A recent study, Physical Activity 2016, published in The Lancet analysed data taken from over a thousand people, and the results are revealing. Scientists concluded that 1 hour’s ‘brisk exercise’ per day offsets the risks of early death that are linked to a sedentary, desk-bound working life.

The study looked at people with different levels of physical activity in their lifestyles – from the least active (<5 minutes exercise per day) to those who were active for 1 to 1 ½ hours a day, to the most active, to obtain valuable data about the impact of activity and inactivity. Participants were observed for between 2 and 14 years and their death rates recorded.

The results were clear: those who spent 8 hours a day sitting down but were physically active carried a lower risk of premature death than those who sat down for fewer hours per day but were not active.

Being inactive is known to increase the risk of serious health issues including heart disease, diabetes and some types of cancer. Apparently, watching TV is even worse than sitting at a desk, probably because of accompanying bad habits such as snacking or because TV viewing late in the evening may affect the metabolism. A sedentary lifestyle has been linked to 5.3 million deaths per year worldwide.

Professor Ulf Ekelund of the University of Cambridge and the Norwegian School of Sports Sciences, who led the study, said: ‘For many people who […] have office based jobs, there is no way to escape sitting for prolonged periods of time. […] We cannot stress enough the importance of getting exercise, whether it’s getting out for a walk at lunchtime, going for a run in the morning or cycling to work. […] An hour of physical activity per day is ideal, but if this is unmanageable, then at least doing some exercise each day can help reduce the risk.”

Dr Mike Loosemore from the English Institute of Sport added: ‘For the vast majority of people while the best way to stay healthy would be to do an hour of moderate activity a day, realistically the best place to start is reducing your sedentary behaviour at work by sitting less and try to increase whatever physical activity you are doing.’

We all need to do our best to look after our health – for our own sake and that of our families. If you would like to add another layer of protection, private health insurance may be a good idea. For an informal chat about a wide range of policies available in the market, speak to one of our experienced advisers – call 0800 8497744 today or get a free, no obligation quote here.

If someone near you suffered a stroke, would you be able to recognise the signs? Would you know what to do in an emergency? According to the Stroke Association, there are 152,000 stroke attacks in the UK every year – that’s one person having a stroke every 3 ½ minutes.

But did you know that around 10,000 cases of strokes could be avoided if only we knew how to spot the symptoms early? When stroke strikes, you need to act fast!

What is a stroke?

A stroke is a life threatening medical emergency that occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is suddenly cut off. It is also known as a ‘brain attack’. Without adequate blood supplying oxygen to the brain cells, they can quickly become damaged or die. How exactly this affects the sufferer depends on which brain cells are involved. It can be fatal.

If you suspect that someone is having a stroke, speed is of the essence. You should phone 999 and request an ambulance immediately.

Recognising the symptoms

A stroke usually comes on suddenly, but the signs and symptoms vary widely between individuals; it depends which part of the brain is affected and how extensive the damage to the brain and nervous system is.

It’s important to be able to recognise the signs early, particularly among high risk groups including the elderly, diabetics or those with high blood pressure.

A good way to quickly remember how to recognise the signs and symptoms of a stroke is by using the acronym FAST, which stands for:

FACE: Check the person’s face. Is it droopy on one side? Are they able to smile normally or do you detect a slack mouth or eye? Is there facial paralysis?

ARMS: Ask the person to lift both arms up and observe how well they can carry out your instruction. Is there weakness or numbness on one side?

SPEECH: Has the person’s speech suddenly become indistinct or garbled? Are they able to talk at all?

TIME: If you detect any of the symptoms above, don’t waste any time to get medical help. Call 999 now.

Other symptoms

While the primary signs and symptoms above are sufficient to identify that a stroke is in progress or has occurred, there may also be various other symptoms, including:

• Paralysis on one side of the body
• Dizziness and difficulties with body coordination and balance
• Sudden visual problems and/or extreme headache
• Cognitive difficulties and confused mental state
• Loss of consciousness

What is a mini stroke?

When the symptoms of a stroke seem temporary and disappear after a while, it may be tempting to dismiss them. Don’t – the person may have just suffered a mini stroke, also known as a transient ischaemic attack (TIA). Far from being harmless, this can be a serious warning sign that a full blown stroke is on its way.

Even if the symptoms seem to have gone away completely, it is still essential to get checked out by a GP or local hospital as soon as possible and get a full assessment and/or treatment. Don’t brush any passing symptoms under the carpet; your life or that of someone close to you may just depend on getting seen by a medical practitioner.

Are you insured?

No-one wants to think about the unthinkable. But what would happen to your family if you suffered a stroke or other life threatening illness – would they be financially protected if you were unable to provide for them? Critical illness and life assurance cover may be sensible option.

If you would like to find out more about suitable life and family protection policies or get a quote, feel free to call our friendly, professional advisers on 0800 8497744.

We would all like to imagine that when we are injured or become unwell, that the best possible treatment will be available to us. In the UK we have the NHS which provides an excellent service, but if you would like to have even more peace of mind it can be a brilliant idea to opt for private medical insurance. Here are the four best reasons to get health insurance.

Faster access to treatment

When you are diagnosed with a medical condition you are then at the mercy of the NHS waiting list as to when your treatment might take place. While the service will always endeavour to be as quick as possible, it can sometimes be months between the point at which you are diagnosed to when you can get the treatment you need.

With private health insurance you will be seen much more quickly which means there is less time both in pain and worrying about the condition. This can be especially important if you work for yourself or find it difficult to have time away from work. If you are injured or diagnosed with a condition that stops you from working it can make things very difficult. Insurance ensures you can be healthy and get back to work as soon as possible.

A broader range of options

You might not be aware of the fact that many drugs and treatments options simply are not available on the NHS. This is because the UK’s national governing body has decided that certain options are too expensive to make them available. Usually these are for fringe drugs that are not deemed to have enough value to the country as a whole.

However, if you have a specific and unusual condition that could benefit from that drug, it won’t be an option for you. With private medical insurance you are afforded a much broader range of options including many therapies and drugs that the NHS doesn’t fund. This can give you that added peace of mind to know that you always have the optimum treatment available to you.

A second opinion

Medical insurance gives you the option of getting a second opinion. When you use the NHS you will usually be relying on the analysis of one GP or perhaps a single specialist in a hospital. With any medical diagnosis it is simply the opinion of the doctor, so if you think you could benefit from a second opinion for another expert, health insurance gives you that option.

It’s also true that when you are on the NHS you will be assigned a surgeon and hospital of their choice. With private medical insurance you will be able to choose them yourself.

A private room

While it might seem unnecessary to have a private room while you recover, you would be surprised at the difference it would make. Aside from enjoying extra privacy as you get better, you are also able to have visitors at any time rather than having to work around the visiting hours of an NHS hospital.

In the UK we have the NHS which offers free medical treatment to every individual in the country. However, many people are choosing to pay the extra and supplement what is already on offer with additional services. But is it really that important to get health insurance? Let’s look at some of the reasons why it can be so valuable to you.

Getting treatment faster

When it comes to emergency medical treatment, no-one in the UK can match the services of the NHS. But when you are looking to get routine and non-emergency treatment for other conditions and injuries, there can often be a waiting list on the NHS. Having private medical insurance will mean you can get faster access to treatment. It can be very frustrating to have to wait many months between consultations and then surgery and other treatments. Paying the extra for private medical care can mean you get things sorted as soon as possible.

It is also true that with medical insurance you can get quicker access to follow-up procedures and treatments such as physiotherapy. This can really help speed up your recovery.

Access to additional expert opinions

When you are treated by your GP, you will generally be diagnosed by them or admitted to a hospital to be seen by one expert in the field. When you have private health insurance you can get a second opinion from a private doctor or seek out a specific specialist who you would like to treat you. This can be enormously valuable as any diagnosis you receive from a doctor will only be in their medical opinion, while another doctor might see the situation differently.

It’s also true that some drugs and treatments that aren’t available through the NHS can be funded by health insurance. This can open up a range of avenues for different treatments.

Choose the surgeon and hospital you want

Another reason that health insurance can be valuable is that you can choose the surgeon and the hospital that you want for your surgery or treatment. On the NHS this is not possible as you will simply be assigned a doctor. You will also have no choice over when your treatment will take place – but with insurance you will have the option to choose a time that suits you. This allows you to have your treatment around your current plans rather than having to change things up to suit the NHS.

Cheaper than paying for private treatment yourself

You may find that you when you become injured or ill you wish to get faster treatment than what is available on the NHS. However, paying from private medical care yourself is very expensive. This is why it can be a great idea to simply pay the fees for a health insurance package now so that you are prepared for the future.