Health screenings are important at every stage of your life and an important part of maintaining a work-life balance.

Having scheduled health screenings is a great way to feel like we have some control over our bodies. So many health problems depend on early detection for effective treatment, including cancer, heart disease, and many autoimmune diseases. Here are the health screenings, check ups and exams you should have at various stages of your life.

Health checks in your 20s

You’re in the prime of your life, and the last thing on your mind is health problems. And that is exactly why health screenings are so important. In our 20s, we’re placing our bodies under a lot of stress – from partying, overwork and sometimes pregnancy. The health checks that most 20-30 year-olds should have include:

• Blood pressure checks: High blood pressure is a risk factor in the development of heart disease, and stress, carrying excess weight and being inactive can all contribute to high blood pressure.
• Bloodwork: Your blood should be screened yearly for glucose levels (an indicator of diabetes), cholesterol levels, levels of thyroid hormone and electrolytes (abnormal levels can indicate kidney function problems).
• Pap smears: Women who smoke or take the contraceptive pill should be especially vigilant about these health screenings, but all women should try to get a Pap smear done bi-yearly.
• Dental check and clean: You should have your teeth professionally cleaned and checked annually for early signs of decay.
• STI screenings: Sexually active adults should be screened by STIs, especially diseases which show no symptoms like Chlamydia, every year.
• Weight assessment: Sometimes it is difficult to know whether you are in a healthy range or not.

Health checks in your 30s

Those first grey hairs and a face that isn’t quite as bouncy as it once was often force us to think more about the condition of our bodies. Most of us are still at relatively low risk for many diseases, but you should get health screenings and check ups in your 30s like:

• Regular screenings: Just the same as you have been doing in your 20s, go for a yearly bloodwork, weight check, blood pressure check, dental check, and a 3-yearly Pap smear (if you have the bits required to test!).
• Depression screenings: If you consistently have trouble concentrating and don’t find anything to look forward to in life, be screened for depression.
• Skin cancer checks: It can be hard to identify, and your 30s are a common decade for skin cancer diagnosis.

Health checks in your 40s

In your 40s, the life distractions of kids and a career in full swing often put your health on the backburner. Even if you do little else, though, make sure you get the following health screenings:

• Your regular health screenings: The same one you were getting in your 20s and 30s are still important.
• EKG: An electrocardiogram should be done yearly; measuring your heart’s electrical activity can warn of arrhythmia and impending heart attack.
• Fecal occult blood tests: This health screening, though it can be embarrassing, is better than dying of fairly common colorectal cancer.

Health checks in your 50s and later

In many ways, people over 50 feel like they’ve hit a second prime. You’re at full earning capacity, and may even be unfettered by your darling children, as many of them will have moved out by this stage. Keep it positive in your 50s by getting the following health screenings.

• Regular health checks: Keep going with those.
• Bone density checks: To screen for early signs of osteoporosis
• Prostate exams: For men over age 50
• Mammograms: For women over age 50. These are offered free at periodic clinics around Australia.
• Vision and hearing checks: Deteriorating vision and hearing shouldn’t be a normal part of life in your 50s – have them checked regularly.

In addition, immunisations are important to maintain at all ages. Ask your doctor which shots are appropriate for you – most adults get a flu shot every year, tetanus booster every 10 years, and a pneumococcal shot every so often.

Health screenings take time – but they definitely free you from worry! Remember prevention is definitely better than cure and the quicker you are diagnosed for a potential problem, the quicker it can be treated. Doctors love to see people being proactive – so book a general health screening appointment today.

One of the biggest obstacles in building a healthy relationship is actually ourselves. Are you emotionally available or emotionally exhausted? Read on to find out how this affects your ability to create the proper environment for your relationships to prosper…

Emotional availability … it’s a psychological buzzword for a characteristic that we can all pick up on in people, whether we are romantically interested in them or not. A simpler way to say it would be ‘He’s just not that into you’ … and there are books, movies and Sex and the City episodes aplenty to watch if you want some real-life examples of that condition! Here is some relationship advice to work out whether he’s emotionally available and really ‘into you’ and what should you do if he isn’t.

What is Emotional Availability?

You know if someone is truly interested in you. They ask about your life and they care about what happens to you when you aren’t around. They share details of their own lives and ask you for help. This is emotional availability.

A more dictionary-esque definition of emotionally available might be “the ability to comfortably and confidently share thoughts, feelings, time and energy with another person in a relationship” … but we all know what unavailability feels like. It feels very lonely, even when you’re sitting next to each other. It’s the feeling of having to force words out of your mouth, because you know they won’t really be heard or cared about. It the constant wonder about your position in the other person’s heart … and it just feels yucky.

Remember that physical availability doesn’t always equal emotional availability. There are many people who are willing to be there in body, but not in spirit. They will talk about only superficial subjects, or go through the motions of a relationship very mechanically.

How to make sure your potential partner is emotionally available

Here are some signs in an early relationship to help you determine if your partner will be emotionally available:

• You are certain that yours is the only romantic relationship in their life is a good indication of their emotional availability
• They proudly talk about you to friends and family
• They venture details about their day, both external and internal events. For example, “This is what happened; this is how it made me feel”.
• They are willing to spend time with you, and their old friends, together

Remember, though, that there is a difference between maintaining independence and emotional unavailability. Everybody needs time to indulge their own hobbies, to do their own work and to just be alone with their thoughts.

It’s usual for the amount of time you spend together and the number of issues you agree on to start petering off after a few weeks or months in a relationship – this cycle is healthy. Emotional unavailability can be seen when you drift apart, and then just keep drifting instead of striking a balance.

But, I can change!

There is a single inevitability in the universe – change. Leopards might not change their spots … but people change every day! Don’t just give up on a relationship with an emotionally unavailable person – try some of the following steps.

Try to make yourself as emotionally available as possible. Talk about you feelings, and ask about theirs if you want to know. Keep asking – some people are just too shy or have low self-esteem.

• Make sure you maintain some independence. Don’t suffocate your partner with requests for time, with constant conversation, etc. At the same time, don’t put up with living with a brick wall that likes to party without you!
• Consider relationship counselling. For many people this is the catalyst that allows their relationship to heal, and it is always worthwhile trying before chucking in a marriage or long-term partnership.

If this relationship advice and all else fails, remember that people change when they are ready to change, and sometimes nothing you do or say will quicken the process. It may even take a breakup for them to realise the error of their emotional ways. Emotional unavailability is not a walk in the park, and like so many factors in human relationships, there are no hard and fast rules or answers. In the end, you’ll know when you made enough effort … and what you have to do to be happy.

It’s very true, what the Beatles said …. money can’t buy you love or happiness. Self improvement and happiness don’t just ‘happen’ when you’ve saved up enough money to upgrade your car, house or children’s school. Also, much as the feeling seems convincing at the time, happiness is also not a new pair of shoes or a bout of retail therapy. Here are some ten self improvement tips that can help you find lasting happiness.

Mitigate morning madness

Set your alarm so that you have plenty of time to have breakfast, a shower, and tidy up after yourself before you leave the house. Then, tell yourself before you go to sleep that “I am going to wake up when my alarm rings. I will press the snooze button once, and then get out of bed”.

Pencil it in

Create a realistic priority list of tasks that you want to achieve for the day, and make a concerted effort to tick every one of them off. The key to using this self improvement tip is not to overload yourself and to also schedule some relaxation time.

Weekend maximiser

Do you ever find that you’ve spent an entire weekend stressing about work? No wonder we all feel that weekends aren’t long enough! Check tip #2 above, and pencil some ‘fun’ into your weekend schedule so turn off your computer and stop checking your Blackberry.

Generosity killed the ’sads’

Humans are social creatures, and helping the people in your society is a wonderful personal development strategy to make yourself feel good. You don’t have to become a homeless shelter volunteer … but do take your co-worker’s teacup to the sink on your way, hold out the bag of sweets to your neighbour at the bus stop, and make dinner for an overworked friend.

The serenity to accept the things that you can’t change, the courage to change the things that you can

It’s a little trite nowadays – but if you think about this concept for a while and try to apply it to situations in your own life, you can find plenty of inspiration to either let go, or move forward.

Parlez vous …?

Learn a new language! It takes a while, but when you have the reward of a holiday in a country that has the language you’ve chosen as its native tongue it becomes much easier to motivate yourself.

Mix it up

Deliberately try to do things in a way that you usually don’t. The simple act of walking a different way to the bus stop or going to a new bar for after work drinks can really broaden your experience. Aim to achieve this on a larger level as well – to visit places you’ve never been, to speak to people that you usually wouldn’t or perhaps changing careers.

Face your fears – take a plunge

Deliberately doing things that put you outside your comfort zone are essential to personal development because they force you to look at the world in a new way … from a position of strength, courage and personal power.

Beauty is as beauty does

For many of us, thinking about our appearances takes up a significant portion of the day. Remember when your mother told you that true beauty is on the inside? She was right. Self improvement is about what’s on the inside, and you’ll have more energy for that without the distractions of excessive grooming. Spend your weekends without makeup, and wear clothes that make you feel comfortable.

Bend it, stretch it, just a little bit

Exercise is what our bodies were designed for – work that requires you to spend an entire day sitting down is a very recent social development. You’ll feel better able to deal with problems, more energetic, be less prone to depression and have a higher level of cognitive function if you make the effort to exercise every day.

Happiness has little do with the things you have, and so much to do with how you feel inside and what you do with your life! Try incorporating these self improvement tips and strategies into your life every week, and see how much difference it makes to your personal satisfaction level. Because in the end, who makes the most difference in your life? You do!

So you have decided to join a gym in the New Year but how do you decide which gym is right for you? Before you sign up to a gym membership, The Office of Fair Trading says you should be aware of the following when signing up for a gym membership.

Shop around

Don’t be pressured into signing up on the spot. Visit a number of gyms to work out which is the best value for money, has the best facilities, service and location for you. Consider trying a casual membership for a month or a few visits to see if the gym is right for you.

Be cautious of ‘great deals’

Be wary of special offers, promotions and verbal promises. Some deals may not be as good as they seem, once you read the fine print.

Read the fine print

Never take the salesperson’s word for it. Always take the gym contract home and read all the terms and conditions before you sign it. Know what you are getting into before you commit. Check the fees listed on the contract are the same as the price that has been quoted to you. Also check the administration fees for setting up or renewing your membership. These are non-refundable even if you cancel the contract during the cooling-off period.

Check the cooling-off period

Check if the contract has a cooling-off period which allows you to cancel the membership in writing within a limited time period.

Where will you be in 6 to 12 months?

The gym may not be easy to access if you change jobs, work different hours or move house and you may still be locked into the contract for months to come. Consider a 3 or 6-month membership – they are often no more expensive than a 12-month one.

Pre-paid fees

Fitness centres in NSW are not allowed to accept pre-paid fees in excess of 12 months so you shouldn’t be asked to pay for more than 12 months at a time.

The Fitness Services (Pre-paid Fees) Act 2000 spells out how a fitness centre must deal with pre-paid fees. The law is designed to limit losses suffered by gym members should their fitness centre close without warning. In past years, sudden fitness centre closures left many people out of pocket who paid their fees in advance, only to find that they had lost their money.

Direct debit

Many gyms ask for payments by direct debit. Just because your membership expires doesn’t mean the direct debits stop. You often need to provide the gym with 30 days written notice to stop the direct debit deductions. Check the contract before you sign. If the fitness centre continues taking payments, talk to your financial institution.

Cancelling your membership

If you need to cancel your membership, check your contract to see what is required. Even if the contract requires you to visit the centre to cancel in person, it is also wise to do it in writing. Then you can prove the date you requested for the membership to end. Remember, a membership means you have a binding agreement and you may have difficulty cancelling early. Some gyms charge up to $300 for cancelling a membership, so read the terms and conditions in your contract before you sign.

Fitness Australia

Check if the gym is a member of Fitness Australia at www.fitness.org.au or call 1300 211 311. If it is a member it must comply with the NSW Fitness Code of Practice. The Code requires members to give you a copy of the signed contract, provide a 7-day cooling-off period (if the contract is over 3 months), ensure employees are registered fitness professionals, allow you to cancel contracts in certain circumstances such as serious illness (fees may still apply) and resolve complaints quickly and fairly.

If things go wrong

If you have a dispute with a gym, check if it is a member of Fitness Australia. If the gym is a member, Fitness Australia will help negotiate your dispute if you submit it to them in writing. If the gym is not a member of Fitness Australia or you cannot resolve the issue, call Fair Trading on 13 32 20 or visit www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au for help and advice.

Follow all these great tips to find the right gym for you. Remember, going to the gym should be ideally more like a long relationship and not a one night stand. Ask if you can trial the gym and start off slowly to decide whether you want to make a longer term commitment.

Already joined a gym? Read this article to see if you’re a gym junkie or find ways to improve your metabolism.

Christmas time may be a very merry time for some but it may be a very lonely time for others who may have relatives living overseas, are single in the holiday period or may have just lost their jobs and Christmas is looking just a bit little bleak this year. Here are five ways to celebrate Christmas on your own, create new traditions, beat the holiday blues and avoid Christmas stress.

Volunteer work

Instead of sitting at home feeling sorry for yourself, volunteer at the local homeless shelter or visit people at the nursing home who do not have any relatives to visit them. This will bring some happiness to those who are less fortunate than yourself, give you a sense of purpose and also bring a little bit of Christmas cheer into your own heart.

Call your local charity and see what activities they have planned for Christmas and how you can assist. You may even meet new friends and make volunteering a regular event on your social calendar.

Go on a shopping spree

Save all the money you would have spent on a potential partner, friends and family at Christmas and spend it on yourself in the post Christmas sales or on an indulgent holiday staying in a great hotel. Being single means you have the freedom to spend money on yourself with no other financial obligations.

Retail therapy is a great way to ease the loneliness in this period but make sure you don’t overspend and leave yourself with post sale blues and feeling unhappy when the bills arrive in the New Year.

Go on exotic holiday

When all your other friends are busy cleaning up snotty noses, avoiding the family bore or touchy feely relative, you can be sunning yourself on an exotic island with only gorgeous wait staff and single travellers to keep you company. As we all know, the meaning of Christmas can be easily lost after a few days at home with the family so enjoy your freedom.

This may also be a good opportunity to visit a friend interstate, fly to visit friends and relatives or visit a place that you have always wanted to visit. You may be able to get a last minute deal and go on a cruise or vacation.

Flying solo

So you don’t have a plus one to take with you to Christmas parties? This is no reason to stay at home and brood. The holiday season is a great opportunity to meet someone new so the more parties you go to, the more your chances increase of finding a great partner to spend next Christmas with. At the least, you might meet a likeminded friend who is in a similar situation to you and has no one special to spend the holidays with.

There are great advantages of being free, single and liberated at Christmas time and not having to suffer through boring family dinners or go to obligatory Christmas dinners so enjoy it while it lasts.

Movie marathon

Buy yourself a DVD box set, turn on Foxtel or hire out some videos and have a movie marathon. Make sure you buy the snacks in advance to avoid last minute shoppers trying to find ingredients for their Christmas lunch. Turn off the mobile phone, switch off the computer and put the answering machine on.

Take advantage of your solitary state and have some ‘me’ time whether that is pampering yourself, catching up on your reading, giving the house a holiday clean or getting organised for the New Year.

It may not be the easiest thing to do but enjoy the time that you have when you are single. All you need to do is change your outlook and your ‘grass is greener’ mentality. When you’re a busy wife or husband and/or looking after a family and you don’t have a spare moment to yourself, you will look back wistfully at the days where you had no obligations and the freedom to spend your time as you wish without anyone to answer to.

Your metabolism rate is based on several factors, including your age, gender, the amount of muscle versus fat and your activity level. There are a lot of products on the market to quickly increase your metabolism but these programs may be unsafe, expensive and may not be sustainable over a long period of time. Change your lifestyle and naturally kick-start your metabolism with these five methods.

Exercise

The easiest way to increase your metabolism is by exercising. It is recommended that you exercise every day for half an hour. However, this is not always possible with a busy schedule so try and exercise at least three times a week. The earlier you exercise the more chance that you have to burn calories through the day. Try and exercise twice a day if possible with a vigorous workout in the morning followed by a relaxing walk around the block in the afternoon. This way you will continue to burn calories at a higher pace for almost the entire 24 hours.

Weights

It is best to incorporate a cardio workout such as walking, cycling or running with a weights program to increase your metabolism. The more muscle mass you have, the faster your metabolism. Muscle tissue requires more energy than fat tissue so by increasing your muscle tissue, you increase the amount of energy your metabolism has to create each day. Your lean body mass is by far the most important factor of metabolism.

Meal frequency

Studies have indicated that having breakfast will boost your metabolism and provides essential energy for the day. You need to jumpstart your metabolism after it has slowed down while you’re sleeping. Meals ideally should be spread out during the day so instead of eating bigger meals at breakfast, lunch and dinner, eat five or six smaller meals during the day with an emphasis on lean proteins, fruits, and vegetables.

Water retention

Aim for eight glasses of 250ml glasses of water every day. The energy burning process of metabolism needs water to work effectively. As with food, depriving your body of water can encourage it to “store” rather than “burn”. In order to encourage your liver to focus on metabolism rather than water retention, make sure you drink an appropriate amount of water.

Productive sleep

Decreasing your stress levels and getting a proper night’s rest will increase your metabolism. Inadequate sleep may affect the way your body metabolises carbohydrates so that you feel increased hunger while your metabolism slows down. An inconsistent sleep patterns also leaves you tired and fatigued with lower energy levels and may prevent you from a productive exercise routine.

Be wary of any weight loss supplement or programs that claim to increase your metabolism and burn off calories in a short amount of time. An exercise program that uses natural methods over a long term period to help you lose weight and maintain your results.

Research shows that happiness and self-actualisation comes from within and not external factors like money, status or fame. Here are five ways to improve your overall health and wellbeing.

Like yourself

Professor Paul Gilbert, author of The Compassionate Mind says compassion towards others and particularly compassion towards oneself can have a significant impact on our wellbeing and mental health. This is easier said than done but we should strive to like the person that we are and see the best in others.

It’s about recognising your strengths as a person and exploiting those strengths while also identifying your weaknesses and striving for self improvement. Ekhart Tolle’s message in his bestseller book The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment is simple: living in the now is the truest path to happiness and enlightenment. It means forgiving your past indiscretions and learning to move on from your past history and mistakes.

Show gratitude

Most people spend their lives wishing their lives away or searching for the things that they don’t have but don’t spend nearly enough time focusing on the things they do have such as a good job, good health, and good family relations and so on.

As documented in The Secret , it’s good to make a list of all the things that you are grateful for in your life and put this list in a convenient spot where you can easily refer to it. It’s also important to thank those who have helped you and give back to the community whether it be in terms of financial assistance or volunteering your time.

Be an optimist

People who are optimists and have a half glass full mentality lead happier and more fulfilling lives. It’s a cliché but there is always a silver lining in every cloud, sometimes you just need to look a little harder. Dr Timothy Sharp from the The Happiness Institute in Sydney  says that optimism (positive but realistic thinking) can make you happier.

There’s no doubt that happy people think about themselves, others and the world differently. So instead being critical of our own and other people’s faults, we should strive to see the best in ourselves and others and try and see their good points as opposed to their bad. If we expect the worst, it can sometimes become a self fulfilling prophecy.

Exercise more

Research shows exercise has a lot of psychological benefits. People who exercise are happier and less prone to stress, have lower levels of anxiety and are less likely to suffer from insomnia. Exercising releases endorphins (sometimes referred to as a runner’s high) and that these are responsible for the sometimes euphoric sensations experienced after exercising.

It is recommended by the National Physical Activity Guidelines that adults should exercise at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity (including brisk walking) on most days of the week.

Maintain a work-life balance

Life is all about a balance. Ideally, we should have eight hours work, eight hours play and eight hours sleep but we rarely achieve this balance. Read our article on negotiating working from home. Set aside time for yourself whether you’re going on a girl’s night out, treating yourself to a massage, reading a book or indulging in a hobby such as learning a new language.

Friendships, hobbies or ‘me time’ can boost your self esteem, give you a sense of fulfilment and happiness and add a sense of meaning to your life.

A true state of happiness can only be achieved when you are content with the person you are, grateful for the things that you have now and live in the present.

Eating five or six meals across the day speeds up your metabolism and having healthy snacks at your disposal can stop binge eating or sneaking to the vending machine at 3pm. Choose from these healthy snacks below to fulfil those cravings and get you through the mid afternoon slump.

Fresh fruit

Fruits such as bananas, pears and apples are a convenient fruit to take to work, a good source of vitamins and a good snack to get you through the day. Eat fruit by themselves, add them to smoothies or yoghurt or make a fresh fruit salad. Keep them in easy reach of your office or at home so you can snack on fruit instead of chips, biscuits or lollies.

Sandwich

A healthy sandwich on wholemeal bread always makes a filling and nutritious snack. Turkey and chicken are a good source of protein but stay away from processed meats. Add vegetables, cheese and low fat dressings to make interesting sandwich combinations.

Cottage cheese and crackers

You can’t go past cottage cheese and crackers for a low fat, delicious treat. Cottage cheese is high in protein and low in fat and carbohydrates. Add tuna, salmon or ham and tomatoes for a bit of variety.

Fresh yoghurt or smoothie

Smoothies and fresh yoghurts are an efficient and easy way to get a daily dose of fruit and dairy and they can be made with almost any fruit combination. Experiment with different combinations to make a tasty and varied treat but make sure you choose a low fat option so this means no ice cream or flavoured toppings.

Nuts

Nuts are an extremely healthy source of unsaturated fats but only eat a small serving size of 30grams or less and always buy unsalted nuts. Most nuts – including almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, Brazil nuts, chestnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts and pistachios – contain mainly mono-unsaturated fats.

Contrary to popular belief, snacking is good for you and eating regularly throughout the day will help to prevent overeating. However, the snacks that you eat need to be healthy and a small portion size.

Organising healthy snacks in advance and taking them with you to work, when you go to events or when you’re out and about doing errands will make it easier for you to eat the right foods and not reach for the easy option of junk food or takeaway.

When Eric Bana was interviewed by ‘Access Hollywood’ to promote his new movie ‘The Time Traveller’s Wife’ he said that “Abs are for people with no friends” implying that people who work out had no social life.

While comments like these are not doing the national obesity levels any favours, Bana did have somewhat of a point. There is a fine line between wanting to be fit and healthy and being a gym junkie.

So how do you know if you’re taking your gym addiction too far and have crossed over into becoming an addict? Here are five signs to tell if you’re a gym junkie.

1. You put your gym schedule before your work and your friends.

Life is all about a balance, whether that is juggling work duties, family life, friendships and a rigorous gym workout. If you find your friends and family are constantly complaining about not seeing you and you’re missing out on birthday dinners and special occasions to go to the gym, they may have a valid point.

It’s a good thing to be disciplined but you need to be flexible with your workout routine. Before you give up your gym membership, you may want to consult a personal trainer at your gym who can work out an exercise schedule that will meet all your fitness goals but still allows you the odd movie or night out with your friends.

2. You exercise even if you have an injury.

If you have injured yourself, whether it be a torn ligament or a back injury, it’s best to consult a doctor’s advice before you go back to the gym. You may risk doing further or permanent damage and being on the bench for weeks on end.

It may just be a case of limiting your exercise routine or only exercising certain parts of your body. For example, your doctor may advise you to rest your foot but that doesn’t mean that you can’t work out your upper body or you may lower back pain but you may be able to do a Pilates class.

It is essential that you seek medical advice but more importantly to take the medical advice and wait out the suggested rest periods. Your body will thank you for it in the long run.

3. You suffer withdrawal sessions if you miss an exercise session.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with craving a workout and feeling withdrawal symptoms if you miss a gym session. However if you feel guilty or you are beating yourself up because you missed one gym session, that’s when you should start to feel concerned.

Discipline and obsession are two totally different things and obsession is not a natural or healthy feeling. Like with anything whether it be your diet or exercising, moderation is always the key to a healthy lifestyle.

4. You have a cold that won’t go away.

Studies show that a moderate exercise routine coupled with a good diet and done on a long term basis can help build a healthy immune system. Moderate exercise has been linked to a positive immune system response and a temporary boost in the production of macrophages, the cells that attack bacteria.

Over-exercising on the other hand can decrease your immunity system and make you more susceptible to the common cold and infections. Even if you are training for a high endurance event like an iron man competition, your body needs to rest and recover between workouts.

5. You constantly feel run-down and tired.

Healthy levels of exercise should be giving you more energy and get up and go in the mornings so if you are feeling lethargic, you’re suffering from insomnia or feeling sluggish, this may be a sign that you’re over exercising. You need to make an active choice to cut down on your workouts or the days you are exercising to bring up your energy levels.

If you have self-diagnosed yourself as a gym junkie, there are ways to wean yourself off exercise and break your bad habits. Start going to the gym at different hours such as the morning or lunch times and leave the nights free to socialise, find a gym closer to work or home or cut down on the hours that you do at the gym to give you more time to do other things you enjoy.

Contrary to popular belief, you can have too much of a good thing so continue your gym training but maintain a balanced and healthy lifestyle.

If you liked this article, you may want to read our article on Five Fitness Myths Debunked.

Having your first child is one of your most memorable moments along with getting married or buying your first home. However, this can be the best or worst of times depending on how organised you are. Here are five things you should do to prepare for the birth of your child.

Medical check

Visit your general practitioner for a full check-up when planning a baby. This may include a Pap smear and breast examination. If you have any pre-existing conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes etc, you will need to talk to your doctor or specialist about how your medications may affect your pregnancy.

You should also discuss with your doctor about being immunised for the following diseases:

• Influenza
• Measles, Mumps & Rubella (MMR)
• Chicken Pox
• Pneumococcal Disease
• Whooping Cough

It’s also a good idea if you haven’t done so already to find out if you have a family history of any genetic disorders or health problems that may affect the health of your child.

Health fund

It’s a good idea to join a health fund if you haven’t done so already and/or upgrade your existing cover to include pregnancy. Shop around or ask friends and family what health cover they recommend.

Remember some health funds have waiting periods of up to 12 months and different levels of excess for hospital stays so this is something you should find out straight away when you’re planning to start a family.

Make sure you are covered for all the things you could possibly want such as a room in a private hospital, a midwife and so forth.

Folic Acid

Ideally start taking folic acid three months before you hope to conceive. Folic acid helps prevent neural tube defects like Spina Bifida – one of the most common of all birth defects and it’s most crucial in the first trimester as the brain and spinal cord are developing.

Your doctor can advise you on the correct dosage to take. You may have to take a higher dose if your family has a history of neural tube defects. Folic acid can also be found in vegetables such as spinach, broccoli and brussels sprouts as well as fruits like oranges, bananas, avocado and grapefruit.

Healthy lifestyle

Needless to say if you are trying for a baby, you should cut down on alcohol and excessive drinking, cigarette smoking and recreational drugs. You should also speak to your doctor about an exercise program that you can follow throughout all stages of the pregnancy.

You don’t need to follow a strict exercise program but aim to be in the healthy weight range for your body. Being underweight or overweight can effect fertility. You are also more prone to high blood pressure in pregnancy if you are overweight, which can be dangerous if left untreated.

Dental health

It is important to have a dental check when preparing for pregnancy. The health of your teeth and gums may possibly affect the growth and development of your foetus.

More importantly, studies show that gum disease and oral infections can increase your risk for premature birth and low birth weight babies from either preterm labour or premature rupture of the membranes (meaning your water breaks early).

It’s a smart idea to tell your dentist about your plans to become pregnant so you can schedule any special work, treatments, or X-rays before you conceive. 

Your medical history, previous family history, oral health and lifestyle can all affect your pregnancy and the health of your unborn child. Planning for a baby should start long before the baby is conceived so the first point of call is to speak to your general practitioner and map out a pregnancy plan to give your baby the best possible start in life.

You may want to read our article on Breastfeeding and the Workplace.