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Healthy Lifestyle

Injuries are easier to cope with when you are feeling fit and healthy. Consult a medical professional before trying out any of the following ideas for a healthier lifestyle.

1. Restorative sleep

2. Nutrition

3. Appropriate exercise

4. Inner peace

5. Stress-management

1. Restorative sleep

• Problems usually seem less daunting after restorative sleep.

• The first priority is to stop worrying about not sleeping. If your body needs to sleep it will - how many experts would dare to say that to an insomniac at 3am? This site was drafted during the early hours, as a constructive alternative to lying in bed tossing and turning. Self-help books helped me while away many sleepless nights.

• The second priority is to develop sleep habits to suit your lifestyle. There is plenty of advice out there on how to get to sleep and stay asleep. Look at the books and health websites and experiment to find what works for you.

• Sleeping pills are a short-term fix to stop you worrying about not sleeping. They don't provide the highest quality restorative sleep.

• Consult your GP about your sleep problems and before taking anything to help you sleep.

2. Nutrition

• Fresh wholesome food gives you the best chance of having a healthy body. Do you have some healthy delicious morsels ready for comfort eating?

• I skip meals through pain and exhaustion so have collected a variety of quick and easy gluten and dairy free recipes. Many of them can be prepared in the time it takes to warm up a ready meal. And they are healthy and delicious.

3. Appropriate exercise

• Fitness, strength and flexibility enable you to make the most of your life. Appropriate exercise produces feel-good endorphins and helps you sleep at night.

• Almost everyone can do some form of exercise under the supervision of a physiotherapist. Carol Sweet at Unsted Park hospital restored my fitness by choosing exercises that would not cause me harm despite the pain. Taking away my fear of causing further damage by exercising.

• Even tiny advances build up and provide a sense of achievement. I started out barely able to swim a length of the pool (giraffe fashion) and can now swim for 45 minutes. The pool provides an environment where I feel comfortable progressing at my own pace. Whereas I felt intimidated by the super-fit bronzed bodies at the gym.

• Motivation and pacing are vital ingredients for success. Bored? Try alternative forms of exercise or play music to liven things up. Exercise can be social too - walking with friends, dancing and playing team games. Exercise can influence your mood. For example, tennis to counter anger and frustration, team sports when you are feeling lonely, walking for a sense of spirituality or dancing to lift your spirits.

• Good posture creates a good impression, makes walking easier and helps to prevent further problems. Good posture may be achieved by simply imagining your head being raised towards the ceiling by a string, relaxing your shoulders and bracing your tummy muscles.

• Brains work better when they're exercised.

4. Inner peace

• Do you wish you could say "beam me up Scottie" and be teleported away from reality? It's not science fiction - you can escape whenever you have a few moments to spare if you learn to meditate. Relaxing in the bath, staring at a flame, walking in the country and dancing are all meditative.

• Reducing anxiety by relaxation and meditation can make you feel calmer, look more serene and sleep better. How do you restore your equilibrium when you are stressed, anxious or angry?

• Twenty minutes meditation can be as rejuvenating as sleeping. It's my most effective painkiller and an effective stress-buster. Progression to self-hypnosis can have interesting results. Giving you the sense of control that is vital for self-esteem.

5. Stress-management

• Stress puts excitement in life. It only becomes a problem when it's allowed to build up. Exercise, relaxation, meditation, eating and sleeping well, creativity, fun and having a sense of control over your life are all stress busters.

• Don't know how to cope? Seek help. Be open and share your problems with people who can make a difference.

• You may be unable to change external stresses but you can look at them from a different perspective. You can fume and fret in a traffic jam or you can enjoy having time to daydream. If you have a tedious task - try doing it with a smile.

• Putting your worries into perspective reduces stress. How many of your worries ever happen? What is the likelihood of 'it' happening? What is the worst possible outcome? What would you do if the worst happened? Once you have a plan to cope with the worst outcome, do you need to worry about the problem?