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In 1972 I launched my very first slimming class. Click here to read how it all began.

Hello,  

Having had the privilege of meeting so many women from all walks of life who have lost weight on one of my diets and transformed their lifestyle, of course, the most memorable are those where losing weight has literally saved their life.

I remember featuring one such successful slimmer in our magazine a few years ago who told the story of how shedding a significant amount of weight had revealed a lump in her breast. She immediately had it checked out and yes, it was malignant. Thankfully, they removed the cancer and the surrounding tissue and she went on to live a long and active life with her family.

More recently, a friend wrote to tell me that she had been diagnosed following a scan last year. She explained:

‘My breast cancer was found on a regular mammogram, but I was lucky in that it was discovered relatively early and was very treatable. I had surgery followed by radiotherapy. My margins were clear and it hadn’t spread. I feel fine now and have recovered well and I am taking hormone pills for five years.

‘Please do spread the word that the over 71s have to ‘self-refer’ for mammograms as we are not called automatically and, as I had no symptoms, I would never have known.’

This was a real revelation to me. I had no idea that I would no longer be automatically called for screening now that I am in my mid-70s. As a result, I immediately booked myself in for a mammogram. It was so easy. I just went online and searched for NHS Breast screening. By entering my postcode, I was able to find a Breast Screening Centre near me and booked an appointment immediately over the phone and at my convenience. Last Wednesday I had my scan and I was in and out in just a few minutes. Apparently, my last scan was in 2016 so it was long overdue. I await my results.

We are so fortunate to have such facilities available to us - free of charge - here in the UK. All we have to do is accept the invitation if we receive it through the post or by email (every three years if you are aged 50 – 71) and after that age, we need to self-refer by picking up the phone to make our appointment. The biggest mistake we make is to tell ourselves, ‘I’ll do it tomorrow’, because tomorrow never comes and breast cancer doesn’t wait.
I talk about going for a mammogram in my new video Breast Screening.
video of Rosemary talking about breast screening

How can we reduce our risk of cancer?

  • Eating a healthy diet
  • Eating less saturated fat
  • Reducing any excess weight
  • Exercising regularly

The above key factors may not only lessen our risk of cancer but these recommendations also effectively reduce our risk of diabetes and heart disease. Very importantly, if we have a history of cancer in our family, we need to make extra effort to minimise our risk through our lifestyle.

So, together, let’s make the effort to be the healthiest we can be and live every day to the full.

Recipe of the Week
Brightly coloured vegetables such as peppers contain high levels of antioxidants that are recognised as good news in fighting cancer-giving free-radicals. In addition, they are high in infection-fighting vitamin C.

Serves 6
Per serving 137 calories, 2.2g fat
Prep time 10 mins
Cook time 30 mins
 

For Yellow Pepper Soup:

6 yellow peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed or use half a teaspoon of ‘Easy Garlic’
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or half teaspoon dried thyme
1 celery stick, chopped
1 litre vegetable stock
1 vegetable stock pot
Freshly ground black pepper

For Red Pepper Soup:

6 red peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed or use half a teaspoon of ‘Easy Garlic’
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or half teaspoon dried thyme
1 celery stick, chopped
1 litre vegetable stock
1 vegetable stock pot
Freshly ground black pepper

 

Make the two soups using separate pans or, if using a soup-maker, make the yellow pepper soup first then set it aside. Then cooking the red pepper soup.

For each soup:

  1. Place all the ingredients in the pan or soup-maker. Cover the pan with a lid. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until soft.
  2. When cooked, liquidise until smooth and set aside.
  3. Taste for seasoning and add more freshly ground black pepper if needed.

If the soup is too thin it will not stay separated when served so thicken with a little cornflour mixed with cold water and add to the soup when reheated and boil for a minute or two to thicken.

To serve:

It is essential to pour each colour soup from identical jugs simultaneously from opposite sides of a large soup dish in order to keep them separated.  Serve with a sprig of fresh coriander or parsley.
For more recipes click here to visit the website

Fun, Facts & Fitness from Mary Morris MSc.

I have always believed that a good dose of physical activity every week has an enormous effect on reducing our risk of becoming ill and this belief continues to gain more and more credibility year on year.  

The Chief Executive of Macmillan Cancer Support was recently quoted as saying, 'We cannot turn a blind eye to what is a very simple and obvious solution – physical activity is a wonder drug'. 

This quote comes on the back of a recent newspaper article recommending that walking a mile a day can cut your risk of cancer by a huge 40% as long as it is vigorous enough to get you slightly out of breath.  Exactly what we recommend you do on a daily basis! 

A growing number of research studies internationally have concluded that regular exercise, as long as it increases your heart rate, can help prevent you from getting serious diseases.  The big 'C' word holds fear in many of us but if we follow some sensible lifestyle choices on a regular basis, we can significantly lower our risk of getting it in the first place. 

We all know the devastating effect that a diagnosis of any cancer can be, but you, like me, may be hearing many more success stories of successful treatments that are extending and saving lives.

There are some really positive statistics on breast cancer showing that since the 1980s mortality has decreased by a massive 45% and that 80% of those diagnosed will survive more than 10 years. So, for those of you out there having had a diagnosis and are undergoing treatment, take heart from these figures and do all you can to aid your recovery. 

Keeping 'on the move' not only increases the chance of survival, but it also helps with what can be devastating side effects of your treatment, such as swelling, fatigue and anxiety. Doing those specific exercises that you have been given on a regular basis will work wonders in getting you back to a normal life.

The Importance of Screening

We are so fortunate to live in a society where screening for serious illnesses is available to us. Cancers left undetected can mean a diagnosis is far worse and harder to treat. But, when caught early enough, so much can be done to aid a full remission.

There will be many of you who have never had a diagnosis and are very keen to do everything possible to prevent it. It is estimated that many cases could be prevented simply by making better lifestyle choices and none of the recommendations to help with this will surprise you.

  • Maintain a healthy weight
  • Limit alcohol
  • Be physically active

So, if you are one of those fulfilling these recommendations take heart from the fact that you are doing all you can to reduce your risk of serious illness. Of course, we can never rule out that genetics play a part here and your family history will have a bearing on your risk. However, all the evidence points to the fact that you can make a significant difference by following all that we recommend through this Newsletter and our Website to keep you in the best shape possible to withstand any eventuality. 

This Week's Fitness Challenge

  1. Get out of breath at least once every day this week: Walk up a hill on your 30+ minute daily walk perhaps or go up and down the stairs 4 or 5 times consecutively (remember to hold on as you walk down but not on the way up). That'll do it!
     
  2. Add to your cardio work this week by either riding a bike or going for a swim.  This forces your body to perform a change of movement that uses different muscles. Good news all round!
     
  3. If you have been using the same hand weight for a while, explore moving up to a heavier one to push your strength to new heights while doing one of our Weights Workouts.  Similarly, if you are doing a Toning Band Workout for your strength work, try holding it to make it a bit shorter so that your muscles have to work a bit harder. 
     
  4. Never miss doing your Stretches after any of your workouts this week.  Your flexibility and ROM (Range of Movement) becomes even more important the older you are.
     
  5. If you struggle to get down to do any of the floor exercises watch and practice our demonstration of Getting Safely On and Off the Floor.

Did you know...
 

I wonder how many of us have been in a situation since the death of HM Queen Elizabeth where we have sung the National Anthem? Did you remember to change the words to "God save our gracious King?"  I have a feeling it will take us a while to get used to remembering that!

'God Save The King' was a patriotic song first publicly performed in London in 1745, which came to be known as the National Anthem at the beginning of the nineteenth century. In September 1745 the 'Young Pretender' to the British throne, Prince Charles Edward Stuart, defeated the army of King George II at Prestonpans, near Edinburgh. In a fit of patriotic fervour after the news reached London, the leader of the band at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, arranged for 'God Save The King' to be played at the end of the night's performance. It was a tremendous success and was repeated every evening. The practice soon spread to other theatres, and in time the custom of greeting the monarch with the song as they entered a place of public entertainment was also established.

As a musical salute to mark the arrival of the monarch the whole verse is played, although other members of the royal family who are entitled to a royal salute (such as the Prince of Wales,) receive just the first six bars.
 

And finally...

When we created our video-based website 18 months ago, our aim was to help us all to make wise lifestyle choices including eating healthily, exercising more and making sure we do everything we can to keep us fitter, healthier and happier for as long as possible.

When we lose someone who is close to our hearts, as our late Queen surely was, we must be inspired to live life to the full and to care for our mind and body so that we can be the best we can be in all things.

Have a great week.

With love and best wishes,

Rosemary Conley CBE DL

LIVE LONGER | LIVE HEALTHIER | LIVE HAPPIER
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