This is the first of our new quarterly Health and Wellness section.
Spring is here (allegedly) and as the seasons change it’s time to move up a gear health wise with some warmer weather. Motivation always improves with longer days.
As you move more, your diet may hopefully shift to lighter meals with leafy greens and fresh fruit – aim for a minimum five-plus a day of fruit and veg. If winter has kept you by the fire, dust off your comfy shoes and target at least 30 minutes of brisk walking daily – good for your heart and lungs. Farmers of course stay active year-round, but hopefully spring makes it less gruelling.
One way to introduce regular movement into your day, if you live in Martinborough village and have time, is to leave the car at home and walk or cycle. You’ll connect with fresh air and people (always good for our mental health), and you can reward yourself with a coffee in a peaceful square that may have fewer cars in it! If you have shopping to do, walk or cycle into town daily and buy a small amount – exercise with a purpose is always more rewarding! You’ll save on fuel and feel virtuous. Martinborough village is perfect for cycling: flat, sunny and compact. If people can cycle everywhere in the Netherlands, surely we can too. Before you get in the car, stop and think ‘do I need to drive?’
Some of us will be wearing fewer clothes (yes, I know some hard core folk wear shorts all the year round) and the sun is getting stronger. Dig out your broad brimmed hat – preferably with a neck protector – we see a lot of skin cancers on the head at
the practice. Having a bit of you cut off is neither pleasant nor cheap! Remember sunscreen does as much good keeping your skin young as any fancy expensive moisturiser.
If you’d rather use less sunblock, fine-weave long sleeves and trousers can protect your skin just as well. On farms or vineyards, this is easier than carrying sunblock and reapplying it every two or three hours. If you play sport and wear minimal clothing, choose a good SPF 50+ sunscreen that protects against UVA and UVB, and stock up when it’s on special.
Our high UV levels also increase the risk of cataracts, so wear good wrap-around sunglasses to protect your eyes.
None of this is rocket science, but we’ve been rugged up against the cold for what seems like for ever, so a reminder to eat healthily, keep moving and start the season with good sun habits, doesn’t do any harm.
Alison is an experienced (semi-retired) family doctor who lives on a lifestyle block with her husband, pet sheep and chickens. Alison’s GP experience included working with refugees and asylum seekers in the UK and loves sharing her opinions and ideas on being and staying healthy.
