The NHS Better Health website lists four things customers can do that can have an impact on their health: lose weight, get active, quit smoking and drink less.¹ This module will take you through each of these topics, so you can feel confident advising customers on lifestyle changes. 

Lose weight²

As well as the visible signs of weight gain, fat can also build up around vital organs, making it harder for the body to fight against diseases such as cancer, heart disease and COVID-19. Customers who are overweight can help reduce their risk of developing serious diseases by reducing their weight. 

Making small changes to what customers eat and drink can really help. You can offer advice such as: 

• Try to fill half your plate with vegetables. They are low in calories and high in fibre and help keep you full for longer 
• Include some protein in every meal to help keep you full. Good sources of protein include beans, pulses, fish, eggs and meat 
• Try and stick to wholegrain carbohydrates where possible. Carbs should make up no more than a third of your meal 
• Swap to unsaturated oils, such as olive or rapeseed, and only eat spreads in small amounts 
• Swapping to water rather than sugary drinks and not taking sugar in tea and coffee can make a big difference in the long term
• Try to plan meals in advance so that you don’t end up grabbing something in a hurry that may be higher in fats and sugars. 

Your pharmacist may want you to refer customers with a medical condition to them. Ask your pharmacist which customers they would like you to refer. 

Get active 

Being active is an important part of keeping our bodies healthy and reducing the risk of health problems. This month’s In Practice module, Get active, covers the activity recommendations for adults and how you can advise customers on small changes for a more active lifestyle. 

Quit smoking^3,4

Stopping smoking is possibly the best thing people can do to improve their health and the benefits can be seen almost immediately. It not only improves physical health but also is proven to boost mental health and wellbeing. Quitting can improve mood and help relieve stress, anxiety and depression. 

However, it can be really challenging to achieve! You can support customers by advising them on nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), such as nicotine patches or gum. If you feel a customer would benefit from further support, you can signpost them to local stop smoking services or Boots Online Doctor for stop smoking treatment. 

For customers who are not yet ready to quit, you could suggest swapping to a smoking alternative, such as an electronic cigarette, or setting small goals to gradually reduce. 

Did you know?

One year after giving up smoking the risk of a heart attack will have dropped to half that of someone who smokes.³

Drink less⁵

Any reduction in alcohol intake is beneficial to health. Many alcoholic drinks contain lots of calories, so cutting down on alcohol will also benefit weight loss. 

You can advise customers that it's recommended to drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week, which is equivalent to roughly six medium (175 ml) glasses of wine or six pints of 4% beer. It is also recommended that these units are spread across three days or more. 

Tips you can give to help customers to stop drinking include: 

• Gradually increase your number of drink free days 
• Swap to lower alcohol alternatives. The alcoholic strength of wines and beers can vary a lot, so keep an eye on the % ABV (alcohol by volume) and choose lower strengths where possible. Look out for 'reduced alcohol' or 'low alcohol' drinks too 
• Waiting until your evening meal before you have a drink is a simple way to help cut down
• Mix up how you socialise so that drinking isn’t always involved, e.g. go out for breakfast, go for a walk or sign up for a new class with friends 
• Try setting an alcohol budget. 

Customers may notice short-term benefits from cutting down on alcohol, such as feeling less tired, feeling better in the mornings and saving money, which can help motivate them to stick to drinking less. In the longer term, some of the important health benefits they will experience include a reduced risk of stroke, high blood pressure, cancer and liver disease. 

For customers who have become physically dependent on alcohol, stopping drinking completely overnight could be harmful. They should be advised to seek medical advice before they stop drinking.