Exercise, Alcohol, Smoking

Exercise

Taking regular exercise combined with eating a healthy balanced diet has a strong influence on good health and well-being. It is very important for everyone – adults, children and elderly people to be active. It is beneficial to get in the habit of taking some form of regular and enjoyable physical activity.

Being active can help to keep bones, muscles and joints healthier. Weight bearing exercise can help to prevent osteoporosis.

Regular physical activity can decrease the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Physical activity can help to promote good co-ordination, muscle strength, flexibility, core stability and a sense of well-being.

Exercise burns calories and combined with a healthy diet can be part of a weight loss programme.

It is important to choose an exercise which is suitable to your age and lifestyle and that you enjoy. So start gradually and build up to at least 30 minutes (cumulative) of moderate exercise every day.

Alcohol

Government guidelines about the amount of alcohol it is safe to consume were issued in 1995. It is sensible that these guidelines are followed.

For safe alcohol consumption: 

Men should not take more than 21 units per week

Women should not take more than 14 units per week

Consistently consuming more alcohol than these guidelines on a regular basis potentially has adverse health effects. Alcohol has a particularly damaging effect on the liver.

Drinking lots of alcohol leads to dehydration. Also avoid eating salty foods taken to counteract this dehydrating effect. Drink plenty of water to re-hydrate.

All alcoholic drinks contain "empty "calories so drinking large amounts can contribute a significant amount of calories to the diet. Alcohol contains seven calories per gram, almost twice as much as a gram of a carbohydrate food so if you're trying to keep in shape it might be an idea to cut down the amount you drink. It contains little in the way of other nutrients, so replacing a meal with alcohol isn't a good idea.

Drinking often stimulates the appetite and can lead to inappropriate snacking and over eating and weight gain.

Smoking

There is evidence to suggest that even if smokers eat a healthy diet and take regular exercise this will not compensate for the damage to health and the increased risk of contracting one of the major life threatening illnesses associated with smoking.

Smoking depletes the body of vitamin C – an important antioxidant, which protects against diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Smokers need two to three times more Vitamin C than non-smokers to maintain normal vitamin C levels in the body. High levels of vitamin C also appear to protect against Alzheimer's disease in smokers.

Smokers need increased levels of Vitamin E which is a powerful anti-oxidant, which can assist the body in its fight against various cancers, to which smokers are more susceptible than non-smokers. High levels of vitamin E also appear to protect against Alzheimer's disease in smokers. Women who smoke are at higher risk for osteoporosis.

Some people may find that being dependent on a stimulant, such as nicotine, has led to poor eating habits, like having a coffee and cigarette for breakfast, rather than eating food that would actually provide fuel. The taste and enjoyment of food can be affected by smoking. Smoking causes the body to waste some of the energy in food. When you give up smoking the body returns to its normal state and needs less food energy.

Before you extinguish your last cigarette, think about how you want to improve your eating habits as a part of your new healthy life as a non-smoker. Giving up smoking often means that the sense of taste and smell returns, food tastes better so the tendency is to eat more or that snacking is used to replace the cigarettes. Try not to eat large quantities of fatty or sugary foods, choose fruit as a snack and take moderate regular exercise.