Please tell me your number one health tip

[neepsntatties]

Just that really. Am scrounging for ideas as I am fed up with feeling awful.

I am 45 and I do have a CFS which manifests mainly as chronic pain so there are some things that I can't do now that used to help me lots - running for example. But I move every day in small ways, yoga mostly, want to add in weight training but will need to do this in very slow and small stages but I understand it's important.

I think I eat pretty well but lack energy a lot of the time so maybe need to experiment a bit with my nutrition.

Try to keep good sleep habits, not always successful as I get a lot of tired but wired but I do prioritise it.

Don't drink, the CFS made me allergic - fun!

Interested in what people have found that has really made a difference to how they feel.

Sleep

Water

Movement (even if only a half an hour walk / could be split into 2-3 walks)

Hey there,

I've read through all the comments with great interest for myself, as I've just come off 7 months on crutches and need to feel better and move more!

Two things that have really helped with my IBS...

I went to a Kinaesiologist, rather than a Nutritionist (been before didn't tell me anything I didn't already know at the time). Now, I'm not really one for 'woo-woo' stuff 😆, and I definitely cannot explain how it works, BUT... she identified about 6-7 things for me to avoid, including gluten, and my bloating, awful stomachs, many many trips to the loo have been dramatically reduced. And some of the things I would never have thought of as triggers for me (mushroom, apples, oranges...onions, garlic 😢), but I have adjusted and found work arounds that don't trigger me. I was highly sceptical, and told her, interestingly she had a science degree as well. It's very non-invasive and seems to have proved itself to me quite dramatically.

She suggested I would benefit from Zinc, Magnesium and Probiotics and it's hard to quantify, but I'd say they have helped.

Following on from that, I also keep an eye on eating fairly low FODMAP, and I came across a lady who makes jarred sauces which are low FODMAP, I almost always cook from scratch but it has been nice to be able to grab something in a hurry and know it won't make me ill. That's Bay's Kitchen and I bought a food diary from there to help me to do low fodmap properly, and then have a go at reintroducing some foods in a controlled way.

If you are, or find you need to go gluten-free, I can highly recommend Becky Excell and her FB group and Insta page - how to make and bake anything gluten-free just gives you new hope that you don't have to miss out and feel deprived.

As a PP had said might be worth double checking you're not coeliac, as that can give a lot of the same symptoms as CFS - if you search on Becky's FB group there are lots of posts about people getting tested and pros and cons of blood tests versus the kind where they take a biopsy (I think it is) from the colon to look at auto-immune damage from gluten.

And again as PP have said, worth checking your hormones for menopause, although 9 yrs ago would have been early, it would not be unheard of, and would be easily missed. So few GPs seemed well informed about menopause sadly.

Presume your thyroid has already been tested.

Good luck with it all.

Little changes, little habits will really help. X

I found the book ‘clever guts’ from Dr Michael Mosely useful for learning more about the microbiome (good gut bacteria). Some changes I made from that book have really helped my mild IBS type symptoms. I definitely feel an improvement in mood and energy when I am eating well consistently.

He also does a podcast on BBC Sounds called ‘just one thing’. In each episode he tries once easy change that has evidence to improve health or mood. It’s a very easy listen if you are looking for inspiration

Eat when you are hungry, cook from scratch ( this massively reduces the hidden sugar in your diet)
Don’t snack, it messes with your hunger centre so you end up eating more.
I have put in weight recently because I have had some pretty big life events going on and slipped into eating convenience foods ( ready made crap) because I just haven’t had time to cook. Back to normal now and weight is rapidly disappearing.
You can eat the healthiest diet in the world, be lifelong teetotal and never smoke and still end up with cancer, degenerative diseases etc. Healthy living may improve your chances of survival but doesn’t necessarily prevent disease.
Your chance of a heart attack is probably the same whatever your weight, height or fitness but it significantly increases your chance of survival if you are healthy.
The exercise and diet industry is massive so bare in mind that some of the claims are motivated by profit.

Go for a walk outside for at least 15 minutes a day.

Sorry meant to add, my IBS was the result of endometriosis. I had lots of lesions on my bowel which were stimulated by foods contains oestrogen or mimicked oestrogen. Tartrazine was probably the worst ( orange food colorant. Also chicken when they used to use hormones to speed up growth, fortunately it has now been banned in uk.
I am now post menopausal and after having breast cancer I am taking hormone blockers. My bowel has never been so settled as a result of very low oestrogen levels.