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Notts Health & Care

Nottingham News, Notts Health & Care

Let’s face it: there is a huge amount of information online about how to shed the pounds and get in shape. Wading into this endless stream of advice can be both confusing and overwhelming. And, when you take into account the new fads that seemingly pop up every day, the situation only becomes more dire.

After all, who can keep up with all the raw food plans, prepackaged menus, and liquid cleanses that are constantly promoted in our social feeds?
The main problem with these very restrictive diets is that they only lead to short-term weight loss at best. That’s because most people cannot maintain them consistently and end up giving up after a couple of weeks. Losing 10 pounds a week on a fad diet may seem tempting, but it often results in unhealthy and unsustainable weight loss.

The real secret to healthy and successful weight loss is to adopt a lifestyle that you can maintain for the long run. This involves changing your diet, following a regular workout schedule, and taking the right supplements for your body’s needs. With that in mind, here are 5 other tips to help you achieve your weight and fitness goals:

Eat Better at Breakfast
While all meals are important, breakfast is the most crucial one of all. That’s because it helps you start your days on the right track. A hearty, healthy breakfast will fill you up and give you optimal satisfaction for longer periods of time. Your goal should be to eat between 400 to 500 calories at breakfast. Build a meal that includes lean proteins (nuts or eggs), fibers (fruits or vegetables), and whole grains.

Say Goodbye to Added Sugar
The main reason for most lifestyle diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease is added sugars – especially from sugary beverages and soft drinks. Processed foods in general contain a lot of added sugars and do not provide any of the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy. Instead, jump on Nutribullet bandwagon and replace sugary drinks with healthier, green smoothie options. For most people, the fastest way to lose excess weight is simply by cutting out foods that are high in added sugars from their diet. Keep in mind that many “organic” or “healthy” foods can also have very high sugar content, so reading labels should be a regular part of your shopping process.

Start Lifting Weights
While changing your diet can help you lose a lot of weight fast, nothing beats keeping your body fit with regular exercise. Your best option is to visit the gym at least three or four times a week, doing some warm up, and lifting some weights.

This form of exercise is ideal because it helps you burn off a lot of calories. It also keeps your metabolism from slowing down – a typical side effect of weight loss. You can also speed this process up with a fat burning supplement such as the range available at www.myelitehealth.co.uk.
If lifting weights isn’t your cup of tea, then look for workout plans such as the massively popular Joe Wicks workout to get you moving in the comfort of your own home.

Cook More
Did you know that research shows that cooking more meals at home can promote healthy eating and weight loss? Eating out is fun, but it should not be your daily go-to. Instead, save the restaurants for special occasions and start eating more home-cooked meals.

This is a great way of sticking to your healthy diet plan and keeping your weight in check.

Nottingham News, Notts Health & Care

Rushcliffe Borough Council has been accredited as ‘working towards dementia friendly’ by the Alzheimer’s Society in recognition of the authority’s work to support residents, their carers and families to live well with dementia.

The accreditation acknowledges the range of events, activities and campaigns the authority has delivered over the last 12 months to help improve the lifestyles of those living with the condition across the Borough and ensure they are able to live life to the fullest.

Alongside key partners Rushcliffe Clinical Commissioning Group and leisure contractors Lex Leisure, this has included Dementia Friendly swimming sessions, Dementia Friends chat sessions and the delivery of the Rushcliffe Memory Walk, which raised over £3,000 for the charity.
Rushcliffe Borough Council’s Executive Manager for Communities Dave Mitchell is keen to emphasise the authority’s ongoing commitment to supporting residents to live well with dementia.

He said: “Dementia represents a significant health and social care challenge both nationally and locally here in Rushcliffe, with an estimated one per cent of our residents diagnosed with the condition, increasing to five per cent for those aged 65 and over. “As a council, we want to ensure our services are dementia friendly so that we can continue to support our invaluable volunteers and key partners who help residents, their carers and families to live well with dementia.

“This work continues with our next event later this month in aid of Dementia Action Week, in partnership with the Nottinghamshire Dementia Action Alliance.” The free event, ‘Taking Action on Dementia’ takes place on Friday May 24 between 10am and 2pm at Rushcliffe Arena in West Bridgford. To find out more about the event and reserve your place, visit the event’s page here: https://bit.ly/2Z1Ct5v
Attendees are encouraged to use public transport wherever possible.

Nottingham News, Notts Health & Care

Lexy Walton-Godfrey, 29, from Nottingham made a New Year’s resolution to take part in her first ever Resolution Run in aid of the Stroke Association on Sunday 5 May at Markeaton Park in Derby. She made the decision to sign up after having a stroke, just 17 days after giving birth to her new daughter. Lexy had her stroke in March this year and was left with Aphasia, problems with swallowing and short term memory loss among other cognitive problems.

Lexy said: “I am proud to be running in the Resolution Run as a stroke survivor. Having a stroke completely turned my life upside down. My husband and two daughters, one of who was only 17 days old at the time, had had a lovely day together when I had the most intense feeling ever. It felt like a huge magnet was pulling me down to the floor and I had an excruciating pain in the right hand side of my head.”
“My husband noticed me and I was trying to shout ‘help me’ but no words would come out. After being rushed to hospital, doctors could only point to my C-section as a risk factor. Following my stroke I became quiet and reluctant to speak to people. I was embarrassed because my speech was slurred and I couldn’t say certain words. Stroke fatigue has also been hard to deal with, especially with two young girls to care for too”. Lexy now feels lucky to be alive and wants to thank the Stroke Association for their support.

She continued: “Following my stroke, I don’t feel angry, I feel calm and extremely grateful for everything I have. I feel lucky to be here and able watch my daughters grow into beautiful strong women. I’m also lucky that I have a husband who has been my rock through all of this” “I wanted to raise money for the Stroke Association, who helped me through some dark times and to raise awareness among my peers and new mums. If I can help just one person, I will be happy. I will be running the 5K with my six year old daughter and my best friend and her child too”

Lucy Burnip, Community and Events Fundraiser at the Stroke Association said: “A Resolution Run is exactly that – a resolution for the New Year that counts. It’s the ideal event for people in the area who want to do something fun together, while getting more active in 2019. “In the UK there are around 100,000 strokes every year. Our latest research (i) shows that by training and taking part in a Resolution Run, you are helping to lower your stroke risk. The funds raised by each runner means we can reach out to more stroke survivors and their families to offer the support that they may need to rebuild their lives. On behalf of the thousands of stroke survivors and their loved ones that we support every year, I just want to say thank you.” “Research from the charity shows that many strokes could be prevented if people made some simple lifestyle changes.

Introducing physical activity into your routine is just one aspect of a healthier lifestyle required to reduce your risk of stroke. Monitoring (and managing) your blood pressure, eating a more balanced diet and stopping smoking can all significantly reduce your stroke risk.
The money raised through the Resolution Run in Derby will help the Stroke Association to fund vital research and support people affected by stroke in the region.”

Last year participants raised over £633,000 for the Stroke Association This year the charity hopes to raise over £850,000 to continue supporting stroke survivors and their families throughout the UK. Entry fee is just £16. All runners receive a technical running t-shirt and medal. For more information about entering or volunteering at the Resolution Run, visit www.resolutionrun.org.ukemail resolution@stroke.org.uk or call 0300 330 0740.

Nottingham News, Notts Health & Care

We cannot open a magazine these days without reading about yoga; but why all the fuss and what’s it all about?

Yoga is an Indian philosophy that dates back thousands of years. The Sanskrit word yoga means unite and it was practised to create the union of the physical body, mind and spirit in order to reach enlightenment. Different paths of yoga were created in order to reach this state. One of these paths was called Hatha yoga and its purpose was to develop the body in preparation for further spiritual practice. These days, particularly in the west, we practice Hatha yoga. Classes largely focus on health and fitness but still with attention on how we feel in both our bodies and minds. This is achieved using physical exercises (asana), breathing exercises (pranayama), meditation and relaxation.

Yoga really is for everyone and teachers are taught to be inclusive and modify postures to suit the needs of individuals. However, classes are available for different abilities.

If you have mobility issues, you can try yoga in a chair or a gentle yoga class. Some classes specialise in teaching children and also senior citizens. At the other end of the scale, Ashtanga yoga is a more physically challenging, fast flowing yoga. Yoga is also not meant to be competitive and students are encouraged to listen to their bodies.

The benefits of yoga are immense. It helps us to relax, release tension from our bodies and to deal with stress. It gives us energy, makes us stronger and more supple. It can also complement other forms of exercise, by using the muscles in a different way. Yoga is often recom-mended to alleviate physical symptoms of certain health conditions. If you are looking for a class suitable for your needs, local publications and websites such as www.localyogaclasse.co.uk, list classes in your area. For further information contact Jackie Hart at jemyoga7@gmail Tel 0781 667 9919.

Nottingham News, Notts Health & Care

A team of 20 women and men from the Sawley Slimming World group have pledged to put their best steps forward in the Treetops Hospice Care sponsored Starlight Strut on Friday 17 May.

This will be the second year running the ‘Sawley Slimmer’s’ have taken part in the sponsored 5k and 10k walk which starts and ends at intu Derby. To celebrate its tenth year, the Starlight Strut will have a carnival-theme and is open to men, women and children to take part, Treetops, based in Risley, Derbyshire provides nursing care and emotional support for adults and their families in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Jo Thompson, the group’s consultant, said:

“For us, the walk is a way of doing something good as well as bonding the group and promoting being healthier – something we actively promote as part of the Slimming World message. We’ve all started to build up our walking and most of us are aiming to complete the 10k route. “There’s always such a good atmosphere on the night and it’s really well organised. You can often end up walking with people that you don’t know and everyone is always friendly.

Amongst the Sawley Slimmer’s team is Emma Tyler, 39yrs from Long Eaton who took part in the Starlight strut for the first time last year. Both Emma’s parents received support from Treetops as she explained:
“I’ve always been proud of supporting Treetops – it’s a place that’s special to us. My dad had MS and he went there for respite for quite a long time. He really enjoyed going and it also gave my mum some time as well which was nice.

“My mum went to the carers’ meetings and after my dad died, she started volunteering on the hospice reception hospice. “It’s nice to be able to do something to say thank you for supporting our family and taking such good care of them.” Lorraine Ray, events fundraising lead at Treetops said: “It’s great that the team are keen to get involved again and raise money for the charity. We always get fantastic feedback about how much fun the Starlight Strut is from everyone who takes part, from the walkers themselves and from all the volunteer marshals.

“We’re aiming to encourage over 600 men, women and children to sign up this year and help us raise valuable funds so we can continue to support local people and their families.” Those interested in signing up for the Starlight Strut can register online at www.starlightstrut.com.

Treetops current services include Support and Information, Wellbeing Space, Hospice at Home nurses and Therapeutic Services including counselling, art therapy and complementary therapy.

Nottingham News, Notts Health & Care

Evidence suggests there are five steps we can all take to improve our mental wellbeing. If you give them a try, you may feel happier, more positive and able to get the most from life.

What is mental wellbeing?
Sarah Stewart-Brown, professor of public health at the University of Warwick and a wellbeing expert, says: “Feeling happy is a part of mental wellbeing. But it’s far from the whole.
“Feelings of contentment, enjoyment, confidence and engagement with the world are all a part of mental wellbeing. Self-esteem and self-confidence are, too.

“So is a feeling that you can do the things you want to do. And so are good relationships, which bring joy to you and those around you.
“Of course, good mental wellbeing does not mean that you never experience feelings or situations that you find difficult,” says Professor Stewart-Brown. “But it does mean that you feel you have the resilience to cope when times are tougher than usual.”

It can help to think about “being well” as something you do, rather than something you are. The more you put in, the more you are likely to get out.
“No-one can give wellbeing to you. It’s you who has to take action,” says Professor Stewart-Brown.

Five steps to mental wellbeing
Below are five things that, according to research, can really help to boost our mental wellbeing:
• Connect – connect with the people around you: your family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. Spend time developing these relationships. Learn more in Connect for mental wellbeing.
• Be active – you don’t have to go to the gym. Take a walk, go cycling or play a game of football. Find an activity that you enjoy and make it a part of your life. Learn more in Get active for mental wellbeing.
• Keep learning – learning new skills can give you a sense of achievement and a new confidence. So why not sign up for that cooking course, start learning to play a musical instrument, or figure out how to fix your bike? Find out more in Learn for mental wellbeing.
• Give to others – even the smallest act can count, whether it’s a smile, a thank you or a kind word. Larger acts, such as volunteering at your local community centre, can improve your mental wellbeing and help you build new social networks. Learn more in Give for mental wellbeing.
• Be mindful – be more aware of the present moment, including your thoughts and feelings, your body and the world around you. Some people call this awareness “mindfulness”. It can positively change the way you feel about life and how you approach challenges. Learn more in Mindfulness for mental wellbeing.

Nottingham News, Notts Health & Care

Whether it’s lunch with work colleagues or an evening celebrating with friends, most of us tend to eat less healthily when we eat in restaurants, pubs and cafes. Senior Dietitian Victoria Taylor offers her tips for eating out without overdoing it.Believe it or not, it is possible to eat, drink and be merry without overdoing it. Here are my tips for having a good time while keeping an eye on your waistline and good health.

  1. How often are you eating out?
    A one-off meal out probably won’t make any difference to your health in the grand scheme of things, so enjoy it. However, if it’s one of many, consider carefully how it fits into your overall diet. This could mean having a lighter meal in the evening, like soup or a sandwich, if you had a big meal earlier in the day. Or you could choose the healthiest menu options to make the meal fit into your normal diet, rather than just going for your favourites.
  2. Check what’s on the menu
    Don’t be afraid to ask the restaurant to adapt dishes
    One of the best ways to ensure you make healthy choices when eating out is to check the menu before you arrive, whether online or in person. It means you can choose your meal without others influencing you. Many larger restaurant chains offer nutritional information online.
  3. How many courses?
    The tendency when we eat out is to have more than we would at home. Sticking to just one course once you see what everyone else is having is hard. Decide before you begin if you are going to have a starter or a dessert, and which one you’ll find easier to decline. Having a coffee or cup of tea while others have a pudding is a good way to round off a meal, or you could share a pudding with others.
  4. Adapt your dishes
    Don’t be afraid to ask the restaurant to adapt dishes. It’s not usually a problem to replace chips with a jacket potato, salad or vegetables. You can also ask for no extra cheese, butter or oil, and to put sauces in a dish on the side.
  5. Portion control
    A small portion of saladIt can be easy to eat more than you intended when eating out. If you don’t want to feel too stuffed, consider a starter (perhaps with a side order of vegetables), instead of a main course, or ask for a smaller portion.
  6. Keep it lean
    Choose dishes which are based on lean proteins like chicken or turkey (where you can remove the skin) or lean red meats like fillet of pork or beef. Avoid fattier cuts of meat like belly pork or rump steak and remove any visible fat like the fat around the edge of a chop. Watch out for battered and deep fried dishes – even if the contents are lean (like chicken, fish, tofu or vegetables) the coating means they will come with lots of extra fat and calories.
  7. A bit on the side
    Having a coffee or cup of tea while others have a pudding is a good way to round off a meal. Having a good helping of vegetables with your meal will add vitamins, minerals and fibre and help you towards your five a day, but beware vegetables that come with added butter, cheese sauce or salt. Ask the server for more information and see if there are any healthier alternatives.
  8. Be drink aware
    Keeping alcoholic drinks within the guidelines is important, particularly if you are going to be socialising more than usual. Try not to exceed the recommended 2–3 units a day for women and 3–4 for men. Don’t forget the calories that drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, can add. If you can, choose sugar-free drinks or water, and alternate these with any alcoholic drinks you are having.
  9. Entertain at home
    A dinner partyWe all enjoy eating out sometimes, but have you considered inviting family or friends round for a meal? That way you can control what’s on the menu, and it’s often cheaper, too. Ask your guests to bring a dish if you don’t want to be overwhelmed by cooking, although don’t forget to let them know if you want them to bring a healthier option.
  10. Fancy a nibble?
    Nibbles are always a very tempting option. It’s fine to indulge in a shortbread biscuit, or a chocolate sweet, but sticking to a regular pattern of meals and snacks will help to make sure you aren’t hungry between meals and help maintain your willpower.
Nottingham News, Notts Health & Care

A large clinical trial involving around 40 hospitals in the UK is to investigate the best way to feed babies who are born between 10 and 7 weeks prematurely. The £1.6 million NIHR-funded study will test two methods of feeding these premature babies to gather evidence on whether introducing milk at the earliest opportunity could benefit both the baby and their family.

The FEED1 trial is led by neonatal experts at the University of Nottingham and University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust (UHDB) with support from Bliss, the leading charity for babies born premature or sick. The research will be managed by the Nottingham Clinical Trials Unit and will involve around 2,000 babies born between 30 and 33 weeks and their parents over the next 4½ years. Around 8% of babies in the UK are born prematurely and of these 12% are born between 30 and 33 weeks into the pregnancy. Currently most premature babies are fed through a drip into a vein and when stable are only given small amounts of milk by a feeding tube into their stomach. The milk is slowly increased until they are fully milk fed.

Neonatal doctors have traditionally been wary of feeding premature babies with full milk straight after birth because of a potentially life-threatening gut condition called necrotising enterocolitis (NEC). Previous evidence suggests that in babies who are in a stable condition, larger milk feeds can be successfully given within 48 hours of birth without increasing the risk of NEC and this could reduce the risk of severe infection.

Leading the work, Dr Shalini Ojha, Associate Professor of Neonatology at the University of Nottingham and Neonatal Consultant at UHDB, said: “We want to find out if babies born between 30 and 33 weeks can be safely fully milk fed from the day they are born and if avoiding giving them fluids through a drip (intravenously) can reduce infections and help them go home sooner. We also aim to help mothers to start expressing breast milk as soon as possible after the birth. We will give this milk to the baby first and then give extra milk if needed. The type of milk we use will be the mother’s decision with staff guidance, but any mother’s breast milk will always be given first.”

“We also want to gather more robust evidence about the risk of infection and gut problems in babies who have earlier milk feeding. Simultaneously, we will find out more about parents’ feelings about how their baby is fed and the impact of premature birth on breast-feeding.
The impact of this early milk feeding for premature babies on how neonatal services are delivered and the cost of care will also be explored in collaboration with health economists at the University of Warwick.”
Introducing milk feeds earlier in this group of babies who are relatively stable could have many benefits including the nutrients and protective antibodies of breast milk, as well as allowing closer bonding that comes with near-immediate contact and care from the parents. It could mean the families can be reunited sooner and it may reduce the demand for neonatal cots which are in short supply.

Parents who agree for their babies to be included in the research and who fall into the gestation category will either receive normal feeding intravenously from birth and gradual introduction of milk feeds at a later stage, or to receive milk feeds via a feeding tube into their tummies from birth. In order for the clinical trial to be a fair test, neither parents or doctors will be able to choose which method of feeding their baby receives – instead this will be chosen at random by a computer.
The amount of milk given will be increased over a few days and the babies in this group will get all of their fluids as milk, unless they are struggling with this and showing signs of sickness.

Caroline Lee-Davey, Chief Executive of the premature and sick baby charity Bliss, said: “We are thrilled to be supporting this pioneering research. We hope this study will provide further evidence about the best approach to feeding premature babies born between 30 and 33 weeks, to improve outcomes for these most vulnerable babies.”

The research team also includes parents who have had premature babies, like Charlotte Kenyon from Nottingham, who said: “I had a baby at 31 weeks and think that research trials like this are so important. I’m both proud and pleased to be involved especially if it helps another baby. As a parent being part of something like this means that we are thought about and listened to, research isn’t just about the science.”

The FEED1 trial also involves teams at the Dalhousie University Nova Scotia, Canada, University of York, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Imperial College London, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Warwick.

Nottingham News, Notts Health & Care

Academics and local business owners have launched a new research project to ease fear and anxiety around childbirth for parents to be. Innovative new research being conducted at the University of Nottingham is investigating the effects of a ‘Fearless Birthing programme’on the emotions experienced by people during pregnancy.This online, self-paced course was created to give people the power to change negative ways of thinking, clear any fears they have about pregnancy and birth, and emotionally prepare themselves for birth.

Confidence to clear fear
With funding from the University of Nottingham’s ‘Enabling Innovation’ project, Dr Megan Barnard from the School of Psychologyand Dr Sian Masson from the School of Chemistryare working in collaboration with Alexia Leachman, founder of the Fearless Birthing programme. They are testing the effectiveness of the programme by monitoring the emotional feelings of those in the second trimester of their pregnancy. The researchers believe that this programme has the potential to give people the confidence to clear their fear during pregnancy and childbirth. Alexia Leachman, founder of the programme, says that the techniques of fear clearance are now being taught to healthcare professionals: “I’m thrilled to be training midwives and doulas in the fear clearance technique so there will be more Fearless Birthing Professionals available to support pregnant women soon.” Additionally, Leachman praised the programme for its ability to tackle tokophobia, the extreme fear of pregnancy and birth, which affects around 14% of women: “Last month, a pregnant woman, Milena, from London was able to overcome her tokophobia in three weeks using the technique”. Milena, who is 30 weeks pregnant said: “I dived into very challenging yet satisfying work, desperate for at least some respite from being tokophobic. The pre-recorded clearance meditations shook me to the depth of my being, left me soaked in tears and absolutely exhausted as the toxic emotions were leaving my body, yet brought immediate relief and clarity. I now feel that I am the mother my baby needs me to be – strong, resilient, positive and, above all, caring and loving.”

Solving real-world issues
Dr Megan Barnard, the Principal Investigator for the project, emphasised the benefits of working with external collaborators: “I am really excited to be working in collaboration with Alexia and Sian on this project. By collaborating with local companies, we are able to use our academic expertise to solve real-world issues and make a difference to people’s wellbeing. In this case, it feels great to help parents-to-be overcome their fears and worries, and I’m thankful to the University of Nottingham for providing the funding through the ‘Enabling Innovation’ project.”

Enabling Innovation is a £20m programme jointly delivered by the Universities of Nottingham, Derby and Nottingham Trent, which has provided over 16,000 hours of support to small and medium-sized businesses in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire since April 2016. The programme is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and offers free or subsidised access to academic expertise,student placements, workshops and technical support. This research is currently ongoing. To find out more information about it, or if you are interested in taking part, please contact Principal Investigator Dr. Megan Barnard (Megan.Barnard1@nottingham.ac.uk).

Nottingham News, Notts Health & Care

A new study by mental health experts has found that easy-access, remotely-delivered psychological treatment can significantly reduce extreme health anxiety in people who repeatedly go to the doctor, or hospital emergency departments. The researchers from the University of Nottingham’s Institute of Mental Health and NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) East Midlands* carried out a multi-centre trial to compare the effects of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) delivered by phone or video calling, to standard treatment via their GP and the mental health referral system.

The NIHR-funded study found that the randomly selected group of patients who received sessions of remote CBT via telephone or online video calling had markedly reduced health anxiety in the 12 months after the start of this treatment and the cost savings to the NHS were more than £1,000 per patient. The results, published in BMC Medicine, also show that general anxiety and depression in these patients improved over the same period, as did their overall health.