Keeping Fit and Healthy

a man riding a bike down a dirt road

Regular Exercise

Regular exercise makes you feel better, burns off food and so helps to keep your weight down. If you exercise at least three times a week for 20 minutes at a time, and do enough to make you mildly breathless, you will reduce your risk of having a heart attack.

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Alcohol

Alcohol taken in moderation is fine, but keep your weekly intake to below the equivalent of 14 pints of ordinary strength beer per week for a man and 14 for a woman.

 

a woman looking at the camera

Diet and Weight

Reduce the amount of fat, meat and dairy produce that you eat. Of the fat that you do eat, more should be polyunsaturated, i.e., soya margarine, Flora, corn oil, sunflower oil – or even better, olive oil. Eat more fish, bread, cereal, pasta, fruit and vegetables. If you want further advice on diet and weight reduction, please arrange to speak with one of our nurses who will be happy to help.

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Smoking

Yes, we are sure that you have heard it all before, but we have to remind you… smoking will increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and chronic bronchitis.

If you are a pregnant mother, your baby will be smaller and the pregnancy more troublesome.

Children in homes where there are smokers are more likely to suffer from coughs, colds, deafness due to glue ear, and asthma. Smoking near other people can increase their risk of cancer and heart disease.

If you want to try and give up smoking, try nicotine patches or chewing gum. You can get further advice from any nurse or your doctor at either surgery.