A quiet walk with an audio book and attempts to be more heedful over her wine intake are just two of the healthy habits Aberdeen doctor Louise Slaney practices in her day. Here, she fills us in on more.
My mornings are all about taking some time for me to ease into the day.
I wake up at about 5.45am and read the news headlines for around 15 minutes. I start watching Good Morning Britain on the television at 6am.
My husband brings me a cup of tea at about 6.15am and I get up and showered at about 7am. I don’t like starting the day hitting the ground running too much. This is my ‘me time’ to plan the day ahead.
I have my breakfast at work at about 10am as I feel the benefits of intermittent fasting and don’t generally feel ready to eat until this time anyway. That may not work for everyone, but it works for me and my body feels the benefits.
For breakfast, I will generally have Greek yoghurt and raspberries or scrambled eggs. It’s important to have a protein-rich breakfast as it sets you up for the day, keeps you fuller for longer, and slowly releases glucose, keeping you sharp.
How I deal with stress in the office
During the day, I am either seeing patients in the clinic, working on company strategy or on client medical advisory duties.
It’s very important for me to manage work-related stress. I’m very lucky that I’m in a job I love but in previous roles, this has been challenging and can impact every aspect of your life.
Creating a nurturing environment for your teams, where they feel supportive and heard is vital. Good relationships at work can help ease the burden of stress.
At lunchtime, I try to go walk and listen to an audio book. We’re based in the city centre so I can head for a quieter walk up to the west end or into the shops… shopping counts as cardio, doesn’t it?
I like to have some escapism at lunchtime and get outside… but I’m a bit of a fair-weather walker to be honest. But I do love a walk and I’m always keen to get back out there and find out what happens next in my book so it’s a good motivator. On colder days, we have four floors in our building so it’s quite easy to get your steps in.
Cooking lessons from my lasagna-loving daughter
For lunch, I bring in homemade soup. I try to avoid too many UPFs – ultra-processed foods – and, even at weekends, we tend to do fakeaways rather than takeaways. We’ll like to make homemade pizzas and Chinese, Thai, Japanese and Vietnamese dishes.
You know exactly what’s going into your meals and you can have fun with it too.
My daughter, Stella, can be a fussy eater, so I try to sneak vegetables into our meals, for example, putting sofrito (finely diced celery, carrots and onions) into spaghetti bolognaise.
The kitchen is my relaxation space. When it’s time to cook, I put some tunes on and order everyone out.
I like to spend 30-60 minutes getting dinner ready. I love Thai, Vietnamese and also classics like cottage pie and beef bourguignon.
I’ll often swap carbs like potatoes out for pumpkin or cauliflower. Stella loves spaghetti bolognaise and lasagna, but her own ramen is legendary! She’s only 10 but she’s already a bit of a dab hand in the kitchen.
The key to better eating habits is to be organised. When you aren’t, there is a far higher likelihood of just grabbing something on the go that may not be the best nutritionally. Try to take 10 minutes before bed to prepare a lunch like a protein-based salad or take leftovers from a balanced evening meal.
Thinking ahead makes all the difference.
The 1, 2, 3 method of mindful drinking
I try to avoid snacking so I’m best to just not be around them. If they’re there, I’ll be tempted.
During Covid, I put on weight and wasn’t always making the healthiest choices. We were dealing with a lot of stress given the nature of our work.
We were worried about outbreaks offshore [IMM works on occupation health in Aberdeen’s oil-and-gas industry]; it was non-stop, and I was working 14- or 15-hour days at another organisation.
I enjoy a glass of wine, but it became too easy in lockdown for people to polish off a bottle.
I try to live by the 1, 2, 3 method in which you wait 1 hour before pouring yourself a second drink.
So rather than mindlessly grabbing a second glass, you wait until an hour has passed by and check in with yourself to see if you still want it.
I limit myself to those three drinks but often find I’ve changed my mind and don’t go beyond that first one or two.
It’s all about re-evaluating and is a more mindful way of drinking alcohol. It is also important to have alcohol free days, so try not to drink on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday for example.
Yogalates and Jennifer Anniston’s latest fitness trend
You should look at health as an ongoing journey. Exercise is not a punishment.
We should look at the physical and mental benefits and find things that you enjoy. I tried the Couch to 5K running challenge, but it just wasn’t for me.
But there are other things I do that I enjoy and will therefore, stick with.
I also try to fit little exercise elements into my day. I’ll perch on the end of my desk and do tricep dips or push ups against a wall.
You could do squats while the kettle is on or just some gentle stretching, especially if you are desk-bound.
I do yogalates when time allows and love it. It’s great for your body and so calming. I’m also going to look at investing into Pvolve, which has Jennifer Aniston as an ambassador.
It’s a precision mat that lets you know if you are doing the movements effectively and safely. That’s always one of the risks of doing exercise on your own at home without a coach.
Perhaps you could make an activity arrangement with a friend. You’re more likely to stick to it and you can hold each other accountable.
The benefits of early bedtime
My evenings are largely around family time. My daughter and I love watching Modern Family on the TV and she also likes to sing as I play the piano. There’s always Taylor Swift to be heard in our house.
The weekends revolve around Stella’s activities as well as things like cleaning the house. I like getting facials and having my nails done – feelgood treats to help me relax.
We’ll often go for a walk together around Haddo House and maybe have our lunch out somewhere. Sunday is always a roast dinner with the family.
Sleep and relaxation are really important to me.
I love getting into my PJs early and winding down to bedtime, which tends to be around 9.30pm. I always make my bed in the morning; I wouldn’t feel right leaving it or getting into an unmade bed at night.
A SMART plan for the future
My advice to anyone looking to make lifestyle changes would be to do a little bit at a time.
If you have weight to lose, plus want to stop drinking and smoking, it is likely to be too much to take on all at once and you could set yourself up for a fall.
Make small changes, such as upping your step count with a half an hour daily walk or cutting out sugary drinks.
Make your goals SMART. Write down a weekly plan for making healthier choices. Think of it as a marathon, not a sprint.
Ideally, these choices are preventative health measures. By following a healthier lifestyle, you will have sustainability. We only get one body… we should look after it.
Louise is the medical director at the Aberdeen-based IMM, which offers occupational health services including lifestyle and wellness medicals, ensuring early detection of health conditions such as diabetes, cardiac disease, lung disease and certain types of cancer. The IMM team can be contacted at info@intmedical.com.
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