And, honestly, the sales clerks with their ‘love life, love food’ slogan tees are not helping the situation and giving me free food, I mean c’mon, couldn’t you just ignore me, Johnny?  So what’s left? Where can you buy cheap fruit and vegetables while still not compromising on the quality? With the rampant gentrification of London and the blow of Brexit, this is not an easy question to answer. Regardless of your budget, find what works for you. Above all else, it’s about quality and not quantity.

We welcome back our guest blogger, Stacey Mensah. This week Stacey reflects on the new research conducted by Imperial College London that found we need to eat more than 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day to achieve a significant health benefit.

Welcome back to the Lake Foundation!

I hope this week hasn’t been too depressing for you with the arrival storm Doris. This has been a week of great reflection for me as I look back on how I became the person I am today. I’ve been particularly looking at my eating habits and how they formed. This comes at quite an interesting time as new studies have found that eating greater amounts of fruit vegetables can lower your risk of disease. Honestly, I’ll give them an A for effort. Studies like this one are not going to comfort you when it’s a movie night and you have no food; or, when you’re coming from work and you ‘happen’ to stumble across the infamous golden arches. Ultimately, people are going to treat studies such as these as a pick ‘n’ mix or an all you can eat buffet. So, here is what’s on the menu, or rather what the study has found.

Eating 10 portions of fruits and vegetable​s every day​ could significantly reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, a new study has found. The study, that was published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, also identified which fruit and vegetables provided the greatest protection against disease.

The research found that apples, pears, citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables and cruciferous vegetables may help protect against heart disease, cardiovascular disease, ​and early death. The foods that were found to prevent cancer were green vegetables, yellow vegetables such as peppers and carrots, and cruciferous vegetables.

Other studies have also supported this thesis, as a separate study that was published in the Thorax journal, found that a fruit and veg rich diet is linked to a much lower risk of chronic lung disease. I’m guessing this isn’t something we haven’t already heard before. I don’t know about you but what I’m particularly interested in is how we fit 10 portions of fruit and veg into our daily intake. With all the dinners and drinks the working women have​ scheduled during the week you really don’t want to be that friend who is taking out her Tupperware containers at the dinner table.

Having just lost 10 pounds from switching up my eating habits I would suggest making your meals in advance – which means making them from scratch and staying away from processed foods. At the beginning, ​it’s best not to be over ambitious as you will have lots of leftover food. Another suggestion would be to invest in a smoothie maker. Thankfully I was gifted a Nutri-bullet a while back so it has made eating vegetables and fruit much easier. The main thing to keep in mind is that you want to ​strike a balance – you don’t want to overload on sugar.

Comment down below on how you manage to eat 10 portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

We would love to hear from you….

In today’s blog post our guest blogger, Stacey Mensah, discusses depression and very powerfully shares her personal experience with us. Get involved in the discussion and please do leave a comment below for Stacey.

Today’s blog post comes in somewhat of a sombre note. The topic we’ll be discussing is mental health, but more specifically depression. Many see this as simply a word, unable to comprehend the intensity of such a thing. Some, ​however, have experienced the feelings of hopelessness and darkness that come with this condition. Depression, whatever that may look like is real, you may not be able to understand it but it’s there lurking in the background. Coming from an African family but also a Christian one, my perception of mental health has always been an interesting one; and when I had depression as a child my mother was not quite convinced. In this blog post, I’ll be sharing with you, my experience of depression and my mother’s perception of it and what we have both learned from the experience.

The World Health Organization defines mental health ‘as a state of well-being; of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.’ Going on from this, depression can be understood as a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. This typically affects how you think, feel and behave. This could lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. This topic has always been of great importance to me not only because I’ve experienced this, but as a society, I feel like it’s so easy to focus on the outward appearance. If you’re smiling, then everything must be ok – surely. If you ask someone how they’re doing and they reply with, ‘I’m fine’, then all must be well. I have found that in the past this has not been the case at all. Anyone who has been around me for an extended period of time will know that I have a tendency to frequently ask the questions – How are you feeling? What are you thinking? How do you feel about that? And no, this is not because I’m a maniac who wants to get inside your head. It’s because I know it’s far too easy to hide your negative emotions and to some, in the end, this does become destructive.

I experienced depression from the age of 11 until the age of 20. I know I don’t have the condition anymore as I don’t have that persistent feeling of sadness. Although I do realise that depression does not have an expiry date, everyone does experience it differently. This post is not about telling you how we all experience the condition but rather encouraging you all to not be so eager when it comes to labelling or formulating certain medical conditions. One size does not fit all. During this period, I experienced intense feelings of loneliness, rejection and just overall darkness. The interesting thing however is that though I have always had my family around me, but that didn’t matter at the time. I was mostly inwardly focused, focusing on my own feelings – exaggerating my feelings of negativity and isolating and marginalising my positive emotions. They did not matter. I would always focus on the negative. This would be accompanied by 3 am phone calls to family members about how everything I did in my life was so wrong. The more than occasional bursts of tears would follow and just general misery. Although I was deep in the pits of depression I never did seek professional help. I didn’t want to be labelled as damaged or different. This was, of course, to do with the stigma of depression in society. I can talk about it now because I can look back at that time and think wow. I’m glad I went through that because it made me a stronger person and I’m able to empathise with people with mental health issues. It also brought my mother and me​ together. Here is what she had to say:

‘When you had depression, honestly, I felt helpless. I didn’t know what to do. I was always worried about what you were going to do as you were quite unpredictable. The only thing I could do was pray for you and answer those 3 am phone calls. Although you do mean everything to me, I had to understand that there was only so much I could for you. At the beginning, it was incredibly difficult as I just thought you were being dramatic and didn’t want to be put into certain social situations. After a while, though I learned to listen to you and from there we just had to work through it together.’

To describe depression as being a rough journey would be an understatement. It’s not easy. Some people have to seek medical help for it whereas others do not. Everyone is different. Families and cultures deal with it differently. The key thing that helped me during this time was having a strong support network – made of family and friends. What are your views on mental health? Comment down below or on our Facebook page and let’s open up the discussion.

See you soon x

***********************

The Lake Foundation would like to say a big thank you to Stacey for sharing her experience with depression, we hope that through her experience you have gained some insight into this condition.

For more information about depression you can visit Mind, Rethink Mental Illness and Croydon Drop In  

In this week’s blog freelance journalist Stacey Mensah discusses dementia. 

Welcome back, you lovely people! It’s the end of another week and I don’t know about you but I’m glad it’s here. I’ve also just realized that it’s the last weekend in January! How are we feeling about that? I don’t know whether to be excited by the fact that we’ll be saying bye-bye to January blues, or sad because we are another month closer to bikini season – or should I say overall season. Ha! Let’s leave the issue of bikini season to one side – for now – and let’s discuss dementia, and how regular exercise can reduce the odds of developing this disease.

Dementia 101

Dementia refers to a set of symptoms that include, but are not limited to, memory loss and deficiencies with thinking, problem-solving and language. Although these changes are incredibly minor to start off with, over time they do become severe enough to affect everyday life. Of course, the best thing to do would be to get a proper assessment of problems but the waiting times of the NHS stretching as far as two weeks it’s best to take preventative measures while you still can.

In a recent study, it was found that people who exercised regularly appeared to have lower odds of developing dementia than those that didn’t.  This study followed more than 1,500 adults, aged 65 and older. This isn’t to say that if you’re younger than 65 you can stop reading – carry on, you’ll be surprised.

The symptoms of dementia can be seen in those that are younger than 65. This is usually referred to as having young-onset dementia. The stressful events of life including weddings, job losses and divorce have also been linked to this development. Unfortunately, there is a wider range of diseases that trigger young-onset dementia. Most importantly, people with this type of dementia are far more likely to be diagnosed with a rarer form of the disease. In both cases getting a diagnosis would be the best thing too – regardless of how long you may have to wait, it is worth it!

Getting Real

Here at the Lake Foundation, we take health incredibly seriously. It’s not a fad, but we do struggle. We are simply normal peopleand at times we have questionable eating habits. And of course when I say we, I mean me. Eating healthily and exercising regularly as always been an obstacle for me. Actually, to call it an obstacle would be a major understatement, as obstacles are usually overcome within time. This obstacle has become that piece of furniture in the corner that you just can’t seem to throw away. When you wake up, it’s there. When you go to bed, ooooh wait…no, ​it’s still there. When my family and friends ask me about it, I rationalize its being; somehow relating it back to the core of my existence. I know, how dramatic, right?

I tell you this because we are all in this together. For the start of February, my plan is to change the rules that I live by. For a wise woman once said that some rules are nothing but old habits that people are afraid to change.

Have a great weekend!

In this week’s blog post we hear from freelance journalist, Stacey Mensah, who reflects on the importance of setting resolutions that ensure we become fully rounded individuals.

As we go into another week of the new year it’s so easy to become consumed with the gimmick of new year’s resolutions. As the time passes by we slowly become desensitised to why we’re actually setting these goals – in particular, our health goals. We become obsessed by the numbers; the dress size, the number on the scale and the number of super food salads we have posted on our social media platforms and obviously consumed – obviously! But, it’s time for a reality check; what happens when that isn’t enough? Yes, you’ve changed your diet but what happens when the other aspects of your lifestyle put you and your loved ones in danger? I spoke to the daughter of a woman who was initially diagnosed with cervical cancer, but after various check-ups it turned out to be something entirely different. Here is what she had to say:

“My mother is a workaholic, that is all she has ever known. In order to provide for my siblings and I she has had to work a great deal. This meant that she didn’t really have time to go to the doctors for her check-ups. She was far too busy worrying about everyone else in the family, to worry about herself. That wasn’t until she started bleeding heavily. At first no one knew what it was until the doctors diagnosed her with cervical cancer. We couldn’t believe it.”

 In the UK alone, Cancer Research UK reports that around 3,200 new cases of cervical cancer are discovered each year. Meaning that 9 cases are diagnosed every day. With cervical cancer rates remaining stable in the UK this would not be the time to shy away from getting checked out and keeping your loved ones in the loop.

“Of course, being the protective mother she is she wanted to prepare us, trying to figure out the best way to slowly tell us. I had never felt so vulnerable. It was too late and I could do nothing about it. This was a wake-up call, none like any other. We started cooking healthier foods, making sure she was getting her nutrients in. And of course she had to realise that working the amount that she did was not good for her health. Luckily, the doctor re-diagnosed her with having an extreme case of menopause. My mother turned out to be one of the lucky ones that day. I hope she realises that.”

 I don’t know about you but I’d rather not leave it to luck. With the rates of the survival of cervical cancer improving, now would be a great time to be proactive and go to see your local GP. It’s good to have goals and it’s even better to accomplish them, but in the process let’s not forget about the other 30%. For 2017 let’s work on becoming better fully rounded individuals. This can be done by focusing on a number of things including how many hours of sleep you’re getting, your working hours, your social life and more.

Here’s to a happy and most importantly healthy 2017  🙂

We’ll see you next week!

Every year has something unique and different about it compared to the previous. In my opinion 2016 will probably be the year forever linked to the Zika virus. Although the virus was discovered decades ago,its immense media coverage means it has become a global talking point.   But what do we really know about Zika? Below is our top 10 Zika Q&As.

What is the Zika virus?

The Zika virus is an infection transmitted by mosquitoes and was first discovered in the Zika forest in Uganda in 1947.

If it was discovered decades ago, why are only talking about it now?

It’s a fairly common virus in parts of Africa and Asia but it became more widespread from May 2015 after an outbreak in Brazil.

So how many people have it now?

Literally millions of people have been infected by the virus particularly in South and Central America and the Caribbean.

That’s a lot of people! How does the virus affect them?

If you are infected by the virus the symptoms you can expect include: a mild fever, joint pain, itching, rash, conjunctivitis, headache and eye pain. The symptoms are usually mild lasting no longer than 7 days. However, many people infected by the virus don’t experience any symptoms at all.

That doesn’t sound too bad so remind me of why Zika seems so scary?

It’s a concern for pregnant women, as it’s been linked to a birth defect known as microcephaly(pronounced micro-sef-alee). A person with this defect has an abnormally small head and potential bran damage. There is some evidence that babies born to women who have been infected with the Zika virus are more likely to have microcephaly.

So what exactly can we do about this? People travel to those parts of the world all the time.

If you would like to travel to areas affected by the Zika outbreak it’s best to seek advice before your trip from a healthcare professional. If you are pregnant or actively trying to become pregnant and have recently returned from those regions – a trip to your GP is recommended. Although you can reduce your risk of catching the virus in the high risk regions by using insect repellent and covering your limbs with long loose clothing, you may prefer to avoid the risk by not visiting these areas if you are already pregnant or trying to become so.

You have mentioned the mothers but what about potential fathers? Can they transmit Zika to their partners and subsequently to an unborn baby?

There is a very low risk that the Zika virus may be transmitted through sexual intercourse. The recommendations are: if a partner has travelled to a country with a Zika virus outbreak, the couple should use barrier contraception (a condom) for 28 days following his return, whether he has Zika or not.If he begins to experience Zika symptoms or is diagnosed with a Zika virus infection by a doctor, the couple should use condoms for 6 months.

What if I have been to one of those countries and now want to try for a baby?

In the first instance, see your GP or midwife and tell them the name of the country/region you have just returned from. You should do this whether you have symptoms or not. The guidance also states that you should wait for at least 28 days following your returnhome before you try to become pregnant( evenif you have no symptoms). If you have developed any symptoms which remotely resemble the Zika symptoms(within two weeks of returning home) then it is recommended that you wait at least six months after a complete recovery before trying for a baby.

 I know someone who is pregnant and she has just returned from there!  What should she do?

She should make an appointment with her midwife or doctor as soon as possible. But tell your friend that although there is an increased risk of the birth defect, not everyone who has been pregnant in a Zika outbreak region has had a baby with microcephaly.

Where can I found out more?

Below are a few links that you might find useful:

WHO
NHS
Travel Health Pro
Zika countries

But please speak to a healthcare professional (doctor, pharmacist, nurse or midwife) for more information.

It’s cervical cancer prevention week  (24th to 30th Jan) so it’s an ideal time to remind everyone about the cervical cancer screening test- otherwise known as The Smear.

Cervical cancer is the most common form of cancer in women aged 35 and under and over 3,000 UK women are diagnosed with the disease each year.

The term cervical cancer describes the uncontrolled division/growth of abnormal cells in the neck of the womb (cervix).   In over 99% of cases the cancer is caused by prolonged infection with a high risk strain of a virus known as human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV can spread between peoplethrough skin to skin contact in and around the genital area. HPV infection doesn’t lead to cervical cancer in everyone. However, as it’s such a common virus it is important that we do all we can to help prevent the occurrence or spot early signs of the disease. Below are 3 important steps:

1. Attend you smear test
During a smear test, a nurse or doctor removes a sample of cells from your cervix. These cells are then examined for any changes that might lead to cancer in the future. The process may be uncomfortable but it is over in a short period of time and is important in spotting potential problems. You should normally receive a request to attend a smear test from the age of 25. But if you do not receive one or are below 25 and have any concerns about your cervix – speak to your GP.  Women from ethnic minorities are less likely to attend their smear appointments. This short video discusses the reasons for this.

2.  Be aware of  the symptoms of cervical cancer
Changes to the cells of the cervix do not usually cause symptoms. But if these changes become cancerous they can lead to symptoms such as:

· Unusual bleeding (e.g. during or after sexual intercourse,  between periods, after the menopause)
· Unusual vaginal discharge
· Discomfort or pain during sex
· Lower back pain
· Changes to the frequency of urination
· Blood in the urine
·  Rectal bleeding
· Diarrhoea
· Incontinence
· Leg swelling

Many of these symptoms may be associated with other conditions and have nothing to do with cervical cancer. But it is always best to get them investigated by seeing your GP as soon as possible.

3.  HPV vaccine
Another nationwide programme which helps to reduce the occurrence of cervical cancer is the HPV vaccination programme. The NHS routinely offers vaccinations to girls aged 11–13 in Scotland and 12–13 in the rest of the UK. Girls normally receive the vaccine in school, but they can also receive it from their GP. The vaccine is free for all girls aged 11–17 in Scotland and 12–17 in the rest of the UK.  The vaccine does not offer 100% protection against cervical cancer so anyone who has received it still needs to regularly attend their smear appointments as do all women seeking to prevent cervical cancer.

Please have a look at some women’s experiences of cervical cancer and let us know your thoughts. The smear test may not be pleasant- but is skipping it a risk worth taking?

The Christmas and New Year break are over and although I enjoyed it, I felt strangely relieved.  I think that’s because although it’s normally a really enjoyable time of year- it can also be highly stressful.  We know stress has an effect on general health. But how much do we know about how stress affects particular conditions associated with the Black community?  Black women have the highest risk of developing fibroids (non-cancerous growths in or around the womb). They can lead to heavy periods, period pain and pregnancy challenges (amongst other things). It is useful to know if stress plays a part in the existence of fibroids since we can control the way we handle stress.

A basic search of the literature doesn’t reveal many studies focused on the link between stress and fibroids.  One study did note that the increase in stress hormone cortisol can cause fluctuations in oestrogen and progestogen. Low levels of these hormones are linked to a reduction in fibroid growth.  This particular US study actually investigated the links between major-life event stress and fibroids in both Black and White women.  The authors reported  that the greater the number of ‘major life events’ the female experienced, the more likely she was to have fibroids. The pattern was evident among white women who had experienced all levels of stress yet only obvious  among  very highly stressed  Black women.  The authors of another study looked at 22,002 premenopausal  US Black women.  They reported that high levels of self-reported racism increased the risk of fibroids.  However, a study on Chinese women did not find any link between stress and the presence of fibroids. You can find out more about these studies here, here andhere.

Due to the small number of studies which investigate the link between fibroids and stress, it is difficult to say whether there is a true link- more work needs to be done in this area.  However, some people do find that they discover their fibroids after a period of stress in their lives. Have any of you had this experience?

Have you heard of the expression: ‘don’t do things by halves’?  It normally means that people shouldn’t do things without putting maximum effort into it. So for example – if you are doing an exam you may wake up in the early hours of the day to study and revise. If you have an interview – you read up about the role and company until the point of saturation.  If you’re going out for a New Year celebration, you may select your outfit and venue (and maybe even hairstyle!)  well in  advance.  But for me, doing things ‘by halves’ can take on a different meaning.  It can mean achieving your goal ‘piece by piece’ i.e. piecemeal.  So instead of exhausting yourself to achieve a goal, you could achieve it by breaking it down into manageable chunks or ‘half- measures’

So what has this got to do with the New Year?

Well, every year millions of people make a pledge to be healthier and fitter. But six months down the line – the pledges are largely forgotten and definitely not achieved. Perhaps if we make small changes or ‘half-measures’ our goals would be easier to achieve.

So how can we break down key health and fitness activities into manageable chunks?

1.   Eating more fruit and vegetables

This is a common goal for most people. You don’t have to consume large plates of vegetables or fruits in one go.  Vegetables can easily complement many meals. Why not add some slices of fresh cucumber to your already prepared jollof rice?  Or add scoops of avocado or finely chopped mushrooms to your rice and peas?

2.    Increasing exercise
Do you find gym membership too expensive?  Is it too cold to go for walks outside? Jogging on the spot at home whilst watching your favourite soap for just 30 minutes could burn at least 100 calories! You could start off by jogging through one programme and then slowly build up to two. Do you love exercising to music? Why not find some old school Rnb tunes on YouTube, switch it on and dance while you are doing the dishes?

3.   Reduce fried food intake
Fried food isn’t great for many reasons including the fact that it is high in calories because it absorbs the fat from the oil. But many people find fried chicken irresistible! If you are one of those then why not alternate between fried and grilled food to begin with?  You could have fried chicken on one day then the next time you have chicken make it grilled or roasted. You could do the same thing with other meats.

4.   Reduce alcohol intake
Did you overdo the Baileys or the rum punch at Christmas? Next time you’re out for the evening or even at home and you feel like a drink – why not pour yourself two drinks? One of the drinks could be your favourite tipple and the other could be a glass of water.  You could alternate between the two drinks, sips from one then another.  You would ultimately end up drinking less alcohol.

So hopefully you now have the gist of ‘doing things by halves’ to achieve your goals.  What other ideas can you come up with?