Last week Teenage Daughter asked me to go for a sea swim with her. It was February. It was cold. I had just rolled out of my deliciously warm bed. But having spent the last year saying ‘No’ to all her requests (Can I see a friend? No. Can I go out? No. Can I…
SEEKING POSITIVITY AND FOODS WHICH MAKE US HAPPY
I’ve been thinking a lot about positivity this week, and trying to stay optimistic in testing times. 2020 is shaping up to be a year of seismic shocks, but I’m hopeful we can face up to the need for change in so many areas of our lives. Our treatment of the environment, our health care…
WANT TO AGE WELL? HUM AND SING!
I’m continuously awed by the brilliance of the human body, its almost limitless capabilities, its strength in sustaining us in the most extreme circumstances and the way every cell, and every system, work in harmony. Key to much of the harmonious interaction of our vital organs is the vagus nerve, and if we want to…
WISDOM, WONDER AND THE POWER OF WORK
Once upon a time there was an extraordinary musician called Pablo Casals. Pablo, a Spanish Catalan by birth, was a few weeks shy of his 97th birthday when he died in 1973. Still revered by many as one of the greatest cellists ever, Pablo dedicated his life to his two passions: music and justice. Whenever…
WHY WE NEED LIGHT
It’s exam season in the UK and all six of our children are mid-revision. We’re diligently feeding them blueberries, nuts, leafy greens and oily fish, not to mention our brain-improving coffee and chocolate biscuits. But there’s something else they need to perform at their best. And it’s something that’s often overlooked: light. Thank goodness the…
WHY GOALS MATTER (AND I DON’T MEAN FOOTBALL)
I’ve just set myself a ridiculous goal: to give a speech in French. To French people. I haven’t spoken French for a very long time. I got an embarrassingly bad grade at A-level, over thirty years ago. But the event is in November – so I’ve got plenty of time to brush up – and I’ve…
CAN LAUGHTER HELP YOU LIVE LONGER? ONLY IF YOU’RE FEMALE…
We’re a mere five weeks away from the 2019 World Laughter Day. Here in the UK we desperately need some light-hearted laughter. Three years of Brexit wrangling has resulted in a 20% surge in the purchase of self-help books: it seems we’re all feeling gloomy and doomy. So roll on World Laughter Day, I say….
CAN YOU EAT TO BEAT POLLUTION?
Worried about pollution? We are too. This week, researchers announced that air pollution is now killing more people than smoking. The new study focuses on ozone and PM2.5 (they’re the tiny particles of Particulate Matter invisible to the naked eye but able to penetrate our lungs and – possibly – cross into our blood). The…
SUGAR, CHOCOLATE, SADNESS AND BRAIN-BOOSTING BISCUITS
News that has made me happy this week. And news that has saddened me. And throughout it all my children – along with thousands of others – have been revising and sitting a relentless string of exams. Which is why today’s recipe is one you don’t often see on our blog: chocolate biscuits made with…
VITAMIN D – TO SUPPLEMENT OR NOT TO SUPPLEMENT?
As readers of this blog will know, I take no vitamin supplements. Except in December when I normally take a vitamin D supplement for a few months. But this year I didn’t. Until yesterday, when I did. Confused? I was too. And that’s the point. We are bombarded by constantly changing and often opposing information…
