Hello,  

Recipe of the Week

1. Crumble 1 stock cube in a saucepan and add a little water. Add the salmon and poach for 8 - 10 minutes over a low heat. Lift the salmon from the pan and allow to cool. Alternatively, crush the vegetable stock cube over the salmon fillets and cook the fillets in a microwave for 3½  minutes on 'high' then allow to cool.
2. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water with the remaining vegetable stock cube. Drain the pasta thoroughly and rinse with cold water then transfer to a large bowl. Allow to cool. Add the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, chopped onion, chives and paprika.
3. Carefully flake the salmon into the bowl, removing any bones and skin. Combine all the ingredients with a large metal spoon, taking care not to over-mix and break up the fish too much. Spoon into a serving dish and chill until required. Garnish with fresh dill.

Fun, Facts & Fitness from Mary Morris MSc.

They say that if you can't remember where you parked your car then not to worry too much but if you can't remember what colour it is then you have a problem! Now I am sure it is not quite as simple as that but as we age, we do become far more concerned about the health of our brains and wonder what we can do to offset the risk of developing dementia.

I returned to playing the piano at the age of 60, not just because I had happy memories of it from when I was a child but because I had heard that playing a musical instrument can play a big part in reducing the risk of dementia, as can learning a foreign language.  So let’s keep on learning throughout our lives and pull ourselves out of our comfort zone!

The increase in the numbers suffering from dementia does not make for easy reading.  Currently it is estimated that 1 in 14 of us over the age of 65 will get it and that rises to 1 in 6 over the age of 80.  By 2025 that means there will be more than a million sufferers in the UK. The good news though is that research studies have demonstrated numerous times that there is a strong relationship between healthy living and reducing the risk of dementia. If you read this newsletter regularly, it is hoped that you now realise how passionate we are about exactly that!

You will not be surprised to hear from me that for us to lead a healthy life we need to exercise, and we need to do the sort of exercise that feeds the brain.  Our first port of call for this vital area of our health is to keep our heart healthy with plenty of cardiovascular exercise. That’s exercise that gets our heart working harder, pumping our blood all around the body faster and which, importantly, transports plenty of oxygen to the brain, keeping our brain cells healthy.  It even enhances the connections between brain cells, keeping them highly functioning and 'active'.

Cardio training also ensures that we have a low resting heart rate and researchers in Sweden have found a link between our risk of dementia with a high resting rate – that’s anything above 80 beats per minute.  How to test your resting heart rate is described below and it is definitely worth knowing.  Should you find yours is high then try to do more of the activities suggested in our Weekly Challenge this week, and every week, to help lower it.      

Here are a few tips on exactly what type of exercise we need to be doing:

• Basically, every day we should get out of breath at least once so that we have pushed our cardio system into a temporary 'overdrive'.  It may only last one or two minutes but that will do the job. For instance, we often ask you to go up and down stairs 3 – 5 times consecutively as that is a perfect example of how to push your cardio system into overdrive.
   
• Do an aerobic activity where you have to switch moves regularly and learn a routine. Rosemary's exercise DVDs are perfect for this as you are challenged to change direction often and gradually increase the intensity of the moves as the routine progresses.  Go to our shop and look at what's on offer.
   
• Find a local class that does the same as the above but you have the added bonus of socially mixing with others.  Another proven way to keep the brain active. This is one of the reasons why Rosemary and I still teach classes.
   
• Getting a good night’s sleep is vital for brain recovery allowing the brain cells to re-charge. On those days that you are particularly active and spending lots of energy you often find you get a better night’s sleep.

How to test your Resting Heart Rate:

Ideally do this test before you even get up in the morning or at a time when seated and relaxed. Place your index finger and middle finger of your right hand on the thumb side of your left wrist. You should clearly feel the beat from your pulse at this point. Count how many beats for 15 seconds then multiply by 4 for your resting heart rate. Ideally it needs to be between 65 and 75 beats per minute. Lower is excellent – if higher then try to increase your cardiovascular exercise.

The important message is that if we do not remain active in our older age we run a far higher risk of dementia.  'If you don't use it, you lose it!' is my mantra here and there is no age limit on becoming more active.  There is strong evidence that all ages benefit hugely from exercise, as long as it is an appropriate activity and one that you enjoy!!