A new year, a new you
Get fit, start a diet, stop smoking, go to the gym - we all know how many New Year’s resolutions tend to be abandoned within mere months… but there is help at hand.
Exercise is crucial in helping the circulatory system to transport oxygen and nutrients around the body and remove toxins and waste products.
A healthy diet and regular exercise can also alleviate feelings of depression and anxiety, as well as reduce the rate of bone loss and lower the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.
Moderate exercise for 30 minutes every day is recommended. This could include taking the dog for a walk, using the stairs or going for a walk in your lunch hour.
You can do the 30 minutes in one go, or divide it up into a few manageable blocks of 10 minute sessions - the important thing is to do it on a daily basis and combine it with a balanced diet.
However, fitness and nutrition aren’t the only areas that need regular attention. It’s important to give your whole body an MOT from time to time, including your eyes and teeth – as regular optical and dental check-ups can help to detect underlying health conditions such as glaucoma, diabetes and high blood pressure.
In the current economic climate, some people may be put off going to the dentist or optician, but the cost of taking good care of yourself needn’t be prohibitive.
A health cash plan can help you to budget for your essential everyday healthcare. Westfield Health offers a range of cash benefits which provide money back towards the cost of dental and optical treatment.
For those whose goal for the New Year is to give up smoking, acupuncture has for some been a tried and tested way of helping to kick the habit. Westfield’s therapy treatments benefit provides money back towards the cost of acupuncture, as well as other treatments such as physiotherapy.
Many of Westfield's health cash plans also include a health club concession benefit, which encourages policyholders to take up gym membership by offering special concessionary membership deals at a wide range of UK health and fitness clubs.