·         Smoking – The effects of smoking can be damage/ diseases such as cancer to the mouth, throat and lungs. 

·         Alcohol – The recommendation for alcohol consumption per week is now 14 units per week for both men and women. The risks for drinking excessive amounts of alcohol can be damage to the liver and even cancer as well as this, some people could develop an addiction. 

·         Drugs – The effects of illegal drugs can be a range of things from paranoia, seizures and sometimes death to reduced reaction times, hallucinations and addiction. The effects of overusing legal drugs can be a reliance on the drug to function normally, addictions and often buying them from untrustworthy places or faking symptoms to get a prescription. 

·         Stress – The effects of too much stress can be things such as high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms and strokes, as well as this is can also lead to mental health issues as well as what is referred to as burn out. However, the effects of not enough stress can be trouble sleeping, restlessness and headaches as well as something known as rust out.

·         Diet – The effects of a healthy and balanced diet can be reduced risk of diseases such as heart disease and diabetes, it helps with mood and energy and therefore helps with mental health (healthy body, healthy mind). 

·         Physical activity – The benefits of physical activity are that the lower the risk of many different cancers, heart diseases and strokes as well as lowering the risk of depression while rising self-esteem. 

 www.nhs.uk

www.comfortkeepers.com 

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov 

·         Alcohol consumption – If someone drinks too much alcohol for a long period of time, they could increase the risks of cancer, strokes and cirrhosis. This can mean that the persons normal bodily functions are affected by their decision to drink too much alcohol. This can influence someone applying to the public services because they will not be employed if they are not fit for working. 

·          Stress – This can have a huge effect on how someone can manage their everyday lives, as too much stress can cause exhaustion, lack of energy and concentration, angina, strokes and hypertension. This can majorly affect a person’s chances of getting into a public service as in the services they require a lot of pressure and stress, if a person does not function well in a situation of high stress, they will not get in. 

·          Drugs – There are many risks associated with drugs. Recreational drugs (such as cocaine, marijuana, or methamphetamine) used without medical justification for its psychoactive effects, whereas performance drugs (such as an anabolic steroid, human growth hormone, or erythropoietin) are used to improve physical performance and enhance strength. This will have a massive effect on someone attempting to join the Public Services as there is a zero tolerance to all illegal drugs in the services so if you are found to have taken them you will be discharged immediately. 

·         Personal Hygiene – This can have a huge effect on the atmosphere of a long-term workplace. This is because you will often be working together in a team so if one or tow people have a lack of personal hygiene, they risk the spread of bacteria and infections within that workplace. As well as this, it can be unpleasant for their colleagues. 

www.merriam-webster.com 

www.nhs.uk 

Diet can be very positive to they way your body works. Having a balanced diet is good for you because it provides you with all the energy you need to get through the day, this is very important because you need to be able to concentrate of the things you do. This is mostly important in the Public Services because if you are not focused you may make mistakes and things could go wrong. As well as this, having a good diet reduces the risk of things such as diabetes, obesity, heart diseases and attacks etc. On the other hand, some people could be too healthy. By this it means that you could be only eating very healthy food. This could mean that you are not getting the unhealthy food that is still a part of a balanced diet which could lead losing too much weight too quickly. This is bad when applying for the Public Services as you need to be a good level of healthy to be accepted. 

Stress can have many effects on the way we function on a day-to-day basis, these can be positive and negative. Some positives of a good amount of stress is that it can increase productivity and concentration. This is good because it allows you to get work done and achieve lot during the day. This is ideal when applying for the Public Services as you would be under stress a lot of the time in the line of work that you aim for. However, there are negative effects of too much or too little stress. For example, too much stress can cause mental and physical problems such as depression and anxiety, headaches, strokes and high blood pressure. This is bad when applying for the Public Services because if you are under a lot of stress you may not be able to do your job to the best of your ability. Finally, too little stress can also cause problems such as restlessness, sleeping problems and headaches. This is again a risk when joining the Public Services as you may find the job hard to cope with when it begins to get more stressful. 

Drugs and Alcohol have a lot of different effects on the body, many of them negative. However, they can have some positives. Some positives of alcohol is that it can reduce the risk of developing heart disease and Possibly reduces the risk of an ischemic stroke. Some positives of certain drugs such as marijuana is that it can be a very good pain reliever and is known to be used by cancer patients despite it being an illegal class B drug. This is important when joining the Public Services as you want to be able to continue your career for as long as you can so you will try to stay as healthy as possible. However, Drugs and Alcohol can have many negatives as well. Some negatives of alcohol can be that it can cause a lot damage to your liver and can increase the risk of diseases such as cancer if it is drunk in excess. Some negatives of drug use are that they can be illegal, the public services have a zero tolerance to the use of drugs and can therefore affect your career path. Drugs can cause hallucinations, paranoia, psychosis and reduced reactions time which can majorly affect your everyday life. This is bad when applying to the Public Services because they will not hire someone who is struggling with alcohol or drug related issues because they want to maintain a positive and healthy workforce. 

Smoking is another factor that can have different effects on your body. These again have positive and negative impacts. Smoking can have some positive effects, for example is has been thought that tobacco can help with the prevention of weight gain, as well as this it is thought that people who smoke have a less chance of needed joint replacement surgery. However, smoking has many negative effects the body and out-weigh the positives by a long way. Some of these negatives involve the increased risk of mouth, throat and lung cancer, a decline in the ability to physically perform, the increased risk of cardiovascular issues and many more. This has a huge impact on your chances of joining the Public Services because if you are unable to do a lot of physical activity due to your smoking habits you are unlikely to be accepted. 

www.diet.lovetoknow.com  

www.mayoclinic.com 

www.gov.uk 

www.livescience.com 

www.healthline.com 

In conclusion, the lifestyle factors have a huge impact on a persons chances of being able to join the Public Services because in order to be accepted you need to be physically fit and healthy. In order to achieve this, they must be able to maintain a good level of physical fitness up to the persons chosen service. Have a diet that correlates and complements the physical requirements they need. They must also be able to handle stress well so that they don’t feel burnt out. Furthermore, they need to be able to keep a lifestyle in which they do not need to rely on illegal drugs. And finally they will need to try to be a non-smoker as this could boost their chances of doing well in their career. 

If someone wanted to improve their diet it could include the lifestyle factors of drugs and alcohol as well. As well as eating healthier by incorporating more low-calorie foods and less high-calorie foods a person can also make sure they stick to the recommended units of alcohol per week or maybe less. This would ensure that the persons body has the right nutrients it needs to function to the best of their ability. Furthermore, the person will also benefit greatly by the simply not using recreational or performance drugs, this will ensure that the person id not adding any undue physical or mental harm to themselves. Another suggestion could be joining Slimming world/ Weight Watchers, seeing a GP or other professionals for advice on how someone can improve their health. 

Someone who may have a stressful job, which could be in the Public Services may sometimes find coping with this difficult and therefore hard to manage. A suggestion that could help with this issue in order to reduce high levels of stress could be to take 20 minutes every day to relax or meditate, 

Around 9.4 million adults in the UK smoke, the effects of smoking are dangerous and for this reason the government have many services that can help people quit smoking. Any smoker can go to a GP and ask for advice. The NHS provide group sessions, quitting aids, relapse prevention schemes to help people in the UK quit smoking and improve their health.   

www.nhs.uk 

www.cancerresearch.org 

A person who decides to improve their diet will reduce their risk of getting heart disease and diabetes, it also helps mental health. A healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy can help to reduce your risk of heart disease by maintaining blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Cutting back on food high in fat and eating more food such as vegetables, fruits, and whole grains can reduce the risk of diabetes. There are two ways nutritional interventions can help mental health: by increasing healthy habits and reducing unhealthy ones. If a person decides cut back on their intake of alcohol, this could dramatically decrease their risk of strokes, high blood pressure and cholesterol, liver damages and even cancer. Cutting back on alcohol can have some positive effects on the way you look and feel – often within just a few days. And while you enjoy them, you'll be reducing your longer-term risk of some serious illnesses such as cancer and liver and heart disease. If a drug user decides to stop taking illegal drugs or abusing prescribed ones, they will soon see the positive effects on the body. In time the persons body will feel much healthier and lively, they will feel a wave on mental clarity, better relationships, increased self esteem and improved memory. 

Someone who decides to start meditating 20 minutes per day will often feel like a weight lifted off their shoulders, they should feel much more relaxed and content with life. Researchers found that 20-minute sessions of mediation per day leads to greater improvement in anxiety, depression, anger, fatigue, and vigor. 

When someone gives up smoking it can be hard for them nut in the long run, they are significantly lowering their risks of mouth, throat and lung cancer, a decline in the ability to physically perform, cardiovascular issues and many more. Over time after you quit smoking the absence of chemicals reduce the risk of many cancers that could have developed had they kept smoking and building tar on the mouth, throat and lungs. Smoking affects the lungs ability to breath as well as a non-smoker. As a result of this, they can physically perform better. After someone quits smoking, they will find that they can part take in physical activity better than they used to. When someone gives up smoking, thy chemicals that have been building up in the arteries will reduce, and in turn reduce the risk of future cardiovascular issues. 

www.healthline.com 

www.betterhealth.vic.gov 

www.nhsinform.soct 

www.niddk.com 

www.drinkaware.co.uk 

www.rtor.org 

www.oncolink.org 

www.heartdiease.org.uk