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Hello <<First Name>>  Rosemary Conley CBE

Years ago I had the pleasure of being introduced to Richard Denny, a renowned motivational guru.  Back in the day, Richard recorded a programme of audio tapes called Dare to be Great. I was captivated by Richard’s inspiring message and listened to his tapes over and over again. One message he shared was, the key to success is having a goal, having someone to share it with and that what you do makes a difference’. I think with all the ups and downs of our England Football Team, we have all witnessed the power of such wisdom.

Recently, I had the privilege of accompanying H.M. Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Mike Kapur OBE, (I am one of his Deputies), when he presented the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service to a very special local group led by local resident, Steve Cramp.

In 2007 Steve was walking with his wife and children when he looked down over a bridge at an abandoned railway track and a seed was sown in his mind to transform this jungle of undergrowth and restore a length of what used to be the Mountsorrel Railway. But this proved to be just the start!

Through Steve’s vision, and with the dedicated support of an incredible team of volunteers, the Mountsorrel and Rothley Community Heritage Centre was born and the railway line was rebuilt!  The community benefitted in a multitude of ways from improving community cohesion between volunteers, to now offering a local attraction that is free to visitors and that embraces history, wildlife and nature walks, a museum and historical construction initiatives, all funded by a very successful Coffee Shop. In 2019, and before the pandemic, it attracted 138,000 visitors that year! Now that is what you call success!

As the Lord-Lieutenant and I chatted to the smiling volunteers who were so proudly waiting as we toured the site, it became evident that the whole project had played a vital role in all of their lives. It had created a feeling of purpose, a reason to get up in the morning. Friendships had been forged and lives had been changed for the better. In short, they had all been working toward a goal and the physical and mental benefits to them all were clear to see. It was inspiring. 

So why am I telling you all this? I wanted to emphasise the importance of us all having a goal. Each week, Mary and I have the happy task of setting you goals - helping you to improve your health and wellbeing, mentally and physically, by encouraging you to follow the links to our website as part of our Weekly Fitness Challenge.  As well as benefitting your fitness, completing these goals will also benefit your sense of wellbeing which in turn will help your mental health.

If motivation is what you need take a look at our Motivation pages and watch the videos including Mental Health Benefits of Exercise and Positive Attitude – the key to success. If you need to lose a few lbs, have a look at Getting Motivated to Lose Weight and Motivation for the 28 Day Immunity Plan – Meet the Trialists.


Coming soon!

Next week we will be adding a new product to our online shop – the Core Balance Cushion which will help you to increase your ability to balance. I have one which I stand on every morning as I clean my teeth and it is amazing how quickly we can train ourselves to balance better.
Recipe of the Week

This easy-to-cook, highly nutritious, curried soup is deliciously smooth with a real kick in the flavour.

SPICY BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Serves four
Per serving: 77 Calories, 0.5% fat
Prep time 20 mins
Cook Time 30 mins


Ingredients

1 small butternut squash
115g fresh young carrots, washed and sliced
2 medium onions, chopped
1-2 tsps medium curry powder (eg tandoori mix)
1.2 litres (2 pints) vegetable stock
2 bay leaves (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For serving
1 tbsp 0% fat Greek yogurt or sprinkle with chopped parsley


Method
 
  1. Preheat a large non-stick frying pan and spray with Fry-Light Rapeseed Oil.
  2. Cut the squash in half lengthways and remove the seeds with a spoon and discard. Using a sharp vegetable knife, peel away the thick skin and cut the flesh into chunks.
  3. Place the squash and the other vegetables in the hot pan and dry-fry for 4-5 minutes, until they soften and start to colour.
  4. Stir in the curry powder and cook out for 1 minute keeping the mixture moving to prevent it catching on the bottom of the pan. Add freshly ground black pepper.
  5. If you have a soup-maker, place the semi-cooked vegetables, the bay leaves and the stock all in together and cook for 20 minutes. Alternatively, place all the vegetables in a large saucepan and pour in the vegetable stock, stirring continuously, then add the bay leaves (if using) and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
  6. Allow to cool slightly then remove the bay leaves. If using a soup-maker, pulse for 30 seconds, rest and repeat. Alternatively, place mixture in a liquidiser and liquidise until smooth.
  7. Check the seasoning and add more freshly ground black pepper if needed.
  8. Serve with a swirl of Greek yogurt if desired.
We apologise to everyone who found the link to last week's "How to Cook" video wasn't working! Hopefully you all found the video by going to the Recipe page on the website. I'm afraid that kind of thing can happen when my PA has Friday afternoon off!   Sorry!
For more recipes click here to visit the website
Fun, Facts & Fitness from Mary Morris MSc.

We often think of our bones as being dead tissue, a bit like our hair or finger nails, but nothing could be further from the truth.  We need to be as diligent in looking after our bones as we are in looking after our heart!  Bone is a living tissue and throughout your whole life you will probably go through three skeletons as bone is constantly forming and reforming.

When we are young and bones are growing, they are highly active with bone-building cells, which explains why children can mend a broken bone very quickly.  But as we age the very opposite occurs and the bones become more brittle and susceptible to fracture which takes much longer to mend, particularly following the menopause. This can lead to osteoporosis which results in a serious risk of fracture.  Before you reach that stage, you may be diagnosed with osteopenia where your bone density is lower than the average adult but not yet low enough to be classed as osteoporosis.

The good news is that we can do a huge amount to slow this process down and, you've guessed it, the answer involves EXERCISE!

These few tips will help you choose the right type of exercise to benefit your bones:

•       Choose weight-bearing exercise.  That means you need to lift the body against gravity as in a press-up for the upper body for example, or lunges for the lower body.  Both are found in the Advanced Whole Body Strength Programme.

•       Workout with weights.  Adding extra weight to a body part increases the resistance, building bone as well as muscle strength, such as the shoulder strengthener exercise using hand weights in the same video

•       Adding impact to your exercise.  A few simple jumps will aid bone strength as seen in all 4 weeks of the Immunity Plan Workout

•       Take a Vitamin D supplement particularly if you cannot get outside much.  If you are able to do a daily walk then 20 minutes in the sunshine will give you enough Vitamin D. 

•       Check you have a calcium-rich diet.  Milk, yogurt and green leafy vegetables are your best sources. We recommend 425ml (3/4 pint) milk a day or have 300ml milk and 125ml yogurt each day. If you don’t drink milk, it may be appropriate for you to consider a calcium supplement.

THIS WEEK’S FITNESS CHALLENGE

1.     Do 2 sets of 10 press-ups every day. 
If doing press-ups on the floor is too difficult then a perfect alternative is doing press-ups against a wall as in Week 1 of the Immunity Plan Workout

2.     Do 20 mini jumps
Jump on the spot every time you put the kettle on – even if it's just lifting your heels and landing firmly.

3.     Spine Strengthening Exercise
If you are happy exercising on the floor, practise the back strengthener and posture improver from weeks 2, 3 or 4 of the Immunity Plan Workout.  The vertebrae of the spine are most at risk of osteoporosis and this exercise is valuable in helping to keep those bones strong.

4.     Daily Walk
On your daily walk do 2 minutes of 'Slow Jogging' as found in the Advanced Whole Body Strength Programme. You can break this up into 20 steps at a time if you wish.

Did you know...


Bone is a living tissue and throughout your whole life you will probably go through three skeletons as bone is constantly forming and reforming.

And Finally,

Have a wonderful week, enjoy the sunshine and stay safe.
 
With love and best wishes,

 
Rosemary Conley CBE DL

LIVE LONGER | LIVE HEALTHIER | LIVE HAPPIER

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