sleep – Pillbox Chemists

Trying to reach and maintain a healthy weight can prove to be a difficult task. We’ve consulted with all of our resident pharmaceutical teams to collect the best tips for you, and here we have picked out the best 15 tips to help manage your weight.

1. Drink Enough Water, Especially Before Meals!

Drinking enough water can increase the metabolism rate by 24-30% over the course of 1-1.5 hours, helping you be eligible to burn off more calories than normal.

A study conveyed that drinking just half a litre, (or 19oz) of water, within a time frame of half an hour before meals, actually helped eat fewer calories along with losing 44% of more weight compared to the people who didn’t drink that amount of water before a meal.

2. Eating Eggs For Breakfast

Eating an entire egg can have more benefits than you think, including helping you lose the weight you want to. Many studies show that swapping a grain-based breakfast with eggs can aid you in eating less calories for the next 36 hours, as well as losing weight and body fat.

3. Drink Coffee! (Preferably Black Coffee)

The quality of coffee has a bunch of antioxidants that can have multiple health benefits compared to what you think. Studies show that caffeine in coffee can help increase your metabolism rate by 3-11% AND increase weight loss / fat burning by up to 10-29%. The only downside to this is that you must make sure to not add plenty of cream, sugar or any other high-calorie ingredients into your coffee, as that’s when it will negatively affect any benefits.

4. Drink Green Tea

Similar to coffee, green tea can also have many benefits for weight loss. However, green tea does contain little amounts of caffeine, it has a load of powerful antioxidants called ‘catechins’ which is believed to work alongside with the caffeine to increase the fat-burning rate. On the other hand, when the evidence is mixed, there is enough displayed evidence to say that overall, if you regularly have an intake of green tea, (whether it is a beverage of a supplement) it can help you with your weight loss.

5. Cut Back on Added Sugar

‘Added Sugar’ is single-handedly one of the worst ingredients to be consumed within the modern diet. Most people consume too much. Sugar (along with high-fructose corn syrup) consumption is highly associated with the risk of obesity increases, as well as certain health conditions, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

To lose weight, you must cut back on added sugar.

Make sure that you read all of your food and drink labels, even if they are ‘so-called healthy’, they can still be loaded with sugar.

6. Eat Less Refined Carbohydrate

Refined carbohydrates that include sugar and grains that have been stripped of its nutritious parts and fibrous. This also can include certain things such as white bread and pasta amongst the chief culprits. Refined carbohydrates can cause blood sugar to spike, leading to feeling hunger and increased food intake for a few hours, which has a significant link to obesity. If you are going to eat carbohydrates, make sure you eat them with their natural fibres!

7. Go on a Low-Carbohydrate Diet

If you are wanting to receive all of the benefits of carbohydrate restriction, then make sure you go all out into committing to a low carbohydrate diet. Multiple studies show that having a regimen can aid you to lose up to 3 times the amount of weight compared to a standard low-fat diet, whilst also improving your health.

8. Exercise Portion Control or Count Calories

Portion control is important! Simply eating less, or keep track of your calorie intake is proven to be useful, for fairly obvious reasons. Keeping track by using a food diary, or taking pictures of your meals, or even simple things can help in losing weight. Doing anything that has an increase in your awareness of what you’re consuming, allows you to be on top of your daily food intake and is likely to help.

9. Keep Healthy Food Around in Case You Get Hungry

Having accessibility to healthy food nearby can aid to prevent you from eating unhealthy substances when you become very hungry. Any small snacks that are easily portable are good to take. Anything with whole fruits, nuts, baby carrots, yoghurt and are handy and easy to take around. Make sure you look at the snack in case there are any allergies you could be vulnerable to, and avoid added sugar within those snacks.

10. Eat Spicy Foods

Chili peppers tend to contain ‘capsaicin’, which is a compound that is spicy but can also increase your metabolism rate and decrease your appetite, but only slightly. Although, it is important to know that people may develop tolerance when dealing with the effects of capsaicin over time unless you boost the amount of spice every so often to compensate for the drop-off.

11. Do Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic exercise is known as cardio. It is an efficient and a great way to burn calories along with improving your physical and mental health. Aerobic exercise seems to me typically effective when it comes to losing belly fat. The unhealthy fat builds up around your organs and has a high chance of causing a metabolic disease.

12. Eat More Vegetables and Fruits

Fruits and vegetables have many properties that can make the extremely effective for weight loss. They have fewer calories, but a lot more fiber. The content that is filled with high water, gives them low density and energy, making it feel more filling. They’re also very nutritious, so eating them is important for your overall health.

13. Get A Good Night’s Sleep

Sleep is single handedly one of the most underrated things that people overlook .

when attempting a diet, or simply being healthy and exercising. Poor sleep is one of the strongest factors that aid the risk of obesity, and is linked to 90% of increased risk of obesity in children, along with 55% in adults. If your sleep schedule, or at anypoint you are getting less than 6 hours of sleep, then you are at a much greater risk of falling to obesity than someone getting 8 hours of sleep. To sleep better, try exercising before bed, having you last used your mobile, computer, tablet etc an hour before getting into bed.

14. Eat More Protein

Protein is the most important nutrient when it comes to weight loss.

Consuming a high-protein diet has been proven time and time again that it increases your metabolism rate by up to 100 calories per day, whilst also cutting off another 400 calories per day.

Eating 25% of your calorie intake daily as a protein tremendously reduces obsessive cravings / thoughts about food up to 60% whilst also reducing the late night snack factor by half!

The simplest, easiest and effective way to help your weight loss is my just adding protein to your diet.

15. Don’t Do Sugary Drinks, Including Fizzy Drinks and Fruit Juice

Sugar of course, is bad, however, sugar in the form of a liquid makes it even worse. Many studies convey that calories taken from liquid sugar may be the most fattening to the modern diet. As an example, a study showed that sugar-sweetened liquids are matched up to 60% increased risk of obesity in children for each daily serving.

Bare in mind that it applies to things you won’t expect as well, such as fruit juice, which contains almost the same amount as a sugary drink like Coke.

Eat fruit whole, but avoid the fruit juice altogether, or as little as possible.

So there we have our team’s top tips! Hopefully this will help inspire you to begin your weight loss journey!

Our Blood Pressure Checking Service is administered within all of our branches by the trained pharmacy team located within each branch. You aren’t needed to make an appointment on most occasions. You can just walk in and ask for a Blood Pressure Checking Service. However, if you’re busy and don’t want to be kept waiting, we advise you to pre-book this free service at your convenience and we will make sure that you are prioritised for that time by one of our professional staff team.

Once you arrive for your blood pressure check, our trained professionals will take you to one of our GPhC approved consultation rooms, where you’ll be asked to rest and relax for 5 minutes; that way, that we can then measure your blood pressure in a relaxed and comfortable environment, and without you feeling under any stress.

All blood pressure readings are presented in the form of two readings; systolic pressure and diastolic pressure (mmHg) – the diagram below shows what each of those means.

Why do I need my blood pressure checking?

A blood pressure check is important because the higher your blood pressure is, the higher your risk of health problems in the future. If your blood pressure is high, it is putting extra strain on your arteries and on your heart. This may eventually cause a heart attack or stroke as your heart is trying to regulate your blood at the time you’re in most commonly in stress. This causes your heart to work faster than normal hence the reason as to why you may have heart-related issues in the near future if it isn’t looked at and monitored.

How often should I have my blood pressure checked?

You should get your blood pressure checked at least once every five years. However, as you get older your blood pressure is likely to increase and you should be checked more often. It is recommended for the people aged forty and over to get their blood pressure checked at least once every year.

For those who have high blood pressure or even on the high side of a normal blood pressure reading. It would be advised to go once every year at the least.

Your doctor or pharmacist may advise you to have it checked more often than that if you are deemed to be at a high risk of developing cardiac or stroke problems. Therefore you should always keep on top of your health and if you feel any changes it would be worthwhile talking to your doctor.

What are the early warning signs of high blood pressure?

If your blood pressure is extremely high, there may be certain symptoms to look out for which is quite noticeable. They could be:

Severe headache
Fatigue or confusion
Vision problems
Chest pain
Difficulty breathing
Irregular heartbeat
Blood in the urine
Pounding in your chest, neck, or ears

Although they could sound like times where you generally feel tired or have a headache. Times, where you feel like you shouldn’t be tired, is where you stay cautious about your activities and note them down and get some advice from your doctor.

How much does anxiety raise Blood Pressure?

If you are anxious, your arteries will begin to restrict itself and tighten. This causes your blood to be flowing around at a much irregular rate. As a result of this, your heart is then needed to work harder to pump blood through your body. Due to this stress is one such cause of anxiety, and stress that can then lead to high blood pressure (hypertension).

Anxiety doesn’t cause long term high blood pressure. Anxiety technically causes fluctuations in your blood pressure resulting in a temporary change. However, having it every day can cause damage to your blood vessels as the arterioles contract more forcefully at a longer period of time. Due to this, you may even be tempted to start smoking or drinking more as a result of this which can result in a rise of blood pressure.

Can you feel when your blood pressure is high?

Most people who have high blood pressure do not have symptoms. In some cases, people with high blood pressure may feel more sluggish. There are no real symptoms and there are different conditions for people. In fact, High Blood Pressure is known as a silent killer. If you have any headaches that are painful or notice a change it is best to call a doctor.

Do bananas lower blood pressure?

Studies have shown that having a banana a day can help lower blood pressure. The fruit is filled with potassium which is best known for lowering blood pressure. Potassium is a mineral that is needed for our body to balance out the effects that salt can have on our body and help the kidney function well. This is done by controlling the amount of fluid stored. The more fluid there is stored in your body, the higher your blood pressure.

One study, in particular, said just two bananas a day can reduce your blood pressure by 10 per cent! Other potassium-rich foods include potatoes, dates, and avocados.

Can Apple cider vinegar lower blood pressure immediately?

It also soothes sore throats, cures hiccups instantly, and lowers cholesterol. Three teaspoons per day of apple cider vinegar can lower your blood pressure significantly within a week.

Can lack of sleep cause high blood pressure?

Over time, a lack of sleep could hurt your body’s ability to regulate stress hormones, leading to high blood pressure. Obstructive sleep apnea may be the cause, and it can increase your risk of high blood pressure, as well as heart problems and other health issues.

Can dehydration cause high blood pressure?

Hypertension- High blood pressure is common in people who are chronically dehydrated. When the body’s cells lack water, the brain sends a signal to the pituitary gland to secrete vasopressin, a chemical that causes constriction of the blood vessels. This causes blood pressure to increase, which leads to hypertension.

What foods can I eat to lower my blood pressure?

Porridge.
Low fat, natural yoghurt.
Fruits, especially strawberries and bananas.
Seeds.
Kale.

Do apples lower blood pressure?

Apples lower blood pressure. That’s because apples are a great source of quercetin, a flavonoid that is quickly absorbed into your system and attacks free radicals, supports veins, and lowers blood pressure naturally.

Is cucumber good for high blood pressure?

Cucumbers contain a lot of fiber, potassium and magnesium. These nutrients work effectively for regulating blood pressure. That is why cucumber is good for treating both high blood pressure and low blood pressure.

What will bring blood pressure down quickly?

Here are 8 simple lifestyle changes you can make to lower your blood pressure and keep it down.

Lose extra pounds and watch your waistline.
Exercise regularly.
Eat a healthy diet.
Reduce sodium in your diet.
Limit the amount of alcohol you drink.
Quit smoking.
Cut back on caffeine.
Reduce your stress.

Can drinking lots of water lower blood pressure?

Staying adequately hydrated is one of the simplest ways to lower your blood pressure naturally – try to drink at least 1.5 litres of water a day.

What is the best drink for high blood pressure?

Pomegranate Juice.

Loaded with potassium and other heart-healthy nutrients, pomegranate juice has three times the antioxidant activity of green tea or red wine. It’s no surprise, then, that a 2017 review of clinically sound studies found that regularly drinking pomegranate juice can significantly reduce blood pressure.

What snacks are good for high blood pressure?

These Snacks Can Help You Avoid High Blood Pressure: –

Carrots and hummous.
Greek yogurt with berries.
Apple slices and peanut butter.
Whole wheat crackers with tuna.
Dark chocolate covered bananas.
Avoid salty snacks, such as chips and salsa, salted nuts, etc.

What vitamins help with blood pressure?

Folic acid.
Vitamin D.
Magnesium.
Potassium.
CoQ10.
Fiber.
Acetyl-L-carnitine.
Garlic.

Simply pop along to the nearest PillBox pharmacy to you, and ask our in-branch team to make you an appointment. If the branch isn’t busy, we’ll be able to see you there and then to conduct your blood pressure test. Once your readings have been taken, you will be able to speak at length to the pharmacist who took your test so that you can understand what the readings mean. You can also discuss a diet and exercise plan with our pharmacy team if you need advice on lowering or controlling your blood pressure.