Why should we look after our wellbeing? 
- Adds years to life
- Improves recovery from illness
- Is associated with positive health behaviours in adults and children
- Is associated with positive outcomes in life
- Influences the wellbeing and mental health of those close to us
How is HWB Important to learning? 
As well as increasing a person’s opportunity and choices in life, promoting mental health and wellbeing in education helps students: flourish in their education journey, build resilience and develop protective factors from mental ill-health.
Definition 
Wellbeing is not just the absence of disease or illness. Good health is about the mind as well as the body – feeling physically fit, and feeling good about ourselves, means that we can go and achieve more of the things we want to do in life. Wellbeing is strongly linked to happiness and life satisfaction. In short, wellbeing could be described as how you feel about yourself and your life.
In this theme you can find out about different ways to stay well in mind and body whatever your situation.
How can you improve your Wellbeing? 10 top tips 
- Diet
Many of us think of our health in terms of weight. Whilst a healthy lifestyle can certainly help you in managing your weight, the benefits extend well beyond appearance. It can also promote overall health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and even some types of cancer.
- Drinking less
Many people are unaware that regularly drinking more alcohol than the recommended guidelines can lead to a wide range of long-term health problems, including cancers, strokes, and heart attacks. You can calculate your drinking levels by using the Drink Aware Unit and Calorie Counter.
- Exercise regularly
This is a miracle cure we’ve all been waiting for. It will reduce your risk of major illnesses by up to 50% and lower their risk of early death by up to 30%.
- Eat five a day
Fruit and vegetables are part of a balanced diet and can help you to stay healthy. The five a day message highlights the health benefits of getting five 80g portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Fruit and vegetables are also usually low in fat and calories (provided they aren’t fried or roasted in lots of oil). That’s why eating them can help you to maintain a healthy weight and keep your heart healthy.
- Eat less salt and fat
Sticking with the diet theme, extensive research has proven that excessive salt and fat in our diets is a major cause of chronic illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Get tips on cutting your salt levels at Action on Salt. Whilst Change 4 Life has some great advice on cutting back on fat.
- Quit smoking
There are hundreds of benefits to encouraging you to quit. Many of the health benefits of quitting smoking are immediate.
- After 20 minutes, blood pressure and resting heart rate return to normal
- Within 24 hours, lungs start to clear. After thre days, breathing becomes easier and energy levels increase
- In one year, the risk of a heart attack drops sharply after quitting
For help with quitting visit their GP or local pharmacy
- Check that lump
Cancer can occur at any age. Detecting most cancers early means that treatment is more likely to be successful. Sometimes noticing a small change, like a lump, changes to a mole, or unexplained weight loss, can make a big difference to your health. For tips on spotting the early signs of cancer, visit the Cancer Research website.
- Are you getting enough sleep?
Nearly every one has problems sleeping at some point in their life. It’s thought that a third of people in the UK have bouts of insomnia.
Most healthy adults sleep for an average of seven to nine hours a night. Here are 10 tips to a good night’s sleep.
- Stress levels
Some pressure can be motivating, but when it becomes excessive it can eventually lead to stress. Stress symptoms include a pounding heart or palpitations, a dry mouth, headaches, odd aches and pains and loss of appetite.
- Mental wellbeing
Your mental health is important. It can be affected by stress but not always, mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety are common. Scientific evidence points to five steps that we can take to improve our mental wellbeing. If you give them a try, you may feel happier, more positive and able to get the most from your life.
Connect – connect with the people around you: your family, friends, colleagues and neighbours
Be active – find the activity that you enjoy and make it a part of your life
Keep learning – learning new skills can give you a sense of achievement and new confidence
Give to others – even the smallest act can count, whether it’s a smile, a thank you or a kind word
Be mindful – be more aware of the present moment, including your feelings and thoughts, your body and the world around you.
