How can I be healthier at Imperial?

Staff at Ethos are on hand to help you achieve your healthy living goals

As part of Healthy Living Week at the College, Mike Jones seeks out some top tips on how to manage a healthy lifestyle.

With the results of last year’s weigh-in pinned on my fridge at home, there should have been no better motivation for me to be a little healthier throughout 2015.

Giovanni White gives Mike a quick body MOT at Ethos

While our bathroom scales at home don’t creak to any greater extent than they used to - in fact I’ve lost 3kg since this time last year - neither have I become much of a fitness fanatic. So I took the opportunity to get re-weighed during this year’s Healthy Living Week.

Gary McDermont is one of Imperial’s Active Lifestyles Advisors. I asked for his thoughts on how to be a bit healthier, especially as my day-to-day role often involves a lot of sitting at the computer,

Other than going to Ethos Sports Centre, how can I be healthier at Imperial?

Many people think that the gym is the centre of all things health-related and seem to abandon a healthy lifestyle the minute they can’t get to one or can’t go.

Being healthy is more than just going for a jog on a treadmill. What is key is to look at all aspects of fitness, and that means paying more attention to what you are putting in your body, the percentage of time you’re moving during the day and ensuring you give yourself enough rest.

My job involves sitting down for long periods of the day not doing much moving – can I do any exercise while I’m at work?

Exercise is all about movement so moving as much as possible during the day is key. Try simple things like taking the stairs rather than the lift, walking to a person’s desk rather than phoning them, or just generally spending more time on your feet.

I’ve found myself with an extra 20 minutes of free time in my lunch break. Given that I’m dressed for work, how can I use this time to be healthy?

If you don’t want to get sweaty then simply leave your desk and go for a walk outside.

It’s a particularly good idea during the winter months when it’s generally dark when people travel to and from work. It’s good to get out in the fresh air and sunlight!

What are the best sort of goals to set myself when trying to be healthier?

Keep it simple and realistic - if you feel you are overweight then there is no point in kidding yourself that you will have a six pack in a month! Personally I always suggest that you should make weekly small goals, quarterly goals every three months and then yearly ones.

There are many classes at Ethos during Healthy Living Week and throughout term

In terms of physical fitness, set a small weekly goal based on your base fitness level. This could be as simple as getting off the tube a stop early on your way to work or giving yourself a cumulative distance to run each week.

You also need to think about nutrition. This is the big one - you are what you eat! What generally happens here is people tend to ‘starve’ themselves through sometimes radical crash diets rather than taking the time to really research what foods are good for them and what they are truly putting in their bodies.

You can start with the obvious – cut down on processed foods, while making sure to drink at least 2-3 litres of water each day.

It’s also important to make sure you take time to relax – everyone at Imperial has lots of demands on their time. Taking time away from computer screens and having regular exercise breaks really helps, even if it’s as little as going for a walk. Students can check out the Success Guide and the Student Space website for more advice.

How can I make sure that changes I make this week are ones that I stick to for longer?

The best way to set goals is to first set smaller ones that together combine into a bigger end goal. People tend to set themselves really big goals like heavy weight loss and then falter halfway when they don’t see the results they wanted. Small simple realistic goals like committing to small exercise sessions each week lead into your bigger goals like being able to run that five or 10k charity run in six months’ time.

Top tip from me? I would say keep track of all your small accomplishments in a diary that can be used to motivate yourself if you ever falter later on down the road. Whether it is being able to do one more press up than last month or that you feel less tired after spin class than you did before, always be proud of every small step you take in your journey.

Once I’ve reached my healthy target, how do I sustain it -  or should I set myself new challenges?

Set new targets! It makes sense to reassess and create new goals when you have completed your old ones. The human body adapts very quickly to exercises so creating new goals that push it to the limit keeps things fresh and that feeling of accomplishment alive.

What are the best outlets on campus for a healthy lunch? 

This is all relative to what you are doing with your day. If you are having a hard cardio session after work then opt for a higher carb lunch that will give you extra energy but if you are having quite a sedentary day then I would opt for lower carbs and higher protein.

If I had to choose, though, I would say Fuel is pretty good - you can get a piece of meat or fish and fill the rest of your box with healthy leaves like spinach and kale. Perfect!

With all this in mind, I plan on having a healthier few months. And it’s not long until GoFit at Imperial returns as well – a 12-week team challenge where you encourage your team mates to move a little more.

So why not check out the full programme of the week at the Healthy Living Week website.

Interact and join the conversation online via #HLW2016.