Looking good in the mirror is all very well, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re really fit and healthy. Smoking, drinking, crash diets and a lack of exercise take their toll in the long run – and this will usually affect our health before our looks.
New research by Aviva UK Health has discovered that nearly four in ten Brits want a slim and toned body (38%) – more than double the amount that want good blood pressure rates (17%) and nearly four times the amount that want low cholesterol (10%).
The research also found that Brits have little knowledge of basic health statistics. Whilst nearly nine in ten (86%) knew their weight, only around four in ten knew their BMI (35%) and blood pressure (42%) and one in five (18%) admitted to having no idea how healthy they are.
With three in five (61%) admitting to not sticking to new health regimes if they don’t see results within a month and one in five (17%) claiming that they don’t exercise because they hate the gym, simple changes to our daily routine could be the answer for all-round health. For example, walking rather than getting the bus can make all the difference to our overall condition.
Regular health checks make it easy to stay on top of your health, ensuring you're on the right track as well as providing advice on how to improve. In this video feature ex-Olympic champion Sally Gunnell and Aviva UK Health’s Head of Clinical Governance Dr Douglas Wright take us through some basic steps towards taking our health seriously – little changes that you don’t have to be an athlete to stick to.
To help you assess and monitor your health, Aviva has devised MyHealthCounts, which includes tools to give you an accurate assessment of your overall health and helps you set a series of realistic targets to strive for.
To help you on your way, check out Sally and Dr Doug’s tips here: