Be Smart, Be Sensible, Be Safe

19/12/2007

Smart, sensible, safe - these are the key words to remember this festive time, according to Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust.

Alcohol and relaxation at the end of the year can sometimes cause people to take risks or ‘throw caution to the wind’ with everything from their diet to their sexual health.

Dr Shona Arora, Director of Public Health at the PCT, says: “Christmas and New Year is a great time to enjoy some festive fun but we want people to be smart when they go out so they remain safe and enjoy their celebrations.”

Key things to remember are:

Be smart - eat small and regular meals to keep your energy up. With working, shopping, cooking, enjoying family and partying our energy can be zapped quite quickly and we need food to maintain our energy and help our body ward off the colds and viruses that can spread around.

Be sensible - don’t skip meals during the day as a weight loss strategy and then drink alcohol all night. Cutting out food is not a quick fix and can cause the alcohol to work more quickly, making you less in control.

Be safe - make your sexual health your own responsibility. Use a condom. Sexually transmitted diseases can affect both men and women; it’s not just unwanted pregnancy to worry about.