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First of all, I would like to say a heartfelt Thank You to everyone who so kindly wrote to me after I shared our sad news about losing BB in last week’s Newsletter. I was overwhelmed by your most kind and thoughtful messages, together with your own stories of heartbreak when you also lost your much-loved furry friends. I have read every single one of the very many messages and was so touched by your kindness. What lovely folks you are! Thank you.
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This day of publication, 1st March, signifies the first day of Spring in the meteorological calendar and I am excited. I love springtime and I look forward to the longer days as well as the trees, plants and flowers beginning to show signs of new life as the temperature rises. Apparently February 2024 has been the wettest February for over 200 years!
In the winter months our figure is well disguised with baggy jumpers and thick coats to keep us warm and cosy but as the weather becomes warmer, inevitably we will be shedding the layers and wearing clothes that are not as forgiving to our figure. So, it’s time to focus and get cracking with our weight and fitness in time for summer.
As nature wakes up and the birds begin to sing their hearts out, there is an energy in the air and I find it tremendously uplifting. It is the perfect time to encourage us to get us moving. A new season brings new motivation to become fitter and lose a few unwanted lbs if we need to. It’s just easier in the spring and summer. I cannot wait to be walking amongst the trees with their fresh green leaves which always bring a smile to my face and a spring in my step.
Of course, there’s also lots to do in the garden. The lawn is growing and the flower beds need weeding so that the daffodils and tulips look their best. Thankfully, gardening provides the perfect opportunity to get fitter and to tone up! Mowing the lawn is great for your legs, heart and lungs and burns lots of calories. Digging is a great strength workout and bending and weeding is fab for flexibility and mobility. It all adds up to a great all-round workout. Do look at Mary’s amazing Spring Workout below!
Then it’s time for planting the bedding plants. Whether you grow them from seed or buy them from the local garden centre, there is always a sense of urgency to ‘get them planted’ so that you can tend and water them to encourage them to thrive and look their best throughout the summer. I love to see our hanging baskets and tubs flourishing and bringing so much colour to the garden.
Buying packets of seeds for herbs is a great idea too. You can plant them in individual large plant pots and, providing you water them regularly, you can have your own tasty herbs on a shelf or window ledge or in your garden for months. They are great for tasty salads or recipes and it’s so handy to have them growing at home. A top tip, though, is not to sow the whole packet at the same time otherwise you will have more than you can use and they will go to seed. Divide the packet of seeds so that you can sow them a few weeks apart in separate pots and you will have them available for months.
Wearing a FitBit or Applewatch or similar will encourage you to be more active and the more sophisticated models tell you everything you need to know about calories burned, distance walked, and so on – even how much you sleep! If you don’t have a garden, another idea is to take the plunge and join a walking group or a historical interest club so that you can enjoy the countryside in the company of others. It is fun, healthy and socialising is brilliant for our mental and physical health.
The next step is to think about putting some of those heavy winter clothes away and to try on our summer wardrobe. I have started taking some of my clothes that I have had for years, and that are still very wearable, to the seamstress to have the waistband widened (oh dear!) and the jeans and trousers shortened (oh dear again!) because like most women in their later years, waists become bigger and our height shrinks.
I am determined not to get rid of clothes that no longer fit just because they don’t fasten around my waist. Recently I looked at my evening skirts and floaty black evening trousers, accumulated over many decades but still very wearable so I had those tweaked too. I don’t dress-up that often but it’s nice to be able to have options and not find myself having to wear one particular skirt because it is the only one that fits!
Despite the fact that our figure changes as we get older, our basic body shape remains the same. Once a pear shape, always a pear shape with still a smaller waist than an apple-shaped person, even if it is larger than it was, together with a pear shape’s heavier legs and arms. An apple-shaped person is likely to have a thicker waist and slimmer arms and legs as they age. For tips on dressing to make the best of your figure whatever body shape you may be, take a look at the videos in the Ageing Well section of the website on the Dress to Flatter Your Figure page.
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As well as sorting out our wardrobe it is also a great time to give our home a spruce up. In my grandmother’s day it was called ‘spring cleaning’ where everything was taken down, cupboards emptied, carpets cleaned, drawers tidied. It was quite an operation. Back then, their only way to clean a carpet was with a Ewbank which was a manual carpet sweeper. Thankfully, these days we have very efficient vacuum cleaners and other cleaning gadgets that help us keep our homes cleaner and tidier.
So there really is no excuse for us to not be more active when it comes to Springtime. Let's take this opportunity and give ourselves a boost!
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Rosemary explains about some of the fresh herbs she grows and why she uses fresh and dried herbs in the healthy recipes found on our website.
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Serves 4
Per serving: 68 calories, 1.9g fat
Prep time 10 mins
Cook time 20 mins
4 leeks, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 litre vegetable stock (use 2 Stockpots)
200g broccoli florets
2 tbsps chopped fresh parsley
200ml semi-skimmed milk
2 tbsps virtually fat-free Greek-style yogurt
freshly ground black pepper
- Place the leeks, garlic and thyme in a large saucepan. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the broccoli and parsley and continue to cook until the broccoli is tender.
- Pour into a liquidiser, add the milk and blend until smooth. Return to the saucepan to reheat, adding more seasoning if required.
- Just before serving, remove from the heat and stir in the yogurt. Serve with a small granary roll per person.
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Fun, Facts & Fitness from Mary Morris MSc.
Having more daylight hours is such an energy boost to my mind, creating a strong desire to spend more time outdoors, as well as lifting our mood and setting us up for the summer months ahead.
The start of Spring should hopefully make you want to 'spring' into action and get the new season going with real enthusiasm for getting fitter and in great shape by the time summer arrives!
So here is my 'Outdoor Spring Workout' which centres around hopefully having access to a green space, possibly your back garden but, if not, then your local playing fields or park.
Find a suitable place away from the madding crowd and I urge you to 'buddy up' with another like-minded friend who has similar goals in wanting to get in better shape for the summer. Being beholden to another person seriously ups your commitment to the task at hand, as well as adding a lot more fun!
I have taken a small group of my regular class members to our local park to check this workout's suitability for you and it got a big ‘thumbs up’ for doing something completely different. They found it physically challenging and all good fun at the same time. However, if you are trying it out on your own or with a friend then your back garden (or your buddy's back garden) will definitely be more private!
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This Week's Fitness Challenge
Do this Spring Workout twice this week as well as your 30+ minute daily walk if you can!
THE OUTDOOR SPRING WORKOUT
Equipment: Stopwatch. Distance markers (anything will do). Ideally a park picnic table and bench or your sturdy garden furniture.
Setting up: Set up 2 markers a few metres apart. Ideally around 30 metres apart or simply to fit the space you have available.
Timings:
Warming up: 5 minutes
The Workout: 15 - 20 minutes
Cooling down: 5 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 25 - 30 MINUTES
WARM-UP
- Walk from one marker to the other rolling shoulders at the same time. Do 4 times.
- Standing still take both arms up overhead and then ski down bending the knees and taking the arms behind you and then back up again. Keep it loose and relaxed. Do 10.
- Still standing still, take one leg but both arms out to the side, then come back to the middle, bending the knees before changing legs. Do 10
- Walk briskly from one marker to the other for 1 minute.
WARM-UP STRETCHES (Hold each stretch for 10 seconds)
- Walk slowly for around one minute with hands clasped behind your back to stretch the chest. Then, the right hand over the right shoulder, pushing the hand further down your back using your other hand, to stretch the underarm. Change sides.
- Lean on the table with one leg bent and the other leg back and straight, toes facing forward and heel firmly placed on the ground to stretch the calf. Change legs
- Standing straight, and using the table for support, hold one ankle to stretch the front of thigh. Stand tall with knees in line. Change legs.
- Sit on edge of the bench seat with one leg outstretched in front, then with your back straight, lean forward from the hip to feel a stretch at the back of the thigh. Change legs.
THE WORKOUT
Below is a mix of cardio exercises and strength exercises which are to be alternated. Each one is to be done for one minute with a 30 second rest between each. It is not a problem if you cannot keep going for the full minute, just rest when you need to. Have your stopwatch set up ready.
If you are working out with a buddy then you might want to take turns, allowing yourself more time to rest in between each move:
CARDIO MOVES
- Shuttles (brisk walking or slow jogging) – brisk walk or slow jog between the markers for one minute.
- Big Strides (least number of steps over the distance) – Take as few steps as possible between the markers for one minute.
- Backwards (go with care – not too fast!) - Walk backwards for one minute between the markers but keep looking over your shoulder!
- Crab Walking (side-stepping wide) – Take w-i-d-e strides side-on between the markers for one minute. Stay facing the same way so you work both legs.
- High Knees Walking - Pick up each alternate knee to hip height as you take each step – it's slow but very physical!
STRENGTH MOVES – (Do for one minute with 30 seconds rest between each exercise)
- Sit to Stand – Standing in front of the bench with arms across the chest, feet parallel, slowly sit on the bench seat and then up again quickly.
- Bench or Table Press-ups – Stand with your feet at least a metre back (the table is easier and the bench harder). With hands wider than shoulder-width apart and the body in a straight line, bend the elbows towards the table or bench and push back up again. Breathe in to bend and out to straighten.
- Standing Crunches – Stand with hands clasped in front of you, pressing palms together. One leg is out behind you. Now pull tummy in and bring the back knee up towards your chest and back again. Do 4 on the same leg before changing sides. Great for balance!
- Mountain Climbers – With hands on the table, shoulder width apart, lean on the table and bring alternate knees to chest. Choose your pace!
- Bench Dips – With your back to the bench place your hands on the edge of the seat, shoulder width apart, knees bent and with legs at a right angle. The hips are off the bench but close to the bench. Now bend the elbows, lowering the hips towards the floor then back up again. Breathe in to lower and out to come up.
COOLING DOWN
- Repeat all the stretches from the warm-up
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Did you know... 
A carpet sweeper is a mechanical device for the cleaning of carpets. They were popular before the introduction of the vacuum cleaner and have been largely superseded by them. However, they continue to be used in many commercial premises because they are lightweight and quiet, enabling users to quickly clean small messes up from the floor without disturbing patrons or guests, and don't require electricity with trailing cables to operate.
 The design was patented by Melville R. Bissell of Michigan in the United States, in 1876. Bissell began selling carpet sweepers in 1883 and they became popular in the UK after the first Ewbank model went on sale in 1889. The 'Ewbank' name came from the Ewbank area of Accrington in Lancashire where the factory owned by Entwisle and Kenyon Ltd was located. Ewbank sweepers were produced in several models including 'Standard', 'Parlour Queen', and even miniature versions for children
New powered versions are now available with rechargeable batteries and an electric motor to spin the rollers and brushes but I wonder how many of us still have a trusty manual sweeper hidden away at the back of the broom cupboard?
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And finally...
After reading Mary’s Spring Workout and hearing how much fun her ‘trialists’ enjoyed it, I really look forward to giving it a go! What a brilliant idea.
So let’s welcome Spring with open arms and allow it to lift our spirits and get ourselves moving towards being fitter, healthier and happier in readiness for those hot summer days. What are we waiting for? Let’s do it!
Have a great week.
With love and best wishes,
 
Rosemary Conley CBE DL
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LIVE LONGER | LIVE HEALTHIER | LIVE HAPPIER
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