Think ahead 10 years. How healthy will you be? What can you do NOW to make your future healthier? Plenty! And it's easier than you think, with a little help…

It's time to be honest about your health… You won't be the first or the last person to take your health for granted - if you feel okay, why worry? But planning ahead means you can enjoy good health for longer - definitely worth considering! So spare a few minutes now and answer the following questions, then take a look on the opposite page and find out how you can make positive changes that will help secure long term good health…

1. Do you wake after a night's sleep feeling tired and achy?
2. Do you eat the recommended five servings of fruit and vegetables daily?
3. Do you try and include plenty of fibre-rich foods in your diet?
4. Do you consider your diet is varied and healthy?
5. Are you too busy to prepare balanced, healthy meals?
6. Do you feel your digestive system is 'struggling'?
7. Do you tend to opt for salty/sugary snacks between meals?
8. Do you feel your lifestyle is stressful?
9. Do you drink the recommended 6-8 large glasses of water daily?
10. Do you include 30 minutes of moderate exercise every other day?
11. Does your energy tend to fizzle-out mid-afternoon?
12. Do you include at least three portions of oily fish each week?
13. Are you overweight? 

Make positive changes now to help secure long term health.

The honest answers… With each improvement you make, you will be increasing your long term health potential.

1 This can be a combination of many things: stress, inappropriate eating habits, lack of exercise, even an old mattress! Read on, and you'll begin to recognise why your body feels sluggish in the morning…

2 Packed with essential nutrients, fibre and water, your body loves those colourful, fresh fruit and vegetables, more is definitely better!

3 Wholegrain bread, pasta and brown rice not only taste better, they deliver a whole lot more fibre than their white counterparts. Your body needs fibre every day to help keep the digestive system in good working condition. The Guideline Daily Amount (GDA) is 24g of fibre each day but it has been suggested that 30g or more may be needed for the protection of gut health.

4 Be honest - what percentage of your diet consists of nutritionally-depleted fast food takeaways or pre-packed convenience meals? Variety is essential; you need a broad range of nutrients on a daily basis to maintain good health.

5 There are many healthy convenience items available nowadays - pre-washed salad greens, frozen fruit and vegetables, pre-cut fruit, quick-cooking poultry portions, meal replacement shakes - you CAN make a healthy meal quickly!

6 Big meals, fatty meals, eating on the run, eating when stressed, poor diet, lack of energy - your digestive system is your 'engine'. If it's struggling, it's trying to tell you it can't cope and you need to make some changes.

7 The easy options often provide empty calories so is it worth it? Healthy snacks are in abundance now so stop buying comfort food and choose nutritious snacks instead.

8 Stress causes chemical disharmony in the body. If stress is making you ill, seek professional advice: life is for living, not struggling.

9 Your body is approximately two thirds water. Second only to oxygen, water is life-giving! Every cell in the body needs to be bathed in clean water to function optimally. So drink up: water is genuinely good for you!

10 No time, interest or energy for exercise? Your body needs movement; muscles that aren't used regularly literally shrink and ligaments and tendons become weak and lose elasticity - and you may age faster! A brisk walk every other day is all it takes to remain supple. Make time for some heart-rate-increasing exercise at least three times a week to help care for your heart.

11 Reading the answers so far, you can now see why you may suffer from energy dips: inappropriate eating habits and poor choice of food. Eat the right foods at the right time and your energy will see you through to the end of the day.

12 Good fats, the type your body really needs, are the reason we need more ocean-caught fish in our diet (mackerel, sardine, salmon, tuna). These fats, 'essential fatty acids', can help reduce the risk of heart problems by helping to maintain healthy cholesterol levels. Don't skip on this one - if you don't like fish, take a daily fish oil supplement instead.

13 If you keep doing what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got! It's time for a major change, both in body and mind - new input, new attitude, new diet, new you! Achieving a healthy weight can benefit your health in so many different ways.