Following a healthy lifestyle plays an important role in helping you maintain both your physical and mental wellbeing. Even making small changes to your lifestyle can make a big difference.
The services and resources listed on this page are here to help you if you are ready to make some positive changes.
Being more active is good for your body and good for your mind. It can help to improve your health in many ways including losing weight, easing any joint or back pain, manage stress, improve sleep, and increase energy levels.
If you are in work:
How often do you engage in the following forms of physical exercise:
You may find it helpful to check your BMI, this helps to identify if you are a healthy weight for your height. You will need to know your height and weight measurements for this. If you are not sure what your height or weight is visit your local pharmacy and ask if they can check this for you. You can calculate your BMI by using the online NHS BMI calculator.
If your BMI indicates that you are overweight or obese please consider joining the NHS Digital Weight Management Programme.
The online tool gives suggestions about what you might consider if your BMI is outside the normal healthy range. We suggest you discuss this with your GP before taking any action.
Cutting back on alcohol can be an effective way to improve your health, boost your energy, lose weight, and save money. Reducing the amount you drink each week, even by small amounts can make a big difference.
How would you benefit from drinking less alcohol (list 2-3 benefits)? e.g. it will improve my relationship with family and friends
How are you going to start drinking less alcohol?
If you need support, who are the people that you can ask (e.g. family, friends, colleagues, neighbours)
What are the main difficulties that you are facing?
Are there any solutions that can help?
Eating a healthy, balanced diet is an important part of keeping healthy. Eating a variety of foods in the right proportions ensures that your body is getting all the nutrients it needs to function well.
What kind of choice would you normally make?
We should be drinking plenty of fluids throughout the day, between 6 to 8 cups or glasses per day. Although water is the healthiest option lower-fat milks, lower-sugar or sugar-free drinks and tea and coffee all count toward your fluid intake too. Alcoholic beverages do not count toward fluid intake. If you are not drinking enough fluid throughout the day, or you would like to make water your main drink, think about ways you could achieve this.
If you were eating potatoes with a meal, what choice would you normally make?
The amount of oils and spreads added to starchy foods such as potatoes, pasta, and bread can make your meal high in fat. Think about alternative choices you could make.
What breakfast would you usually pick?
Plain porridge and wholegrain breakfast cereals are the healthier options. They are a good source of fibre which means they are good for your digestive system, and keep you feeling fuller for longer.
What sort of cheese would you usually eat?
Hard cheeses are high in saturated fat and if eaten in high amounts can lead to high cholesterol which increases your risk of heart disease.
If you had to pick one, which one would you usually pick?
Eating a lot of red meat and processed meat increases your risk of bowel cancer. Red meat such as beef, lamb, and processed meats such as sausages, bacon, ham and corned beef should be limited to no more than 70g per day. Try to have a meat-free day each week and switch to lean cuts of meat and fish, aiming for at least 2 portions of fish a week, including 1 oily fish like salmon, mackerel, or sardines.
How many servings of fruit and vegetables do you eat a day?
Fruits and vegetables are high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fibre. Eating 5 portions per day can protect against diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. Consider how you might increase your intake of fruit and vegetables.
Which snacks would you normally choose to eat?
Snacks such as chocolate, cakes, crisps, and biscuits are high in added sugar, fat and salt. These foods are not needed in the diet and if included we should not eat them very often.
We all have times when our mood is low and we feel sad, fed up, or stressed. But sometimes these feelings last for weeks, or feel like they are happening all the time, and can interfere with our daily lives. You may also find it helpful to write down your thoughts and feelings.
Advice and information is available on our Urgent Help page.
The following videos are all produced for the NHS Better Health campaign:
There is also a Playlist containing all the videos.
Which of the videos or websites above did you find helpful? Why did you find them helpful? You might consider reasons like:
Complete these short online wellbeing questionnaires. How helpful has this been? Which bit was most helpful? Is there anything that wasn't helpful?
Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do to improve your health. It reduces your risk of heart and lung disease, boosts your mental health, and saves you money.
Staffordshire Healthy Communities programme is a Staffordshire County Council Commissioned Service run by Everyone Health. The service offers individual and group support to help adults lose weight and stop smoking. You can find out more about what's available and who can access the service on the Everyone Health Staffordshire website, or by phoning 0333 005 0095.
Active My Way is one stop shop for local information on how and where you can get active, including a searchable database of opportunities and online videos.
Staffordshire Connects is an information hub on local services and support for adult physical and mental wellbeing. You can search by place and by the type of help you are looking for.
ORCHA is a free tool to search for health and care apps. It provides a simple and consistent approach to rating all health apps based on their clinical effectiveness, data security, and the user experience. ORCHA is available to anyone with access to the internet and smart phone. Apps can be used alongside an existing care pathway or as a stand-alone tool to help people improve any aspect of their health and wellbeing.
Our own Community Mental Health Services have a freephone service taking mental health referrals for all the Trust's adult mental health services, including people with dementia. The service helps people get the right support, in the right place, at the right time. They can help you get support from a variety of services that can support you, from financial wellbeing support, to social care, and many more.
The West Midlands Gambling Harms Clinic (provided by our own Inclusion Service) offers specialist addiction therapy, treatment, and recovery to people affected by gambling addiction or gambling problems across Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, Telford & Wrekin.
The Stoke-on-Trent Stop Smoking Service offers free friendly face-to-face support, together with stop smoking medicines such as chewing gum and patches (on prescription), to support smokers to quit. Trained advisors are available in a variety of settings across the City, providing weekly support to people who want to quit smoking.
Please call 0800 085 0928 or text 'stokequit' to 60777 for free help and support.
Active Through Stoke is centred around providing free or low-cost physical activity opportunities and giving participants ownership over their sessions. Perfect for all abilities, allowing you to try new ways to get active and potentially gaining some new skills along the way. There is a variety of sessions available, including: fitness classes, walking football, indoor curling, mindfulness, and lots more!
Stoke-on-Trent Community Drug & Alcohol Service provide a free, confidential and friendly service to adults, young people and families living across Stoke-on-Trent. Everyone should feel comfortable getting the support they need with drug or alcohol challenges. They aim to see you where you feel most comfortable and can provide advice and information, one-to-one support, assessment, and depending on your age, brief or clinical interventions.
Our own Community Mental Health Services have a freephone service taking mental health referrals for all the Trust's adult mental health services, including people with dementia. The service helps people get the right support, in the right place, at the right time. They can help you get support from a variety of services that can support you, from financial wellbeing support, to social care, and many more.
The West Midlands Gambling Harms Clinic (provided by our own Inclusion Service) offers specialist addiction therapy, treatment, and recovery to people affected by gambling addiction or gambling problems across Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, Telford & Wrekin.
Guidance, resources, and information about local services that can help all Shropshire residents improve their wellbeing can be found on the Healthy Shropshire website. Their website includes a searchable directory of services that covers all aspects of wellbeing including physical activity services by Shropshire Leisure Time, and drugs and alcohol support by Shropshire Recovery Partnership.
Together All is an online mental health and wellbeing service and is available to the population of Shropshire for anyone aged 16 or over.
Together All offers a range of activities that allow you to work through what's troubling you:
Joining the service is easy, we call this self-referral, providing no barriers to access. You don't have to make it known that you need access to support, you simply visit the website and register using your postcode.
Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Talking Therapies is an NHS service of specialists trained to offer effective talking therapies and support. It aims to improve health and wellbeing by offering a range of help, advice, life skills courses, supported self-help, other groups, and individual therapies for everyone aged 16 and over.
They deliver a choice of therapies in a variety of ways including email, virtually, telephone, face to face, individual and group interventions to suit your lifestyle. They can assist with conditions such as low self-esteem, difficulty in relationships, stress, worry, anxiety, low mood, obsessions and compulsions, panic, phobic, trauma, and anger problems.
Shropshire Health Coaches can support people to develop a personalised action plan to make lifestyle changes to improve diet, become more physically active, and to stop smoking. Support includes signposting and referring to local services. Support with other concerns such as anxiety, isolation, and finances can also be provided. You can self-refer into the service by calling 01743 255055 or email simon.
Elevate classes are aimed at people aged 60 and over who feel a bit unsteady on their feet, have lost strength, or confidence, and may feel a bit off balance, or at risk of a fall. Many of the exercises provided in these classes can be achieved seated or standing so a range of abilities can take part. The classes are designed to be safe, beneficial and most of all enjoyable!
The NHS Education for Diabetes programme is a structured education course delivered by specialist nurses for adults who have been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. Whether you have been diagnosed for a long time, or have just had a recent diagnosis, then these courses are for you. All the courses are free and details about their sessions can be found on their website.
The Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme is a free behaviour change programme delivered by Living Well Taking Control. The programme looks at the factors that are increasing your risk of Type 2 Diabetes and helps you to develop a plan to make healthy lifestyle changes that will reduce or remove your risk of diabetes.
Fit4All's mission is to raise awareness of the causes of falls, and the importance of exercise to help reduce the risk of falling. Also, educating people at risk of falling, their families, and carers in the correct procedure to follow if someone falls. In turn to help to reduce the long term effects of a fall. These classes are free and designed to improve your postural stability through a 20 week falls exercise programme.
If you live or work in Telford & Wrekin, the Healthy Lifestyles Team are here to support you. Healthy Lifestyles Advisors and Practitioners provide a free and confidential service to motivate, encourage and support people to make changes to improve their health and wellbeing. They work with you to identify and help you achieve small changes that can make a big difference.
They are here to help:
You can contact the Healthy Lifestyles Team by email healthylifestyles
Live Well Telford is an all age online community directory where you can search for local services, advice and information.
Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Talking Therapies is an NHS service of specialists trained to offer effective talking therapies and support. It aims to improve health and wellbeing by offering a range of help, advice, life skills courses, supported self-help, other groups, and individual therapies for everyone aged 16 and over.
They deliver a choice of therapies in a variety of ways including email, virtually, telephone, face to face, individual and group interventions to suit your lifestyle. They can assist with conditions such as low self-esteem, difficulty in relationships, stress, worry, anxiety, low mood, obsessions and compulsions, panic, phobic, trauma, and anger problems.
Fit4All's mission is to raise awareness of the causes of falls, and the importance of exercise to help reduce the risk of falling. Also, educating people at risk of falling, their families, and carers in the correct procedure to follow if someone falls. In turn to help to reduce the long term effects of a fall. These classes are free and designed to improve your postural stability through a 20 week falls exercise programme.
Our own Community Mental Health Services have a freephone service taking mental health referrals for all the Trust's adult mental health services, including people with dementia. The service helps people get the right support, in the right place, at the right time. They can help you get support from a variety of services that can support you, from financial wellbeing support, to social care, and many more.
The West Midlands Gambling Harms Clinic (provided by our own Inclusion Service) offers specialist addiction therapy, treatment, and recovery to people affected by gambling addiction or gambling problems across Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, Telford & Wrekin.
Hampshire Healthy Families provides information resources, advice and signposting to services for all aspect of family health and wellbeing including health visiting services, immunisations and local activities for children and young people.
There is a comprehensive smoking cessation service available through Smoke Free Hampshire. Visit the website for further details. You can self-refer on this service by clicking here, call our Quitline on 01264 563039 or text Quit to 66777.
Health professionals, please continue to refer patients through the website.
Local Primary Care Networks (PCN) are developing an extended workforce to provide a wider range of services to keep their communities well, and improve the support and management of patients across the local health system. As part of this work some PCNs are recruiting Health and Wellbeing Coaches to support people achieve positive changes in their lifestyle and improve how they manage health conditions. Health coaches will work alongside Social Prescribers and Community Connectors who can help patients access other local services and support they need. Patients and service users will need to enquire with their GP if this service is available to them as coverage varies across each area.
Better Health is a national NHS campaign that aims to support people to improve their lifestyles and live well. Better Health provides tips, tools, support, and encouragement every step of the way, to help people make small but manageable changes to their lifestyle. The website provides access to a range of apps and information that anyone can access.
