IF you made new year’s resolutions this year and you’re still going – well done!
But if your grand plans to transform your diet and exercise regime for 2023 are beginning to fall apart don’t feel bad about it – it’s normal.
Dr Zoe Williams answers some common questions sent in by readers
The more dramatic the change, the shorter it tends to last. So instead, think about making it more achievable or changing to small sustainable changes you can make.
Could you add an extra portion of veg to your main meal? Or could you take a brisk 25-minute walk a day? That will see you pass the NHS exercise guideline of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week without having to think about it!
Here’s what readers have been asking me this week…
Q) I WORK night shifts and my eating is really erratic.
I finish really late and am always starving, but hate eating before bed. How can I eat better around my job?
A) There has been lots of research into the health implications of shift work, and working in that way has been found to change the way our body uses food.
Our natural body clock — or circadian rhythm as it’s known — means we’re used to resting at night so our bodies burn energy slower than during the day, which is proposed as one of the reasons shift workers may be at a higher risk of weight gain and type 2 diabetes.
Shift workers tend to skip meals and eat at unconventional times too — exactly as you say you do — and research has also found shift workers are likely to make less healthy food choices than those that have a more regular work pattern.
As someone who experienced this first hand for many years as a hospital doctor, I can totally empathise. The year I worked in A&E I was the heaviest I have ever been.
The good news is though, once you have an awareness of all this, there’s lots you can do, but it will take some effort and planning.
Before your shift, try to have a filling and balanced meal with lots of fibre and lean protein. If that’s a breakfast, maybe something like eggs on wholemeal toast or if it’s lunch or dinner, maybe a chicken breast with a big grain salad.
You can also prep food when you’re not working, for when you are. A big box of roasted vegetables in the fridge can be eaten in salads, pastas, mixed with grains or eaten as a side with proteins like chicken or fish.
If you have something ready when you finish, you’re less likely to make unhealthy food choices too, so make the freezer your friend and fill it with lots of comforting meals — things like chilli and stews.
Keep a snack pack with you at work too, with nuts, fruit or veggies with hummus and make sure you have a water bottle with you so you’re less tempted by fizzy drinks.
You don’t say what food you have access to during your shift, but if you can, it’s best to take your own.
Try chatting with your colleagues too, if your co-workers feel the same, you could try to start a company initiative so you are all working together to make better choices.
It’s not an easy fix, habits can be hard to break, but planning and making sure your food is still interesting and something you want to eat will definitely help.
Q) I GET pain around the urethra and a cystitis-type feeling 24 to 48 hours after intercourse every time. Why?
The best way to prevent this is to pass urine soon after sex.
Urinary tract infections, UTIs as they’re known, are usually caused by bacteria from our poo, which has managed to get into the urethra — the tube we pee out of — and then into the bladder.
In women, the urethral opening is between the inner lips of the vulva, below the clitoris and above the vagina opening, so it is close to the anus.
The male urethra opens by the tip of the penis, so much further away, hence why UTIs are far more common in women than men. There are billions of bacteria in every gram of poo, and it’s usually a type called E. coli that causes UTIs.
It only takes a few live ones to make it into the urethra to put us at risk of an infection.
It is always recommended to wipe from front to back after going to the toilet, as this habit decreases the risk of bringing E. coli from the anus to the urethra.
During sex it is highly likely some bacteria will get moved from the anus to the urethra, so having a pee straight after will flush the bugs out of the urethra before they have time to cause any infection.
IN Sun Health last week Dr Zoe answered a question about treatment for skin condition psoriasis and we had readers get in touch with their tips for fellow sufferers. One reader said: “I have had excellent results with Exorex lotion, I hope this helps!” And another added: “I had psoriasis a few years ago and then I found a solution: I put coconut oil on my skin and the psoriasis has now vanished – I tried everything until this!”
Painful knee still not fixed
Q) I INJURED my knee nine months ago. I was given pain medication by the doctor and went to physio.
I am a keen runner but even now I get severe pain to the inside of the knee if I try to run.
I can walk pain-free but still get the odd twinge. I’m a 54-year-old man. What can I do?
A) It sounds to me as though you would benefit from some further physiotherapy. Initially to assess in depth what is the cause of the knee pain, and then to advise regarding what exercises will help resolve the issue.
While it could be directly related to the original knee injury, it could also be due to deconditioning of the leg muscles because of the injury.
We all start to naturally lose muscle mass from our 30s. We can maintain and even increase our muscle mass with exercise, but a period of injury, for most of us, means that strength and muscle bulk can reduce.
The muscles in the front of the thigh insert into different parts of the knee, so pain can be felt at these insertion points.
It may be that a period of strengthening exercises for the legs, or even something like spinning could be the thing to get you back into your running shoes, and a good physio will be able to support you with this.
In the meantime you could look up exercises for knee pain at the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy website, csp.org.uk.