This week is Men's Health Week which aims to highlight the issues that men face regarding health, wellbeing and encouraging men to share the challenges that they face. We spoke to our Pharmacist Martin Jennings who shared his thoughts and tips for improving wellbeing.

I am so fortunate in my role here at Medicus Pharmacy to enjoy what I do and the difference that I can make to our patients on a day to basis. Personally, I like to get back into my daily routine and put some structure back into my daily routine but it is important to start slowly and not try to tackle everything at once however tempting this may seem!

In terms of health and wellbeing my top tips would be :

1) Set goals and write them down, this makes us accountable and give us something to look back on at the end of the year and see how we have done. For me if it's not written down in black and white its not real!


2) Start small, many people try to go to quickly in whatever their goal may be, however its always good to build up, for example if someone wanted to increase their activity I'd advise to start by increasing their daily step count rather than jumping into a 10km run.


3) Focus on the basics..... or “world class basics” as they have become popularly known! These really do make a difference in terms of getting you motivated and ready to achieve goals. An example could be prepping healthy food in advance to eat for lunches or packing your gym bag the night before thus removing any temptation to say in bed !


4) Practice gratitude, be grateful for the positives in your life no matter how small, this could be spending time with a loved one or even taking time out for a coffee. This will be different for everyone but again, I find it helps to write these down especially looking back over and reflecting upon them at a later date. Start a gratitude journal and if you ever have a bad day, looking back over it is a great way to inject some positivity.


5) Take some “me time” - often those of us with busy lives neglect ourselves and our own wellbeing its important to take some time for ourselves be it a walk, listening to a podcast or even a relaxing treatment available in our skincare department, Skin by Medicus! Whatever your preference ensure you fit this in at least once a week.


Everyday is a new day and a new opportunity to move forward in whatever you aim to achieve. Don’t be too disheartened by set backs a small step is better than none, and remember on those day don’t forget the positives!