Warwickshire County Council is encouraging residents to be inspired by its Living Well website to improve their general health and wellbeing.
Targeted at adults, the Living Well website brings together a wide range of information and services from the Council in one place. It promotes healthy lifestyles and encourages people to take preventative measures to keep themselves safe and well.
Many people will be feeling the pressures from the ongoing cost of living crisis and with challenging times not appearing to ease up anytime soon, it’s important to keep your health and wellbeing in a good place and maintain a healthy lifestyle where you can.
Living Well includes a number of resources to help you keep up good health and wellbeing, including guidance on keeping fit. It is recommended that adults should do some form of physical activity every day and age is no barrier – it’s never too late to get moving!
Keeping physically active can help to improve your health and reduce the risk of falls, heart disease and stroke. Visit https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/falls-prevention/maintaining-mobility/1 to find a wide range of exercises that can strengthen your core and increase flexibility.
There’s video warm-ups to get your workouts started on the right foot, as well as links to light exercises that are great for getting you moving. If workouts aren’t for you, you’ll also find information about walking in Warwickshire, from great locations to go for a walk to handy tips that’ll make walking more enjoyable.
Being active and eating well go hand-in-hand when it comes to staying healthy. Choosing the right food and drink is important and the Living Well website includes practical information to help you eat well and keep you feeling your best, including how you can incorporate more water into your diet, FAQs around hydration and advice on your eating habits depending on your age and how much physical activity you carry out.
Keeping your brain alert is just as important as keeping physically active and on the Living Well website you’ll find a wide range of tips for exercising your brain - or brain training to give it another name!
Reading is a great way to keep your brain active, whether its reading a newspaper or your favourite book; Warwickshire Libraries’ Borrow Box scheme is an easy way to make sure you’ve always got something to hand to read. Doing crosswords and puzzles are also great for keeping your brain nimble, particularly as you get older.
Also on these pages you’ll find links to hearing and eyesight tests, both of which are important for maintaining your balance and prevent you from falling or bumping into things.
Living Well also covers ways you can connect with people, friends and family, which is important for maintaining good health and wellbeing. If you feel your mental health could do with a boost then there are tips for how you can use devices such as smart phones and laptops to keep in contact with friends and loved ones, how you can sign up to community groups or volunteering groups to meet new people and it also explains the benefits of keeping up connections with people.
The website also offers advice for people who are experiencing loneliness and social isolation, which can have a huge impact on people’s mental health and wellbeing. There’s a great selection of articles and information about how to tackle loneliness, build connections with others and reduce feelings of loneliness.
Living Well also covers mobility and accessibility, providing important information for people to keep them safe and mobile in their own home. Being able to move without pain or discomfort is vital for maintaining body strength, independence and confidence.
There’s advice such as how to buy the right footwear to keep you steady on your feet, links to our assistive technology tool Ask Sara, which can help people to find the correct support aid and products to boost their mobility in and out of the home, as well as links to practical information such as guides to prevent falls in the home.
Councillor Margaret Bell, Warwickshire County Council’s portfolio holder for Adult Social Care and Health said: “The Living Well website is a fantastic resource for anyone who wants to look after themselves as they get older. It’s packed with tips and advice for boosting mental health, physical health and general wellbeing.
“The health and wellbeing section includes a wealth of information and practical support around how to eat well, stay active, keeping your brain healthy and stimulated, as well as building and maintaining independence – all of which play a key role in keeping you feeling your best.
“We want all of our residents to be healthy, happy and independent and age shouldn’t be a barrier to that. Living Well provides people with support so they can continue to enjoy life and also signpost them to the right places if they do need to access health and social care services in Warwickshire. I would urge all residents to have a look at the website and see how it can benefit them.”
Visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/livingwell to find out more about the support available for residents in Warwickshire.
More tips and advice on healthy ageing can be found at https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/healthy-ageing.