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Before Mary and I write each Newsletter, we share our thoughts about various potential subjects to consider and if Mary completes her chosen topic before I start mine, which is usually the case to be honest, it often inspires me to bring in another aspect of a similar subject, and that is exactly what has happened in this edition. This week we are looking at ‘Mindfulness’.
Mindfulness as defined in the Oxford Dictionary is:
- The quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.
- A mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.
Mary will be covering the research and evidence that has proven that mindfulness is good for us – and I totally agree – but it takes time and effort to learn it.
If I cast my mind back to the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, my life was bonkers. Exciting but bonkers. My books and videos were topping the charts, we launched our chain of franchised diet and fitness clubs across the country and published a national magazine. I absolutely loved every minute of the craziness of it all but I remember our Franchise Consultant, Dr Brian Smith, who we had the pleasure of working with for many, many years, saying to me, ‘Never forget to take the time to count the daisies.’ I often think of that phrase, particularly now that ‘mindfulness’ has found such popularity.
Every week we recommend that we all go for a daily 30+ minute walk. As well as being brilliant for our health and fitness, and for boosting our immune system, those 30 minutes provide a wonderful opportunity for us to clear our minds and look for the beauty around us. It allows us to take our mind away from the stresses and strains of every day life as we ponder at the wonders of nature. I use my morning walk as my mindfulness moment in the day.
By learning mindfulness, we will be better able to manage the inevitable changes we will encounter as we age. As we get older and the pages turn in our ‘Book of Life’, and one chapter comes to an end and a new life chapter begins, (like getting older), we will be so much happier if we can accept the adventure that is happening right now, and not dwell on what it used to be or what we used to be able to do. Many older folks struggle with this and it is a real shame in my opinion. I feel they are wasting their energy in self-frustration instead of embracing being able to live an independent and relatively active life, albeit at a slightly slower pace.
Of course, we are all made differently and have had different life experiences. If we can learn to accept the ‘NOW’ it is so much better for our health and happiness than beating ourselves up because of what we what we used to be able to do. Allowing frustration to enter into our head is so destructive to our happiness today. Maybe it is my Christian faith that allows me to have a pragmatic approach to life - right now, in the present, and without regrets or frustrations with my ageing-self.
With my arthritic fingers hitting the wrong keys on my laptop, there is hardly a word that is ever typed correctly first time – but I don’t get cross with my hands - I’m just grateful I still have them and I can still type at all!
As we get older, we will take a bit longer to do most things – and that’s OK. We will forget people’s names, what we are supposed to be doing tomorrow, and the reason why we just started telling that story – and that’s normal.
Both Mary and I still take our own classes and our lovely members are ageing with us and we are really proud of the fact that these ladies, and the occasional gentleman, continue to exercise with us well into their 70s and 80s. In my classes we have calculated that eight of us will turn 80 next year! I cannot deny that one of the subjects we chat about together is which part of our body is giving us a bit of jip, but overall, we work at being positive and being grateful we are still able to get to the class! I am very appreciative of my younger members  who always rally to help those that no longer drive by giving them a lift, ensuring they can keep attending. We all appreciate the value of socialising and exercising together and understand that both are vital if we are going to continue to enjoy living active and independent lives.
Mindfulness moments can happen anywhere and at any time if we are open to it, sometimes we just need reminding to live in the moment.
Let’s all learn to be aware of ‘mindfulness’ so that we can embrace those moments and enjoy counting the daisies!
We always love to hear from our subscribers with their stories of how our Newsletter might have helped them. Recently, we received this from Val:
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Hello Rosemary and Mary,
I have been reading your newsletter with great enthusiasm for over the past 12 months. Since my 30s I had enjoyed a routine of regular swim and gym sessions and lots of hill walking and outdoor activities. Gradually, from my late 50s, I found painful joints started to make the routine difficult to achieve.
Now in my mid 60s and given a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia and Osteoarthritis, I was becoming very demotivated. When the pain (especially in my feet), and intolerance to cold and damp weather was very disabling, it gradually led me to withdraw from my previous yoga and Pilates exercise classes and long-distance walks.
However, your newsletter has been a constant boost and reminder that there is still a lot I can do to keep myself fit. Then in issue 185, I was interested to read in Mary’s section about the Nuffield Health Joint Pain Programme. I followed this up and am now on week 6 of the 12-week programme! I am already feeling more confident about the future for my health and fitness and can fully recommend it.
Sharing with other group members about our efforts on how to overcome joint pain problems, and working towards personal fitness goals with an experienced Rehabilitation Specialist, are the highlights of the programme. The future now feels a lot brighter. Thank you both for this and many, many more helpful tips and challenges that you throw our way.
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Mary had mentioned this in Newsletter Issue 185 and we could not be more delighted to hear that Val is finding this programme really helpful. Thank you Val, and keep up the great work!
What is the Joint Pain Programme?
- A free programme designed to help you self-manage chronic join pain and lead a more independent life.
- A six-month programme which starts with 12 weeks of lifestyle advice and exercise sessions led by a Rehabilitation Specialist. This will show you how you can better manage your pain.
- People who have completed the programme have shown improvements in mobility, pain, general fitness levels and overall quality of life.
- To find out more go to www.nuffieldhealth.com
What a brilliant initiative!
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Smoked Salmon Drop Scones
Serves 1
Per serving: 445 calories, 4.9% fat (excl. accompaniments)
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
50g spelt flour
35g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg
40ml semi-skimmed milk
30g smoked salmon
1 tsp half-fat crème fraîche
½ tsp horseradish sauce
1 tsp fresh cress
- Sift the flour and baking powder together into a large mixing bowl. Add the egg and milk, whisking to a smooth batter. Slice the smoked salmon and add to the batter.
- Preheat a non-stick frying pan, drop tablespoons of the mixture into the pan and cook gently for 1 - 2 minutes each side. Cook in batches keeping warm in foil.
- For the topping mix together the crème fraiche, horseradish and cress in a small bowl. Serve the drop scones warm with the cream alongside and a few salad leaves.
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Don't forget, you can download and print a copy of all our recipes if you click on the image to go to the recipe's page on the website.
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Fun, Facts & Fitness from Mary Morris MSc.
Many years ago I went on a residential training course for teaching a different form of dance-based exercise, one that gets you moving in a more unstructured way, affording much more freedom of movement. Having majored in Contemporary Dance at my PE College in the 1960s, I loved this more relaxed approach to exercising that did not include jumping jacks and box steps. However, at the start of each day we were given time to meditate, sitting perfectly quietly in a circle, holding hands for 10 minutes. The intention was to prepare our mind and body for the day ahead.
What I discovered over those two weeks, and practicing this every morning, was that I found it extremely hard to do and therefore felt I experienced little benefit. Now, I am very well aware that for a lot of people it is hugely valuable, and works wonders for their mental health and well-being. But for me, my mind immediately wandered to what I'm having for my tea that night, or whether I had locked the car, or are the kids ok at home with only their dad looking after them!
Today, there is a fairly 'new kid on the block' that, if you are not aware, you may think is the same as meditation. But it isn't necessarily so, and I find it extremely interesting and thought provoking, so set out to learn more about it – and that is Mindfulness.
Meditation v Mindfulness
Meditation is primarily based on stopping doing anything at all, other than being with our thoughts, in a quiet space and sitting comfortably. It is predominantly based around our breathing, as a way of bringing about a relaxed state. There is every chance I didn't give it long enough to realise any benefit, as it takes regular practice and patience. Many scientific studies have confirmed the value of this ancient practice and for those who do practice it regularly, the health benefits are numerous:
- Using brain scans, meditation has been proven to preserve the main structural tissues of the brain.
- It has been proven to slow the rate of ageing.
- It increases brain blood flow and decreases the action of the 'fight or flight' nervous system.
Mindfulness on the other hand is about being aware of what we are doing at any particular moment. For example, when taking our daily walk we can walk 'mindfully' by taking in our surroundings and being more aware of everything around us (something Rosemary is particularly good at!). We could plan, prepare and eat our food more mindfully, fully appreciating it and conscious of its health benefits. Even a simple act like brushing our teeth can become more mindful, taking more care to do it well. This type of consciousness, during all our usual everyday activities, has only recently been given serious research consideration and has been found to be strongly linked to better health.
Practising mindfulness is like a form of exercise for the mind – it is self-care of the mind, in just the same way that eating healthily and staying fit is caring for our physical well-being. We constantly allow our minds to wander, particularly about what might happen in certain situations that may cause considerable upset and stress, then when it actually doesn't happen, we realise all that worry was futile.
Thich Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, is a strong advocate for mindfulness. He explains that, 'Life is available only in the present moment'. Worrying about what might happen in the future, or equally, what has happened in the past, has no place in our lives. I rather like that approach! So, the lesson here is that we need to make it a part of our everyday life where we learn to 'stay in the present' at all times.
Mindful-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
This form of therapy has been shown to be very effective in numerous studies and is now recommended as a treatment for depression by NICE, the UK's National Institute for Care and Excellence. It has been found to be as effective as anti-depressants at preventing relapse after recovery from clinical depression.
However, for those of us who may have never suffered clinical depression, but do suffer periods of anxiety and stress (as many of us do, I suspect) there is a programme called the Mindfulness for Life Programme (MBCT-L) designed to help us improve our sense of well-being. It teaches us to understand how we react and respond to the events in our lives with a greater sense of self-compassion and control. By bringing more mindfulness into our life we experience a better quality of life, feel more aware and more appreciative of everything around us and therefore more content. Take a look at www.oxfordmindfulness.org which is a not-for-profit organisation, internationally recognised for mindful teaching and training.
Mindful Exercise
For several decades I taught exercise in an almost regimented way. I used the same moves over and over again, but in a different order I hasten to add, and using plenty of motivating music tracks. We knew all the muscle groups we needed to work to achieve strength and tone and did lots of repetitions in an almost automaton way.
Then I came across Pilates - the 'thinking' form of movement - and I was sold on it! Many feel that Pilates is too slow and also mistakenly think it is too easy. But what it requires is for you to be mindful of each and every move and to work on the right technique to heal the body from the ravishes of modern living.
Yoga too has a similar healing potential. Research studies have increased 50-fold since 2014 and some of the most persuasive research relates to stress, insomnia and anxiety. It is known to reduce inflammation and therefore slows biological ageing. Plenty of reasons then to mix our regular walks with a taste of either Pilates or Yoga.
Mindful Eating
With regards to our eating habits, the pace of life often means we eat on the run, perhaps too often pick up unhealthy snacks, and at times grab at whatever is handy to offset hunger pangs. Here are a few tips to make eating more mindful:
- Plan ahead right down to our visit to the supermarket or our list for online shopping.
- Be mindful of the number of different plant foods and protein that are in our meals.
- Don't rush meals. Let’s take our time and enjoy each mouthful. Allow time for it to be digested.
Finally, I recently came across some snippets of mindful poetry and I found them most inspiring. Here are just a few for you to take away...
'Take this quickly passing day by the hand
and dance like there's no tomorrow'
Julia Fehrenbacher
'Thank you for the wonder of even this one ordinary moment'
Julia Fehrenbacher
'Another day of life, in all its messy 'everything-ness' Lucky us!'
Donna Ashworth
'Give up the fight for some other moment, some other life, than here, and now'
Gretchen Haley
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This Week's Fitness Challenge
- On your daily 30+ minute walks this week notice everything around you and really appreciate it.
- Do a Pilates Programme 3 times this week or seek out a local Yoga class.
- Remember to do your Post Walk Stretches after every walk and do a full body stretch 3 times this week.
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Did you know... 
All on the Board is a phenomenon that you can hardly have failed to notice if you ever travel by London Underground.
It is a series of uplifting messages and poems written regularly on the Service Information whiteboards that appear in tube station ticket halls, to brighten commuters' journeys.
The creators, Ian Redpath and Jeremy Chopra remained anonymous until in 2020 they released a book of their writings. The book All on the Board: Inspirational Quotes from the TFL Underground Duo went on to become a Sunday Times bestseller and their work now appears widely on social media.
Their inspiration was to address their own medical issues having both suffered bouts of depression and anxiety amongst other conditions (Ulcerative Colitis, PTSD, Insomnia, Tinnitus and an EDNOS ‘Eating Disorder’). They write from the heart about their own lives, from helping people experiencing their first ever panic attack in a crowded Tube station to Ian’s experience of a suicide (as a train operator) which led to his PTSD. They have also researched countless other conditions to help raise more awareness of them. In their own words "We are not experts; we are just two people empathising with what others experience through the eyes of our own dark and bright places."
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And finally...
What better time of the year to practice mindfulness! It’s not as hard as it might sound. We just need to give our brain a break and relax while we look at the birds feeding and listening to them singing. If you haven’t done it already, I recommend downloading the RSPB ‘Merlin’ App which will tell you which type of bird you are listening to!
Life doesn’t have to be all hustle and bustle… we can take some time to unwind and feed our mind with something beautiful and relaxing.
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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