Summer 2018Summer – Time to spring into action with Dr Chauhan

Longer days and hopefully hotter weather can bring brilliant benefits to our physical and mental health – as long as we are prepared to get up and get out there.

I am sure you have read the worrying headlines about obesity, especially in our children. Carrying too much weight is a real burden for our bodies and poor diet allied to scant exercise, can lead to conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.

Exercise outdoors can reap great rewards and doesn’t always have to be taxing. I would thoroughly recommend the NHS programme Couch to 5K, which is a wonderful way to turn a sedentary life into an active healthy one, in just nine weeks.

As with running, a brisk 10 minute walk a day can also make you feel okay and chase the blues away, as aerobic exercise like this is scientifically proven to increase the endorphins in your brain and make you feel euphoric.

There will be a packed programme of events in Rochdale, and joining an exercise group of any kind, will help you make friends and beat isolation.

While supermarkets stock their shelves with all kinds of fruit and veg all-year round, summer is the season of greater selection when berries and super fruits abound. Make them part of your diet.

Celebrating summer may not be on hay fever sufferers’ agenda, however. That combination of warm, humid and windy weather can send the pollen count spiralling with itchy eyes, running nose, sneezes and even wheezes more prevalent. Visit the NHS UK website for some great hints on halting the symptoms of hay fever, with advice on everything from the use of antihistamines to keeping your house dust free.

Hot weather can also trigger attacks in some asthma sufferers. As Asthma UK informs us, the scientific reason for that is hazy, but you should always have your reliever inhaler about you.

Finally, all jokes about the British weather aside, we do need to protect our skin from the sun. Burning rays can cause damage even on moderately warm days, so make sure you have sun cream that protects from both ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation, especially if you are holidaying to even sunnier climes.

ABOUT THE WRITER

Dr Chauhan is a respected GP, health and social care campaigner, and champion of social justice and charity. As a local GP, he has become a powerful advocate for his patients and introduced innovative methods to improve their care. His work mentoring and employing young people has won national recognition.