From acupuncture, lifestyle seminars, ayurvedic cuisine and onboard spas and saunas, wellness is buoyant and has taken a liking for the high seas. The health cruise is here.

With a personal trainer for zero-gravity massage to guide you to fitness, while muscle and fat diagnostics help you achieve your health goals, the traditional boundaries of wellness have gradually gravitated towards voyages on the sea.

That said, since most cruise ships carry over 4,000 passengers and crew, staying healthy and fit for the duration of the voyage is not always an easy task.

Remember, a cruise ship is virtually a floating city where large numbers of people stay in close proximity, which increases the chances of infection spreading.

That is why it is important to design a wellness focused health cruise vacation that allows you to sail away into relaxation. Whilst at the same time staying committed to health and wellbeing in a state-of-the-art fitness-centre environment.

Read more: why the Maldives is a great choice in May

Choose an itinerary that is fitness-friendly

If you want to stay active and bursting with energy all the time, choose an itinerary that will allow you ways to keep up this practice. For example, a week in Alaska can stimulate fitness, as outdoor activities like dog sledding, kayaking or rock climbing can be enjoyed.

If you prefer a much milder approach, go on a Mediterranean cruise to experience natural wonders, breathtaking beaches and try a different sport each day like horse riding, windsurfing and hiking while on shore.

There are other excursions too that are designed for active cruisers such as a guided hike to the Pulpit Rock in Stavenger, Norway, or to go hiking up the dramatic limestone cliffs of Paklenica National Park in Croatia.

If you are a running fan, there are a number of fabulous urban and suburban hiking paths in Copenhagen around the Kasteller neighbourhood, or along the 17th century colourful waterfront in Barcelona, bordered by the city on one side and the Mediterranean on the other.

Wellness on the water

Take a few moments every day on your cruise to simply gaze at the ocean as there is something healing and energetic about looking at the waves and taking in the surrounding views. You can choose a comfortable spot on the deck or any of the sofas in the lounge.

Consider taking a late-night stroll around the deck before you retire for the night to watch the rays of the moon reflecting on the water for an extremely soothing visual effect. Or simply enjoy the views from your private balcony at sunrise.

Modern cruise ships come equipped with the latest state-of-the-art fitness centres to cater to your fitness routine while on the high seas for a high or low-impact body workout.

On select ships you will find indoor cycling equipment where you can pedal as hard as you want. Or you can put on headphones and join an instructor-guided, music focused workout.

Choose a Class Pass on your cruise to gain unlimited access to all the fitness classes if you want to try them all.

If you prefer something low-impact and soothing, there are a range of yoga and meditation classes available on most ships. Additionally, teachers can focus on breathing and relaxation exercises that place in the open on the deck in fresh air.

Wellness-focused cruises have sauna, steam rooms, sensory showers and heated lounge areas where you will find aromatic steam, salt healing, infrared saunas and the traditional Hammam for a Turkish inspired fitness experience.

Special diets

After an early morning workout or a sunrise run, savour some uplifting fresh juice at the ship’s cafe on your health cruise. A Mediterranean diet can also be arranged if you so please.

Here you can also try other delicious nutrient-packed juices of beet, carrot, apple or strawberry to energise you for the day ahead.

A lavish salad bar is in place at lunch and dinner from where you can create your own salad bowl of nuts, cheese, humus, roast chicken followed by a fruit plate or low-calories ice cream.

The onboard fitness professionals can also help by creating a personalised nutrition plan to cater to your needs. Contrary to what you may have imagined, a cruise is actually a great place to begin a new healthy eating regime as all the food planning and preparation is already in place for you.

Healthy cruising tips

Follow these tips to ensure the best healthy cruise ever:

• Sanitise all the common areas of your states as soon as you arrive. Use sanitised wipes on the door and balcony handles, toilet seats, taps, TV remote, and all light switches.
• Refrain from using the public bathrooms and return to your cabin if possible.
• Sanitise your hands after meals and if you encounter someone sick, inform the medical team immediately.
• On the buffet table, avoid using the service utensils and use the cutlery laid down instead.
• Above all, stay hydrated at all times, avoid excessive alcohol intake, and drink only bottled water.

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There is something enormously rewarding about rediscovering old pastimes. Particularly those that bring fresh air and movement back into your life. It’s time to think about hobbies that are going to get you outdoors again.

After a stretch of time spent indoors, thanks to dark evenings and single-figure temperatures, the clocks going backwards are pulling us towards the outdoors again. These brighter days, aside from being a warm welcome, have us thinking about our hobbies. It could be ones we once enjoyed but haven’t had a reason to make time for lately, partially due to busy schedules or the miserable weather.

Before you panic or look at buying a surfboard, outdoor hobbies do not have to be extreme sports! Going for regular walks to get some fresh air, spotting birds out in the wild, or even driving out to explore quiet coastal paths can all refresh your mind and body.

Thankfully, making space for these moments does not mean you need to start planning an elaborate weekend away. It’s about keeping things simple, enjoyable, and flexible, and here’s how:

Choosing the right hobby for the outdoors

What do you choose? As you look at hobbies to help you go outside more, you will notice that many easy-going activities naturally suit outdoor settings. Gardening, nature photography, sketching, or long walks (and hikes) are popular because they’re flexible and easy to begin.

The great advantage of these is that you don’t need to spend fortunes or have the perfect conditions. The best part? You can choose how active or relaxed you want to be.

What happens if you are still struggling to decide? Start by asking yourself what your interests are, or how much spare time you have.

For example, does going on long walks sound appealing? If so, try different routes like heritage trails or countryside loops on the weekend. If creativity calls for it, try sketching in parks or taking photos in different light conditions.

These different seasonal activities help to keep things varied and give you a hobby to enjoy regardless of the weather.

Preparing your kit for easier days out

If you have the right gear in an accessible place, getting outside will be simpler and, at times, quicker.

Set some space near your front door or inside your car. Here you can store your walking shoes or sketchbook. Implementing a grab-and-go system reduces hesitation and lets you head out whenever the opportunity comes up.

Alternatively, if your activity involves larger equipment, storage becomes even more important. This is why roof racks are a great investment, as they offer a practical way to carry things that don’t fit easily inside your car. It’s a straightforward way to create extra room and avoid overloading your boot. So don’t hesitate to consider a roof rack for your car.

Making room for hobbies in your weekly routine

Hobbies do not have to be time-consuming. They could be something you spend a few minutes or longer doing. If you struggle with fitting a hobby into your schedule in the week, you could set aside an hour or two at the weekend to enjoy your hobby.

Life can quickly fill up with tasks and other things, making it difficult to do the things you love. But if you set aside some time, your hobby becomes something you look forward to rather than a task you try to squeeze in.

A great way to do this is to link your hobby to moments that already exist in your routine, such as when you take a lunch break, read a book, or go on a short walk.

Keeping it simple helps you stay consistent without pressure. Repetition becomes part of your rhythm rather than a special event.

Keep the momentum going

One thing that often happens when making changes is staying motivated. As time passes, motivation levels start to dip as the initial excitement fades. This is normal, but what helps is to plan around it.

Mix up the days or the time of day you go out. Why not invite someone new to join you, or give yourself a small challenge? The simple act of switching things up can keep you connected to the reason you started.

Lastly, try to treat your hobby with care. For example, if your hobby is paddleboarding, try to store your gear properly, as it will help maintain it. Additionally, having the right setup, including easy storage and transport options like roof racks, means fewer barriers and more freedom to follow through.

Try something new this season

As you can see, outdoor hobbies provide a break from routine and let you engage with your surroundings in a way that’s active but relaxed.

So, what are you waiting for? Ask yourself: What could work for you this season? Turn your ideas into something that adds value to your days.

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Whether an accident at work or one of the 82 road traffic injuries that take place each day. Your next serious injury could have you worried about your future. The following steps are vital to recovering from injury.

Doctor’s orders

First and foremost, your recovery from a serious injury should be entirely guided by the orders you receive from medical professionals – be they hospital doctors, nursing staff, pharmacists or your local GP. You may be tasked with attending regular appointments to redress wounds or facilitate your rehabilitation, and you may be asked to take certain medications at certain times to help with side-effects or recovery. Follow each instruction more or less to the letter, and ensure your recovery isn’t impeded.

Time off work

Your doctor may also sign you off work with a fit note, mandating that you remain at home or off the clock for a specified period of time as you recover. It is vital that you follow the instructions of your fit note to the letter as well – and, if you don’t receive one immediately, to enquire with your doctor about receiving one.

There are multiple elements at play when it comes to taking time from work. For one, you may be physically unwell enough to carry out that which your work demands of you. For another, you may find the mental struggles of recovery too great to combine with the mental demands of the workplace. Long-term absence from work naturally brings financial concerns to the fore; however, in the event of a serious head injury that wasn’t your fault, your brain injury solicitor may be able to secure compensation that covers your lost wages amongst other costs.

Rehabilitation

The purpose of following orders, of taking time from work and of minimising the stress you experience in recovery is rehabilitation. Not only do you want time to rest and allow your injuries to heal. But you also want to do so in a sustainable way, while working to gain your pre-injury health. Or as close to it as you can manage. to help with recovering from injury.

A large part of rehabilitation, then, is physiotherapy. Physiotherapy is a targeted physical rehabilitation process. Specific movements and exercises enable you to retrain injured parts of the body. For more serious and complex injuries like brain injuries, your rehabilitation may be consequently more complex (potentially including other therapies designed to rebuild neuron connections in the brain).

Mental health

Recovery itself can be a draining process to go through, and a frustrating one if progress feels slow. This is why mental health is particularly important to safeguard as you chart a path to wellness. Reaching out to friends and family is key, as is opening up to your doctor if mental conditions worsen.

Lili Lowe

Lili works across all the channels; writing articles, taking photographs, creating content, and designing eye-capturing imagery. She’s an animal-lover who cries just seeing a picture of a baby sloth.

The post The best steps to take when recovering from injury appeared first on Silver Magazine.

As well as giving you the chance to get some vitamin D, which is great for your immune system, doing a hobby you enjoy triggers dopamine, the hormone that helps you feel motivated. In fact, the NHS has prescribed gardening as part of tits Long Term Plan since 2019, showcasing that the professionals believe in its health benefits. How can you create the perfect garden for retirement?

So, how can you create the perfect garden once you’ve retired?

Call in the experts

If your garden is a bit of a challenge, consider calling in the contractors to tackle the big tasks first. If there are trees that need clearing or landscaping to be done, it can be worth investing in the services of professionals who know where to start.

Additionally, you can add in decking or a patio to divide up a larger garden and make your outdoor space more manageable. Once you have everything in order, you can concentrate on making the space your own.

Grow your own

You could try growing your own produce. Whether you’re new to gardening or a pro, there are plenty of vegetables that are relatively easy to grow in your own patch. And it can be rewarding to tuck into the foods that you grow yourself.

Find a flat part of your garden so that your patch is level and make sure the plants get plenty of light. Also, check out the growing guides for each fruit and vegetable you plant as they will need different watering levels.

Plant new plants

Shrubs and hedges can form pretty, elegant borders in your garden. It’s worth starting with these big-ticket plants before going for smaller flowers so that you can work out your boundaries.

Keep everything neat with the right tools, too. A cordless edge trimmer for your shrubbery will keep them tidy, as well as hoes, rakes and shears being some of the essentials to invest in if you’re focusing on your garden now.

Choose outdoor furniture

Outdoor furniture can transform the space. If you’ve set up some decking or a patio, this a great area to place a sofa, some garden cushions and an outdoor table. This means you’re more likely to make the most of your outdoor space as you can sit in your garden and take in all your hard work.

What will you do with your garden?

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People are often concerned about having jabs. We’re not talking about the hardline anti-vaxxers out there, but many who sit in the middle, wondering if it’s okay, wondering if the cure is worse than the ill.

This has always been true particularly the flu jab, largely because of the mild symptoms that follow an innoculation. Old wives’ tales circulate wildly. Will it make them weaker, and therefore more susceptible to Covid? Will the flu vaccine actually give you a mild dose of flu? How does it work?

We spoke to Dr Deborah Lee to find out exactly how the flu vaccine works, and why you should have one…

It may seem illogical that being vaccinated against the influenza virus can also help protect you from the COVID-19 virus, but in fact there are several reasons why this seems to be the case.

How does the flu vaccine work?

A flu vaccine contains dead influenza virus. You cannot get the flu from having the vaccine.   The current flu vaccine contains four different strains of influenza. Your body recognises the proteins on the dead virus surface, called antigens, and mounts an antibody response.

This means if you encounter these influenza viruses, you will not develop the infections, as your new flu antibodies, will immediately counteract them.

Every year scientists calculate the degree of protection having a flu jab will give you. This year, the flu jab will reduce your chance of getting the flu by around 40%.

A flu jab may also give some protection from COVID-19 infection

The flu jab protects you from becoming infected with the influenza virus. But there is some evidence it may also give you some protection from infection by COVID-19.

…there is some evidence it may also give you some protection from infection by COVID-19

Virologists believe there are similarities between the way the influenza virus and the COVID-19 virus enter the cells of your body. This means the antibody response to the flu vaccination may also help prevent other viruses from infecting you.

Once the influenza vaccine stimulates an immune response, there is ‘cross-talk’ in the immune system, meaning white blood cells such as lymphocytes and neutrophils pass chemical messages. As a result, when any other invading organism appears, it is more quickly recognized, and the immune response is more robust. Hence, a flu jab primes the immune system for a COVID-19 attack.

If you are at risk from flu you will be more at risk from COVID-19

Influenza is a serious illness and can be fatal. However, COVID-19 is an even more serious infection, and the risk of dying from Covid infection is approximately three times higher. The risk factors for severe infection for both are the same.

In the UK, between January and August 2020, there were 394 deaths from influenza, compared to 48,168 deaths due to COVID-19, and 13,619 deaths from pneumonia (ONS)

The most serious risk would occur if you had flu and COVID-19 at the same time

There has been an exceptionally low number of cases of influenza this year so far, but even looking at the last 5-year averages, Covid has a death rate three times higher than influenza.

However, older people with chronic medical conditions, and a relatively weakened immune system, will be at increased risk from influenza. But even more at risk if they become infected with COVID-19.

In one 2019 study of 1,726 patients admitted to hospital with influenza, 595 patients (34.5%) required ITU admission, and 224 patients (13%) died. Older age was identified as a major risk factor for death.

In a previous study, only 16% of those admitted to ITU with influenza B had had a flu vaccination.

The most serious risk would occur if you had flu and COVID-19 at the same time.

Having flu and COVID-19 at the same time is likely to be even more serious for your health

In a paper published in September 2020, by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) the authors calculated the risk of death from coinfection – with both influenza and COVID-19. People with both infections were more than twice as likely to die compared to those who had COVID-19 alone.

For people admitted to ITU who needed mechanical ventilation, being infected with both influenza and COVID-19 increased the risk of death more than six times.

The authors concluded there was a strong interactive effect between the two viruses.

Can Vitamin D help with Covid?

Older people are at more at risk from COVID-19

The fact older people are more at risk from COVID-19 infection has been known from early in the pandemic. This is probably because older people tend to have more comorbidities, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, raised cholesterol, obesity, and smoking. Older people also have a relatively weaker immune system.

…the greatest increase in rates of COVID-19  infection has been in the 55-64 year age group

Older people are more commonly becoming infected with COVID-19. Recently, scientists have noted the greatest increase in rates of COVID-19  infection has been in the 55-64 year age group, and in those aged 65 and over.

Having a flu jab means you are helping reduce pressure on the NHS

By having a flu jab you are helping reduce the pressure on the NHS and social care staff.

Did you know… having a flu vaccine:

• Reduces the need for a doctor’s appointment by 40%.
• Reduces admissions to ITU by 82%.
• In young children aged 6 months or less, having a flu jab reduces hospital admission by 41%, and reduces admissions to pediatric ITU by 50%.

Having flu jab can prevent a heart attack

When you have a flu jab, if you have cardiovascular risk factors, your risk of having a heart attack is reduced by 15-45%. Thus, having a flu jab offers a similar degree of protection from having a heart attack, for example, as taking statins – this reduces the risk by 19-30%,  or stopping smoking – this reduces the risk by 32-43%.

Here’s the reason why. Once you become infected with the influenza virus, your immune system is activated and your immune response  swings into action. There is a great outpouring of cytokines – molecules which are chemical messengers. Your body is now in a state of inflammation, meaning any existing pathology, for example, atheromatous plaques (fatty deposits) in your arteries are more likely to become dislodged or rupture, and there is an increased of thrombosis (blood clotting). Ruptured plaques and blood clots are the main cause of heart attacks and strokes.

If you have cardiovascular disease or risk factors, you are strongly recommended to have a flu jab and prevent this from taking place.

The British Heart Foundation strongly recommends anyone with cardiovascular disease has a flu jab.

If you have chronic lung disease, having a flu jab reduces the risk of your condition worsening, and the need for hospital admission

A recent 2017 literature review identified 48 studies of people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)  and flu vaccination. Although it was difficult to make a good comparison, because of the types of studies which exist, the authors concluded that having a flu vaccination does have a positive risk-benefit ratio for COPD patients.

The authors commented that older people tend to have weaker immune systems and that the vaccine stimulates the immune system.

Several studies COPD patients who had been vaccinated, had lower death rates due to respiratory exacerbations, than in those who had not.

Patients with COPD are strongly recommended by national and international authorities to have a flu vaccination.

Taskforce for Lung Health strongly recommend anyone with chronic lung disease has a flu jab.

If you are diabetic, having a flu jab has been shown to reduce your risk of hospital admission.

People suffering from diabetes have a significantly higher need for admission to hospital if they become infected with influenza and have a higher risk of complication, and death.

When they have the flu, many diabetics find their diabetes goes out of control and they require hospital care.

Diabetics respond well to the flu vaccination and achieve a good antibody response.

In one 2016 study involving 125.503 adults with type-2 diabetes, the risk of death from influenza, was 24% lower in diabetics who had had the flu vaccination compared to the risk of dying in those who had not.

Diabetics are strongly recommended to have a flu vaccination. Having a flu can keep you well and keep you out of hospital.

Diabetes UK strongly recommend anyone with diabetes has a flu jab.

If you have had a flu jab, you greatly reduce your chance of ITU admission

One 2018 New Zealand study reported that If you are admitted to hospital with flu, your prognosis is better, if you have had a flu jab in the past.  In this stud, those who had been previously vaccinated reduced their chance of needing admission to ITU by 59%, and their hospital stay was around 4 days shorter.

Final thoughts

There’s no beating about the bush – both flu and COVID-19 are serious infections. It’s surely preferably to take steps not to become infected with either one of them.

Interestingly, as we have seen here, experts believe that vaccination against the flu can also reduce your risk of a serious  COVID-19 infection.

Flu vaccination is safe, effective, free and easy to obtain. Don’t miss out on something which could help save your life.

By having a flu vaccination, you are also protecting those around you, many of whom may be older, vulnerable, or sick. The more people who have a flu vaccination, the less the flu virus can spread through the community.

It’s time to stop thinking about your flu jab and get it done. Don’t delay. Contact your GP practice now and find out how you can have a flu vaccination.

For more information

NHS – Flu vaccine

Gov.UK – The flu vaccination: who should have it and why

……………………………………………………………………

by Dr Deborah Lee, Dr Fox Online Pharmacy

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The post All the reasons why you should definitely get a flu jab this year appeared first on Silver Magazine.