Shilpa: Hi I'm Shilpa Scola: Hi I'm Scola
Shilpa: And today we're talking about staying healthy.
Shilpa: How has exercise and being healthy impacted your life?
Scola: I'm just so much more of a happier person. I think I used to be quite quiet and
just a little bit like, bleurgh and now I feel like I'm a lot more, like 'wooo!'.
You don't have to put in that much work to get results. It's little changes here and there.
Shilpa: And that can have a really long term benefit...
Scola: A lot of my friends who thought they were healthy just cos they were, like, skinnier
when they were younger, now when they're getting older they're gaining weight or they're getting problems.
Shilpa: What impact do you think body size has?
Scola: You need to forget about 'this is what
being healthy looks like', because you can be ripped and look like you have all the muscle
and you could be doing super unhealthy things with your body. It's down to your lifestyle and what you do.
Shilpa: And how often should we exercise if we want to stay healthy?
Scola: If you can, maybe, like, three times a week...like, 15 / 30 minutes of doing an exercise.
Shilpa: For some young people it might be hard to, like, get a gym membership or y'know
go to classes and things like that. Are there any other things you think you can do, like
on a budget? Scola: There's so much you can do. You can
literally just go running outdoors which is awesome.
Shilpa...You can like lift tins of beans in your room...
Scola: Exactly! You have loads of water bottles? Just lift it, you got your workout. It's great.
Shilpa: I've seen that you do some really fun things like exercise and dancing...
Scola: It's just letting go and having so much fun. In your room just like move your
body really vigorously for like 30 minutes. You're done!
Shilpa: What sort of things do you think you can do if you're finding exercise really difficult?
Scola: It's just finding ways to fit it in to your day to day life like if you're on
your way home from school, walk the longer route even if you don't want to, just get
it in then and an after school club, a sports club or something, like once or twice a week...
Shilpa: What are the watchouts for young people that want to get into weights?
Scola: You are still growing and some exercises can be a little bit hard on your body or could
y'know disrupt the growth. You can start strength training, it's just seeking out the right
and correct advice before just going mad and just lifting up like 100kg and then breaking
your back. Shilpa: If you do have a disability or you
have restricted mobility things like cardio vascular exercises, chair exercises...
Scola: There are so many different ways to be active even if you are a little bit restricted.
Don't let anything stop you. Shilpa: With things like eating well, the
things that you eat need to be balanced. Scola: Protein, carbs and fats and you wanna
make sure you have a balance of all of them. Having carbs is so good for you and your body
needs it. It's one of your essential micro-nutrients. Do not stop eating your fruits and vegetables
- even if you don't like them just find the ones you do like and eat as much of those
as possible. If you do have any dietary requirements; you're a vegetarian; you're vegan or something
like that, it's just about doing the research for you and finding what you need but it is
totally possible to get all the nutrients you need, no matter what your requirements are.
Shilpa: A lot of people feel like being healthy
means limiting their calorie intake. Scola: I mean for some people the numbers
can just mess you up and it can get a little bit much. It's about what you're eating, not
how much you're eating. Don't cut anything out; don't reduce something a crazy amount;
just have everything in a good balance and you should be fine.
Shilpa: There can be a stage where healthy eating or healthy living can crossover into,
I suppose, obsession. Scola: If this lifestyle of trying to be healthier
is actually stressing you out and making you feel anxious and upset, then probably something
has gone wrong because it should be something that's so fun. I think it's just about being
very self-aware about what you're doing and whether you're happy or not.
Shilpa: And that's great advice - and you can always talk to a ChildLine counsellor
as well. Do you find you feel different when you've had a good night's sleep and does that
affect... Scola: ...oh yeah! That is when your body
goes to work. That's when your body... Shilpa...repairs itself...
Scola...yeah, exercise is just so good for sleep...
Shilpa: That combination of exercise and then getting more sleep can really help you.
Scola: It's just a much more restful sleep. Shilpa: As far as exercise and diet goes you
can do as much or as little as you want really... Scola: I think it's up to you to figure out
your happy balance. It's about you being the healthiest and happiest you can be in yourself
and deciding what that is for you. Shilpa: And now we want to hear from you!
Let us know in the comments below, what tips do you have for staying healthy? And if you
want more information there are links in the description too. Thank you so much for coming
in Scola, you've been brilliant! Scola: Thank you for having me!
Shilpa: We'll see you next week. Byeee. Scola; Bye!