A while back, the peeps from Tots100 got in touch and asked if any of us would be interested in reviewing the health and well-being website, patient.co.uk, and given the fact that I’m currently pregnant and have a series of ongoing health issues, I thought it might be beneficial to me to give it a go.
After registering, users go through a questionnaire which I found to be really comprehensive. I had to give details of existing conditions and medications that I take, as well as questions about my medical history and family medical history. There’s a whole section of questions which are associated to lifestyle, including height, weight and exercise habits and by the end of it, I really felt as though I’d gone through every aspect of my medical and personal details.
Based on all of the questions, patient.co.uk then gives users a Q-score, which indicates areas which are good and those which need improvement. Obviously, the site picked up on the fact that my weight is far from ideal, but the thing I liked was that it didn’t focus entirely on the negatives. It made note of the fact that I don’t smoke and that I drink probably about once a year and took that into account, which is nice because sometimes, as a person with weight issues, it can really feel like the doom and gloom is poured on when it comes to anything health related, with nothing positive to focus on. In fact, overall I did better than I thought I would, which puts me in a far healthier frame of mind when it comes to attending to my health – I can make smaller, more manageable goals and not be put off by the feeling that I’m climbing a metaphorical Everest.
The site then signs you up for a 12-week health programme and emails you each week to remind you of your goals and encourage you as you go along, which are really helpful for motivation and maintaining the right frame of mind. The recommendations that I’ve received so far have been really helpful for me and will definitely help me to stay on the right track once the baby is born, and not slip back into old eating habits.
Patient.co.uk also have a handy widget which allows you to do a 30-second health check to see how healthy you are, which is really useful if you just want to do a quick assessment of yourself:
I’m really glad I took a look at patient.co.uk as it’s allowed me to really focus on what changes I need to make to my lifestyle and has made me realise that it doesn’t have to be an uphill struggle. It’s nice to find a site which highlights the positives and doesn’t make me feel like a failure before I’ve even started and I think it could be beneficial to everyone, even those without the need to lose weight, as a way to concentrate on being the healthiest you that you can be.
