The Lifestyle Blogger

I’ve just found out that approximately 27% of children in the UK are overweight?  That’s one quarter of all children in the UK…1 in 4!  Unfortunately, being overweight as a child can often lead to a lifetime of being overweight.  Overweight parents are much more likely to have overweight children.  How did we get to this state as a nation?

There are two main factors which lead to obesity.  An unhealthy diet which provides more calories than the body needs is the first contributing factor.  A lack of exercise and physical activity is the second factor leading to increased risk of obesity.  Simply put: eating a poor diet and not getting enough activity will make you unhealthy, and put you at risk of becoming overweight or, eventually, obese.  An unhealthy diet and lack of exercise also puts individuals at an increased risk for Type 2 Diabetes. 

So how can you make a difference?  We know that overweight parents are more likely to have overweight children so set a good example by following a healthier lifestyle yourself.  There are simple ways to make small changes to your diet from which you will benefit as well as your children.  Increasing your fruit and vegetable intake to 5 servings a day will help with fibre intake as well as give you many vitamins and minerals necessary for a healthy body.  Instead of offering crisps or chocolate as a snack between meals, offer apple slices and a healthy dip or frozen grapes which are a quick and easy snack and provide the crunch many kids appreciate. Better yet, for a substantial alternative, offer Hovis Hearty Oats bread thinly spread with peanut butter and chopped banana… the kids are sure to tuck in!   

Reducing the fat intake at meal and snack times will go a long way to making your meals healthier and more nutritious.  A take-away or fast-food is the easy choice in today’s fast paced world but ultimately that food choice when eaten more often does nothing for your body and can contribute to obesity.  Why not choose a lean meat, healthy carb and several vegetable offerings for a dinner and sit down as a family to enjoy a meal in a relaxed and comfortable way?  Eating a meal as a family is important for the family dynamic as well as encouraging proper table manners and eating patterns.  There are tons of quick fix, nutritious recipes out there today which will allow you to spend minimum time in the kitchen ana maximum time with your family, while promoting healthy living.  Do a bit of investigating and you’re sure to find some new recipes which will quickly become hits with the family. 

Why not take advantage of the long, light summer nights and get out and about after dinner to burn off some of the calories consumed throughout the day?  It’s a fact that if you don’t burn off what you put in, you’ll gain weight.  Adults tend to have a slower metabolism so we have to work a little harder than children to burn it off but again, be the example.  Take a ball to the park and have a kick around; walk around the neighbourhood after dinner; take a cycle trip to feed the ducks.  There are tons of options that are free and allow families to bond at the same time.  You can also take advantage of various sports teams and classes that will allow children to develop a healthy attitude to exercise and activity.  If we can convince children that activity is FUN and good for you, they won’t see it as a chore in the future and will be much more likely to continue on a path of healthy living into adulthood. 

The power is in choice.  Take in good nutrients to fuel your body and use that energy to keep active in order to be healthy and strong and you’ll find that you feel better in yourself.  Make a different choice of unhealthy eating and very little activity and you could end up overweight and unwell.  I think we all know what we can do as adults but be aware that we’re setting the example for the children around us.  Let’s aim for a new generation where being overweight and unhealthy is a thing of the past.  After all, healthy families = happy families.    

We are all learning how important it is to be aware of our cholesterol levels.  LDLs, HDLs and Triglycerides all contribute to make up our cholesterols levels which not only help to keep us alive but, in excess, can dramatically increase our risk for diseases like heart disease and conditions like high blood pressure, stroke and heart attack.  You can play a part in lowering your cholesterol levels if you find that they are elevated.  It’s not just down to genetics and medical intervention, you know.  You can control your own destiny through proper diet and exercise.  It’s as simple as that!  So what’s stopping you?

We have busy lives don’t we?  If you’re a parent, you often have restless nights, rushed mornings, school runs and frenzied dinner and bedtimes.  Busy singletons and couples have work pressures, social events and fast paced lives to contend with.  It’s easy to fall into bad habits where you make rubbish food choices based on convenience rather than nutrition, sit on the couch when you should be getting out and about and getting less than restorative nights sleep.  It’s time to take some control back and do something about those bad habits.  You can choose to reduce saturated fats and salt in your diet and include more wholegrains, fruits & vegetables and low fat dairy.  Making these healthy food choices will not only aid in lowering your cholesterol levels and decreasing your risk for high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease but will make you FEEL better.  When you FEEL better it’s easier to add exercise and activity to your lifestyle which keeps you on the path to success.

Your body shape and BMI (Body Mass Index) have a significant effect on your cholesterol levels.  Studies have shown that "apple shaped" people have a higher rate of heart related risk factors due to excess weight carried around the middle.  To keep that "apple" shape in check and your BMI in a healthy range you need to do some form of exercise every day.  This doesn’t have to involve vigorous athletic training but should involve raising your heart rate for a minimum of 30 minutes at least 5 days a week.  Take the dog out for a walk after dinner every evening, play at the park with the kids, use that gym membership that is never used and try doing some strengthening and stretching exercises in front of the telly instead of lying on the couch.  All of these activities will do wonders for your brain and the exercise will get your blood flowing in all the right directions. 

It only takes a bit of effort to make a world of difference with your health.  How hard can it be to take a step in the right direction?

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Cholesterol is something we all know has to be kept “in check”, but what’s “in check”? When do we start worrying, and what can we do about it? High cholesterol levels can play a part in conditions such as high blood pressure, and is a known risk factor for heart disease and stroke. But did you know that cholesterol is necessary for your body to function properly? It seems that cholesterol is not ALL bad!

Your blood stream carries two types of cholesterol - “good” cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein or HDL) and “bad” cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein or LDL). The HDL carries cholesterol away from the cells to the liver where the cholesterol is either broken down or eliminated as waste. LDL transports cholesterol from the liver to the bloodstream. Too much LDL results in a build up of plaque which can clog the arteries and cause serious health conditions.

In addition to travelling around our bloodstream transporting lipoproteins, cholesterol plays a part in forming the membranes around every cell. Cholesterol lines nerve fibres, which allow nerve impulses to travel efficiently and help to make hormones which carry impulses and signals around the entire body. Cholesterol is NECESSARY for your body to function, but sometimes there is just too much of it in our body.

So how can you find out if you have good levels of HDLs and LDLs? A simple blood test from your GP or nurse is all that’s needed to determine your cholesterol levels. The cholesterol screening not only measures HDL and LDL levels but also measures your triglyceride levels which are the fats that are stored in your system and used for energy. A high level of triglycerides is also a risk factor for heart disease. This blood test can be the difference between knowing you’re at risk and doing something about it and ignoring your health and putting yourself at greater risk.

The increase of saturated fat in our diets and the decrease of daily exercise can both contribute to making our lives more sedentary, and lead to an increase in our cholesterol levels. In the UK, we have one of the highest average cholesterol concentrations in the world! As high cholesterol carries no obvious symptoms it is important to keep aware of your cholesterol levels. You don’t need to know fancy equations or measures to understand the general guidelines with measuring cholesterol either. Healthy cholesterol levels are below 5mmol/L for total cholesterol and less than 3mmol/L for LDL cholesterol. For those who have, or are at risk of, coronary heart disease, these targets are lower at 4mmol/L and 2mmol/L for total and LDL cholesterol, respectively. Anything above these rates is considered high and at risk. By having a blood test to determine your cholesterol levels, you can establish a base line which will enable you to take control over your own health and become more aware of any risk factors you might possess – allowing you to reassess your diet and lifestyle choices.

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