Your physical health is one of the most important aspects of your overall well being. If your mental health is the ‘engine’ your physical health IS the car!

Did you know the TU Dublin students can access the Student Health Centre on their campuses? You can make an appointment with the nurse for free and on some campuses see a doctor at a reduced cost.

Click for information on the Medical Health Centres in: Tallaght , City , Blanchardstown

Nobody is expecting you to go out and become the world's fittest or most active person but for most of us, apparently we’ve lost well over an hour of active movement since the changes in lifestyles that came with lockdown on March 13th this year.

Small changes can make a big difference if implemented into our daily lifestyles.
 

Here are some suggestions we hope could be easily take up and brought into your daily routine without much inconvenience:
 

• Stand don’t sit (if possible) - Most of us have increased time on the screens be it for work, study or downtime (be real how many box sets have you gone through?!) - this means increased time sitting in front of a screen. If you can stand instead of sitting for even 5-10 minutes out of each hour you are online it is better for your physical health. Or as per Irish Heart foundations guidelines, stand up and get active for 1 minute each hour.

• Be Snack Aware! - That’s right we’ve all been snacking a bit more during our increased screen time. More cups of tea means more biscuit!. Fizzy drinks! Crisps! Chocolate! Oh how we love to indulge! But, sometimes we aren't even aware of how much we are snacking between meals, especially if spending more time at home. An easy way to combat this is to pre plan your snacks. Literally just a lunchbox or bag put together the night before with a set number of snacks you can choose from can limit the number of times we go wandering to the fridge or press. It can also make you more aware of the kind of things you are snacking on. Which leads to the next suggestion, 

• Snackright! be snack aware. - Make one change to what you snack on, substitute crisps for nuts / dried fruit for the crunch fix, substitute a fizzy drink for water etc. You might think because your weight is healthy that you can snack on whatever you like, (you can nobody is stopping you!) but whilst we can see physical changes to our bodies we can’t see what’s going on inside. The unhealthy stuff we snack on could contribute to high cholesterol and other issues. Be snack conscious, be snack wise, make one change and work from there.

• Get more active - Health officials recommend 30 minutes a day for five days, or 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity exercise. That’s a fact. And, we don’t disagree. However, we do understand this may seem daunting or undoable to some people. What we suggest is start simple and do what YOU CAN DO. Don’t think “I need to get healthy so I need to go run 10k” because that’s just not going to work and it will demotivate you. Start with simple and achievable goals. Go for a walk for 10-30 minutes depending on what you can personally manage. As you implement this into your routine it WILL get easier and who knows you could be running that 10k sooner than you think!

• On yer Bike! - Cycling is a fun way to get fit and healthy. You may already have a bike but if not did you know, if you are working many employers offer a “Bike to work” scheme which can be used to purchase a bike and equipment. If not you can find good offers on buy & sell sites on second hand* bikes, and many local bike shops also offer this. Cycling can be a healthy alternative to public transport or can just get you out of the house being active for a while.

* Be cautious when buying 2nd hand bikes from people as they may be stolen. Please do your research, always try to meet the person at their house, maybe ask for a glass of water as proof they have access to the house they meet you at.

Increasing your physical health can have really positive impacts on your overall well being, and can really increase positive mental health.
For loads more information and advice on physical health click here.