10 health hacks to help cut cancer risk

We’ve been asking people to share their tips and tricks to make being healthy just a little bit easier. Not smoking, keeping a healthy weight, cutting back on booze, eating a healthy diet and being more active are all important components of a healthy lifestyle. And they could all cut cancer risk. But sometimes we need a little nudge to get us on our way.

Here are our favourite ‘health hacks’:

1. Posh your squash

It’s the end of a hard day, and all you want is a drink to help you wind down. Keep the ritual but cut the booze – make yourself a fancy soft drink instead. Go on, posh your squash!

• Watch hack 1 on YouTube

2. Water down your cravings

Sometimes when cravings for a cigarette strike, all you need is a distraction. Drinking a big glass of water can help quench those cravings.

• Watch hack 2 on YouTube

3. Homemade microwave popcorn

Homemade popcorn can be a healthy high-fibre snack, and it’s as simple as putting a bowl of kernels in the microwave. You could also add some tasty toppings, like cocoa powder or mixed herbs, instead of sugar or salt.

• Watch hack 3 on YouTube

4. Prepare your kit and get fit

Habits are all about cues. Put your kit out the night before to remind yourself to exercise. Plus it makes it as easy as possible to just grab it and go!

• Watch hack 4 on YouTube

5. Scale down your portions

Curb your carbs by weighing portions of rice and pasta. Take the guessing out of dinner to help you stick to the right amount. You could even leave the scales out to remind you to do it every time.

• Watch hack 5 on YouTube

6. Freeze leftover booze into cubes

You’ve shared a couple of glasses of wine with dinner and there’s a bit left in the bottle. Rather than drink it just to save it going to waste, you can freeze it to use it for cooking sauces another time (this also saves you opening a bottle then too).

• Watch hack 6 on YouTube

7. Beat your cravings and make some savings

It’s easy to let how much you spend on cigarettes pass you by. Put the money you would have spent aside for a month, see it build up, and then treat yourself to something you really want.

• Watch hack 7 on YouTube

8. Reshape your plate

To get yourself on the way to your 5-a-day, try filling half your plate with veggies before any other food. It can help you get more of the good stuff.

• Watch hack 8 on YouTube

9. Memo to move

It can be hard to do enough exercise. So a simple reminder on your calendar or phone to take a break and walk can be a good start to getting you to your 10,000 steps a day. The more steps the better.

• Watch hack 9 on YouTube

10. Size matters

We naturally want to fill our plate. And our brain thinks a full plate means we’re eating more. So trick your brain into eating healthier amounts by switching to a smaller plate – smaller plates mean smaller portions.

• Watch hack 10 on YouTube

Try one, or try them all. Small changes can all add up to have a big impact. 4 in 10 cancer cases in the UK could be prevented, largely through things like not smoking, keeping a healthy weight, cutting back on booze, eating a healthy diet and being more active. So where will you start?

Sophia Lowes is a health information officer at Cancer Research UK