Stay Active and Healthy Eating

Staying active is central to looking good and being healthy, for anyone. The physical effects of being healthy are confidence-boosting, and as we know, feeling good is a big leap towards looking good.

Some people also find that exercise releases tension or frustrations, so if you think your psoriasis is triggered by stress or anxiety, this could be a good way of keeping it in check.

Unfortunately, from time to time we hear of people with psoriasis being asked to leave pools or gyms, because staff or other customers see their psoriasis, and don’t understand what it is. The best thing to do in this situation is to try to explain your condition and how no one can catch it. Ask to speak to a manager if you’d like. The Psoriasis Association is more than happy to equip you with information and materials to help you do this.

If you don’t want to go to a gym or pool, for whatever reason, there are loads of other things you can do to stay fit. Joining a class such as martial arts, dancing or aerobics would be great, and you might get to know new people in the process.

There are even simpler things you can do, such as going for a walk, a jog round the block, or even exercise DVDs or computer games in the comfort of your own living room. These methods are cheap too!

Don’t forget, if you go swimming, to moisturise your skin really well afterwards, and maybe use a barrier cream before getting in the pool, as chlorine can be drying.

If you look online, you’ll find thousands of diets that ‘cure’ psoriasis, and you might see features in magazines or hear people saying that psoriasis can be controlled through eating - or not eating - certain foods. The truth is that scientific research has not yet found a definite link, or found a diet that works for everybody. Some people do say that they noticed an improvement when they cut something out of their daily diet, and if you think you might be eating something that makes your psoriasis worse, then keeping a food diary is an easy way to spot any patterns.

Apart from that though, the best diet for staying healthy is a balanced one, featuring lots of fresh fruit and veg, and portions of protein, carbohydrate and fat.