WAYS TO LIVE WELL CURB THE CRAVINGS
tes and support . “Workplaces fits to staff without – and it doesn’t boss.Teams can or introduce meetings.There are lots of options to take away [from the series] and apply to work and family life.” Hugh and Steph, guided by Dr Zoe, also set out to combat their own ailments.
For Steph, who announced her pregnancy during filming (she gave birth in November), this included getting to the bottom of her dodgy stomach by improving gut health, trying belly dancing to strengthen her pelvic floor muscles and embracing “forest bathing” to switch off.
Hugh was given his own approach to tackling stress – cold water therapy.
“It’s interpreted as shocking your system in a way that’s controlled so you know you’re not going to come to any harm but by stressing your body that way on a regular basis, your ability to cope with unexpected stresses improves.And to some level, that’s working for me,” he says – and he’s not missed this new daily ritual since filming the episode a year ago.
“I have a hot shower then press it to cold and brace myself. Every day, it’s an absolute shocker and I wonder what I’m doing, but then I’m not ready to get out for about three minutes. It’s a buzz. I feel incredibly invigorated by it, and I know I’ll have a cold shower every day for the rest of my life.
I’m hooked.”
Hugh, who is increasingly worried about mental sharpness, also tried knitting to improve his memory.
“It seemed an odd one at first but it does make sense.Almost any new skill that’s sufficiently challenging has the capacity to create new neural pathways in your brain, called neural plasticity.
“If you continue to stimulate your brain in new ways, it’s like a new exercise you’ve never done before. I’m still pretty rubbish at knitting but I have kept it up.”
The same can’t be said for his third and final challenge – strength training. Lifting weights for less than an hour a week has shown to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke by up to 70 per cent per cent, but Hugh would rather go jogging. “If the weather’s disgusting, I might do some lunges and squat thrusts, but I much prefer jogging along a country road, enjoying the scenery. I know strength training does me good and I totally get that it strengthens muscles as you age but I’m finding it hard to stick to.And I’m realistic about that in the show.”
But recognising an issue means you’re
DR MARINA ARULANANDAM, one of the practice partners at Llandaff Surgery in Cardiff, reveals what impact the programme had on their snacking habits.
“One of the ways our patients say thank you is with chocolates and biscuits, so there are always lots of unhealthy snacks, but when they saw the secret camera footage I think the staff were really surprised by how much they dipped into the chocolates.
“We were divided into two groups, which added a bit of healthy competition. I was in Hugh’s group where we were given peppermint tea and toothpaste and peppermint oil to sniff whenever we felt the urge to snack.
“Steph’s group’s unhealthy snacks were put in a drawer and they had to undo three padlocks to get to them. After eight weeks, we really noticed a difference – the girls weren’t that keen on eating chocolates and biscuits, and my practice manager would bring in fruit so there was an option.
“A year on, I don’t go into reception and find there are boxes of chocolates like there used to be. I think it’s our mindset that’s changed.
“The peppermint and padlocks acted as aids to prompt us to think about what we were doing so we weren’t just mindlessly snacking. It’s been very positive.” on the right track, even if you don’t try to resolve it immediately, and Hugh says we shouldn’t we be too hard on ourselves.
“Don’t try everything all at once. Pick a couple of things that are achievable, and find people to do it with if you can. Just set aside time for yourself.
“Self-care is important, and in a way that’s at the heart of these programmes.”
Words: SUSAN GRIFFIN