YOUR DIARY EXPLAINED

Your Good Health For Life Wellness Journal includes 28 diary pages like the one below to help you record essential information and keep track of your progress. Fill it in every day using the tips we’ve provided...

CALORIES Even if you don’t aim to lose weight, you should be broadly aware of your energy intake so things don’t creep in the wrong direction. Type ‘total daily energy expenditure’ into any search engine and you’ll be directed to a calculator that will ask your height, weight, age, gender and activity level, and give you the number of calories you can eat each day without gaining weight. To lose weight, aim to eat 250 calories less than that each day (see our handy calorie counter on pages 50-51). Jot the total here each day.

PORTIONS OF VEG Forget five a day, for optimal health aim to eat ten portions of different types of vegetables and fruit – mostly veg. Experiment with unfamiliar vegetables, and sneak extra into every meal. Count up your portions and put an ‘F’ or a ‘V’ in the boxes here.

‘Beige’ foods (pastry, cakes and biscuits), junk foods, processed foods and takeaways offer little nutritional benefit and your body struggles to digest them, so try to cut right back. Record the number of portions you eat each day here and aim for a few ‘whoops free’ days each week.

WHOOPS

BAD HABITS This is your opportunity to put a lid on any bad habits like smoking, gambling, computer gaming or phone checking, so record your success here. If you’re aiming to reduce time spent gaming or flicking through social media, record total minutes each day. Or if you decide to quit a habit, put a tick if you go a day without it.

ALCOHOL UNITS We are going to stop drinking for 28 days. We’d love you to join us, but if not we urge you to cut back. Note your total units each day (see our chart on page 47) and aim to bring it down.

TIME TO BED You will get more and better sleep if you go to bed at the same time each night, as it allows your body to get into a pattern, releasing the right hormones at the right time to ensure that you sleep. Spend enough time in bed to allow for eight hours’ sleep a night. Record what time you went to bed here, and aim to hit that time 5 nights per week.

BEDTIME ROUTINE One of the best ways to ensure a good night’s sleep is by establishing a bedtime routine (see page 53). This means no screens in the bedroom (phones, TV, laptops), and no screens for at least 30 minutes before you go to bed. If you use your phone as an alarm clock you’ll find it difficult to suppress the urge to check it, plus the blue light it emits can disrupt your sleep. Get an alarm clock and charge your phone elsewhere. Put a tick in each box for every night you succeed.

STRENGTH We recommend a short daily workout to strengthen your muscles and joints, as it will have significant effects on your health and vitality. Pick a simple, fiveminute regime that works the muscles in your abdominals, legs, arms, waist and bottom, and then write the number of repetitions you achieved in each box. You’ll be amazed by how quickly that total rises.

FITNESS We should be aiming for 150 minutes of moderate activity (brisk walking) or 75 minutes of vigorous activity (jogging) every week. Spread this across your week and record the number of minutes spent each day here.

GROWTH TIME To keep your brain young, keep it challenged. Practise a musical instrument, learn a language, take up a stimulating hobby, meet up with old friends. Mark the box to indicate whether you achieve ten minutes a day.

MINDFULNESS Find five minutes each day to sit still (eyes shut, phone off) and focus on your breathing. This gives your body and brain a little ‘down time’, so you can relax, take stock and clear out any stress hormones. Tick the box every day you achieve this and aim to make it a daily habit for life.

SCREEN TIME

The more TV you watch, the unhealthier you’ll be. It’s a sedentary behaviour that wastes hours when you could be doing something healthy. It’s the same for phones, laptops and tablets. Record how much leisure time (not work time) you spend in front of a screen here. Aim to cut down and have one TV-free day each week if you can.