Healthy Living Healthy Minds

The Healthy Living Healthy Minds (HLHM) programme is designed to help people improve their mental wellbeing by improving aspects of their lifestyle, like combining healthy eating with a balanced diet. The aim is to educate and coach people through attending webinars, virtual exercise classes, and 1-1 telephone coaching over a period of 6-12 weeks.

A healthy lifestyle is made up from a combination of factors, including healthy eating to maintain a healthy weight by incorporating a balanced diet and physical activity into our everyday actions. By eating nourishing foods and avoiding saturated fat to encourage healthy lifestyles, we can maintain a healthy outlook on life, improving our physical and mental health in the process.

At Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Talking Therapies, our Healthy Living Healthy Minds (HLHM) programme is designed to support you in achieving a healthy lifestyle, but we also offer further services, including talking therapies like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), to support you and your mental health.

We are here for you.

How does the Healthy Living Healthy Minds programme work?

An initial 60-minute assessment will include an in-depth discussion about various aspects of your lifestyle, from your diet and physical activity to mental health, including your goal setting. This will help both you and our team understand what you are hoping to achieve as a result of taking part in the HLHM programme.

Then, you will be booked onto the programme itself, which consists of six weekly online groups sessions of each of the following:

• Webinars on a variety of topics, such as improving motivation, improving sleep, better physical health for mental health and improving your diet
• Virtual exercise classes suitable for beginners, including boxercise, strength and balance, and stretch and relaxation
• Weekly one-to-one personalised coaching calls to help you achieve your goals

At the end of HLHM programme, you will understand the importance of achieving a healthier lifestyle and will have achieved realistic goals related to specific areas of your lifestyle that you struggle with. You will feel better prepared to move forward with a healthy outlook on life, with a bank of ideas and tips on looking after your physical and mental health.

All you need to access the programme is a smartphone, tablet or computer. You can join the sessions on these devices from the comfort of your own home.

How does a healthy lifestyle improve mental health?

There is an overwhelming amount of evidence to support that improving lifestyle factors can improve mental health:

• Increased physical activity can lead to mood enhancement, stress and anxiety reduction, improved self-esteem and relieved symptoms of depression.
• A healthy diet improves gut-brain connection and nutrient intake.
• Getting more or better sleep can improve mood, cognitive function and is a stress and anxiety management tool.
• More social connection can lead to reduced isolation, more emotional support and a new or improved sense of belonging.

Implementing these lifestyle factors into your everyday actions and routine can promote a healthy outlook on life, and our HLHM programme can support you as you begin to put these aspects into action.

HLHM will look at your current ability to incorporate physical activity, healthy eating and healthy habits in your daily life, and any concerns, anxieties, or beliefs which are making those activities more difficult.

You may be dealing with a mental health problem and are struggling to handle your feelings with a healthy diet or overall healthy lifestyle. From feeling anxious, low, exhausted or overwhelmed, or even if you are dealing with a long term condition, these factors can all impact on your lifestyle.

If you are struggling with your mental health, you may also consider getting support to help you manage your feelings, as well as joining the HLHM programme. We offer:

• Counselling for Depression to help you deal with feelings of sadness, hopelessness or low mood
• Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) if you are dealing with PTSD after a traumatic event
• Employment support if you are dealing with work-related problems and stress
• Cancer support, regardless of whether cancer is impacting you directly or indirectly
• Mindfulness Based Programmes to help you understand yourself in more depth
• Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) to support low mood and depression
• Talking Therapies for Couples, consisting of Behavioural Couples Therapy (BCT) and Cuples Counselling for Depression (CCfD) to support your relationship
• VR Phobia Therapy to guide you through computer-simulated environments tailored to your specific phobia

Being aware of these services is crucial because there may be underlying issues regarding your mental health that are having an impact on your lifestyle and preventing you from maintaining a healthy weight or a healthy outlook on life.

At Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Talking Therapies, we can support you with whatever is impacting your physical and mental health, and we can help you move forward.

How do I access the HLHM programme?

It’s easy to join our HLHM programme, as you can self-refer to our services via our digital assistant Limbic, our online form or by calling us on 0333 188 1060. Alternatively, your GP or other healthcare professional can refer you to our service. You must be located in the Nottingham or Nottinghamshire area, be aged 18 or over and be registered with a GP in the area.

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, get urgent help now.