If you're looking to make some changes towards living a healthier, happier lifestyle, One You is here to help.
A team of NHS professionals can support you to make those small changes by providing ongoing support, tools, and encouragement every step of the way, helping you to transition easily into a healthy lifestyle, benefiting not only yourself but your friends and family as well.
By making healthier choices today, you will open the doors to a better quality of life and could even prevent diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. You also reduce your risk of suffering a stroke or living with dementia, disability, or frailty in later life.
How we can help you
Stop smoking
One You Plymouth practitioners provide the support needed to enable you to stop smoking and will be able to continue to offer support until you feel completely confident to remain smoke free. Remember, you are four times more likely to quit for good with support.
Improved mental wellbeing Physical activity helps the body release endorphins, which reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.
Lowers blood pressure A stronger heart can pump more blood around the body with each beat. This means it does not have to beat as many times per minute.
Improved gastrointestinal function Regular exercise can encourage good digestive health and reduce the symptoms of IBS.
Improved bone density Stronger bones help to improve balance and mobility and reduce the risk of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.
Improved sleep quality Regular exercise can improve the symptoms of insomnia and sleep apnea.
Improved immune function Regular activity can increase your white blood cell count, which enables you to fight off disease and infection more easily.
Improved cholesterol Exercise can raise your HDL cholesterol, the 'good' cholesterol that removes fat from your arteries.
Improved muscular strength Stronger muscles can improve flexibility, balance, coordination, and mobility.
Tips for being more active
Break up your sedentary time
Physical inactivity is now among the 10 leading causes of premature death and disability worldwide. A great first step to becoming more active is to break up prolonged periods of sitting or lying down. To do this, set yourself a goal of standing up every half hour and doing one minute of movement. For example, march on the spot or walk up and down the stairs a couple of times.
Remember, all movement matters
Even small, simple changes such as taking the stairs instead of the lift, getting off the bus one stop earlier, and engaging in more household chores are great ways to help you achieve the physical activity guidelines, particularly if lack of time is one of your barriers.
Break your exercise up into manageable chunks
150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise is roughly only 30 minutes on 5 days a week! If you struggle to find a 30-minute gap in your busy day, break it down into smaller chunks. This could be three lots of 10 minutes. Research has now shown that even one-minute bouts of physical activity can be beneficial.
Find an activity you enjoy
The key to sticking to an exercise regime is to find an activity you enjoy!
Be realistic
Be aware of your own limitations! Recognise that age and inactivity can take a toll on your fitness. If you decide to take part in an activity that is too intense or conflicts with another health condition, this could increase your risk of injury or illness. Be realistic with your expectations and focus on what you can do. Remember, do not be concerned with benchmarking yourself against others.
Track your progress
If you can see or feel the benefits of physical activity, you are much more likely to maintain it! You can track your progress by measuring your weight or waist circumference or by using technology like a FitBit, smartwatch, or mobile app. However, if technology is not for you, you could simply create a physical activity diary or time yourself to walk around the block and see if you can beat it by a few minutes each time!
Managing a healthier weight can be a real challenge, and there is a lot of conflicting information and advice. If you have been struggling with your weight for some time, then you can ask for support from the weight management team at Livewell Southwest. Working with the team can help you significantly improve your health and wellbeing.
The weight management team offers a 12-week core programme encouraging activity, changing eating habits, and looking at how thinking and feeling affect your eating.
To access this service, please call 01752 434623 Monday-Friday between 09:00am and 5:00pm to self-refer by telephone. You can also email livewell.weightmanagement@nhs.net and discuss your referral with your GP or Practice Nurse.
Stress less
A bit of stress is normal and can help push you to do something new or difficult, but too much stress can take its toll. Lots of things can cause stress, including work, relationships, and money problems. Stress can affect how you feel, think, behave, and how your body works - from how well you sleep to the effectiveness of your immune system. In the short term, that's not really a bad thing, but long-term stress puts your health at risk.
Tools and resources to help you stress Less
Plymouth Options
At some point in our lives, most of us find ourselves feeling low, worried, fearful, or distressed.
Plymouth Options offers a range of services to people experiencing common mental health problems.
5 Ways to Wellbeing
The 5 Ways to Wellbeing are the five everyday areas of life that bring the biggest boost to happiness.
Evidence shows that by building these simple measures into our daily lives, we can make a big difference in our health and happiness.
Use the simple learning modules to manage fear, anxiety, and stress and tackle unhelpful thinking.
NHS Health Checks
Are you aged between 40 and 74 years old, inclusive, and haven't had a Health Check in the past 5 years? Why not contact the team today to arrange your free 40-minute NHS Health Check?
We will be able to check your blood pressure, cholesterol, and body mass index (BMI) and can offer advice and support on the steps you can take to improve your health and feel better for longer.
Through simple lifestyle changes, such as diet and physical activity, you can lower your risk of developing serious health problems.
Where to get your free NHS health check
If you are eligible and haven't had a health check in the past 5 years, we run Health Check clinics in various locations across Plymouth.
Call the Wellbeing Team on 01752 437177 for more information and to book an appointment.
This is a great opportunity to find out early if you are at risk of a stroke, diabetes, a heart attack, or many other life-threatening conditions. By finding out early, before serious damage is done, you could potentially make lifestyle changes that would massively reduce your risk of developing a disability or dying early as a result of these conditions.
Three ways to check your health
Heart age The Heart Age Test tells you your heart age compared to your real age, explains why it's important to know your blood pressure and cholesterol numbers, and gives advice on how to reduce your heart age. Take the heart age test.
How are you quiz Take our free One You How Are You Quiz, see how you score, and start the fight back to a healthier you. Take the how are you quiz.
Are you at risk? Finding out your risk of Type 2 diabetes only takes a few minutes. It could be the most important thing you do today. Before you start, grab a tape measure and scales. Take the diabetes test.
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