I am not big on politics at all. I don't understand enough. I don't think there is any one person or party who will ever appeal to everyone and I tend to steer away from conversations.
What I do like to read though are articles and information on what the government suggests/recommends/advises around our lifestyles and being healthy.
In yesterday's iPaper Nigel Morris wrote about the government urging the public to "cut back on alcohol, sugar, salt and fatty food and to exercise more, stop smoking in a drive to increase life expectancy by five years". Now can anyone really argue with that? Whether he's a Tory, Labour or whatever else we're left with, he is absolutely right. In the UK men have a life expectancy of 79.2yrs compared with 80.1 in France and women 82.9yrs here and 85.7 in France (Germany is 78.7yrs for men and 83.3yrs for women).
We are so fortunate to have a health service in this country that is free. It doesn't judge us, if we need help then we can ask for it. Yes there are faults and issues and concerns, but in black and white if we are ill there is somewhere to go for treatment. But this costs money. Our money. Money you earn goes into the NHS to treat people who are sick or need treatment for something.
Doesn't it make sense to look after ourselves and our family and children so that we are all healthy, so that we can eliminate a chance of needing to use the health service for something we have brought on ourselves?
You can choose to eat healthily. You can make the decision to start going for walks during the week, to join a class, to go swimming once a week. You can build up strength that in the long-term will protect your joints and keep your organs healthy.
It's difficult. If you haven't considered it before then where do you start? How do you know what is healthy and not apart from the obvious? We all know that a Fast Food Restaurant isn't necessarily "healthy", it doesn't mean never setting foot inside one again, it means ordering the burger with a bottle of water or a cup of tea instead of burger, chips, sauce and a soft drink. If you don't already, try and include 2 portions of vegetables at mealtimes. Try to make sure there is colour on your plate, that you are putting good stuff in; they're the things full of vitamins and minerals that you need to stay healthy.
If people can prevent illnesses and ailments then guess what? People are happier, people are healthy, there is more money available to the NHS to focus on other things.
So put the energy drink down, take some sugar out of your coffee, have the biscuit and not the cake, have 2 spoons of carrots and only 1 of potatoes, park your car a street further away. Little things add up.
Nobody is going to be around forever, that's the only thing anyone can be sure of, but it makes sense to do your damn best to stay around for as long as you can to be with the ones you love.
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