Research finds that over a quarter of Irish adults worry about their health ‘all the time’

Do you find yourself constantly concerned about your health? Worried about exercising, or whether your diet is a healthy or an unhealthy one? Well, you’re not alone. According to research by LloydsPharmacy, over a quarter (27%) of Irish adults worry about their health all the time, with a further 16% claiming to worry about it at least once a week.

There are plenty of different aspects of health that we worry ourselves about, including our diet, weight, mental health and physical appearance. According to LloydsPharmacy’s survey, the most concerning aspect for Irish people was maintaining their weight, with 24% saying they were concerned about it. Getting enough sleep is also a worry for us, with 16% citing this as a regular concern.

Young people (aged 18-24) are significantly more likely to be concerned about how healthy their diet is compared to any other age group. But as we age, different concerns take priority, with those aged 65+ more likely to be concerned about blood pressure, for example.

LloydsPharmacy’s Change Your Health Direction programme

The research was commissioned by LloydsPharmacy as part of their Change Your Health Direction programme for 2019, which focuses on improving people’s long term health by helping them with a personal transformation plan.

Although we’re into springtime, there’s no bad time to start a new resolution and to begin reforming your health journey. LloydsPharmacy offer a free 8-week programme to those wanting to make improvements, with focus areas such as smoking cessation, nutrition advice, weight management, low energy levels, trouble sleeping, blood pressure and more. The programme is available across the 90 stores nationwide — so whatever your goals are, they can provide you with free advice and tips to help you reach your target, no matter how big or small. And as many of the pharmacies are open late in the evening and at weekends, you can do this at a time that suits you.

The programme is a great solution to help people stay on track — if you find it hard to stay committed to a programme, then this is the way to do it. Free weekly weigh-ins and a bespoke personal health and wellbeing plan targeted at your specific goals means you’ll always feel motivated to keep going. In addition to the weekly weigh-ins, there are one-to-one sessions with trained health coaches to review the past week and discuss tips and advice to keep you on track for the following week. Helpful tips are provided on exercise, smoking cessation and nutrition, as well as access to BMI and blood pressure tests and a range of healthy recipe ideas.

Some of the products available at LloydsPharmacy can really help you to make small changes in order to improve your overall health. Supplements have many benefits from helping to boost your intake of essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients, to helping to improve energy levels and dietary function.

How to sign up

If you’ve found yourself flagging at your resolutions, or want to get in shape and feel healthier and happier for the rest of 2019, then take a look at how LloydsPharmacy can help you out. To sign up to the Change Your Health Direction programme, simply pop into your local LloydsPharmacy store and sign up, or download and print your own 8 week Health Diary to track your weight loss, food and drink consumption and follow health tips.