My intention was to get back to writing daily emails.  I had time set aside on Tuesday.

Then my plans changed in an instant.

My Mum called to tell me that the hospital had rang to say she needed to go to A&E and have somebody with her immediately.

She'd been to her GP's on Monday because she felt palpitations for a couple of weeks and wanted to get checked out; obviously she hadn't mentioned these to me.  If you are aware of your hearts rhythm you do need to get it checked immediately (feeling it pumping during exercise is different).

She had a blood test and that resulted in the call from the hospital.

Her potassium levels were mega-low and possibly the cause of the palpitations.  

Her diet isn't brilliant but it's not terrible either.  The doctor at the hospital checked out her current medications and concluded that it was most likely down to one of the medications she was on.

And that's the point of this email.  If you have been taking a medication for more than 6 months, it is worth a trip to the doctor to check if you still need to be on it.

Doctors are incredibly busy, if you don't go in and ask they assume everything is ok; if you simply phone in the get a repeat prescription, it makes their life easier.  

We're not designed to be on medications long term.  They all have side effects and every individual will react differently to every drug or combination of drugs.

At Team Achieve our long term aim is to have a positive effect on the health of everybody we come in to contact with; both face to face and via these emails.  

Improving health is about looking at the big picture, we used to focus solely on the scales.  It's something we're good at.  However, your weight is a very small part of your overall health picture.

Our members not only look better following their time with us but feel fantastic and have a much more positive outlook on what they can achieve.

If you're trying to lose weight or get fit but feel like sh!t and are tired all of the time.  Something about the plan you are following isn't working.

It may be time for a check up on your diet and exercise too.

That's what we're experts in.

If you're ill, see a doctor; it's what they're trained in.

If you want to feel great, seek an expert that helps you do that - hint: that's what we do ;)

Our next bootcamp block starts in 2 weeks time, if you want to join a team who do more than just exercise and eating plans you can find more details at www.achievebootcamp.co.uk

Darren 'check up' Checkley

PS My Mum is cool now, she had to have a drip and a stay overnight but is feeling much better.

PPS Something that really impressed me at the hospital was the triage nurse dealing with my Mum initially had to take some more blood.  He was struggling to find a good source, rather than 'stabbing away blindly', his words, he called in an 'expert'.  Someone much more experienced than he was.

Do the same, get expert help to improve your health.