A doctor friend recently messaged me to check I was still doing the odd plank or lifting the occasional weight. I confessed that I’d missed a few days in the aftermath of my father’s death. But explained that I’d also felt a strange compulsion to do bicep curls as I grieved. Lifting weights, I added,…
COULD WINTER SEA SWIMMING LIFT YOUR MOOD?
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…
HOW TO BEAT STRESS, ENHANCE NEUROPLASTICITY AND A FABULOUS TREAT FOR YOU
These long months of uncertainty have left me feeling stressed and often unrested, even after a decent night’s sleep. How’s our current state of semi-normality impacting you? Reconnecting with life as much as we can, while knowing that it’s not the same, creates a constant, low thrum of stress. Everybody is facing uncertainty and challenge…
WHY WE NEED TO WALK BESIDE WATER
Three weeks ago I walked (backpacked actually, yes even at my age!) alone from Bordeaux to Toulouse. I cheated a bit and took a couple of trains, but I still clocked up between 20 and 35 kilometres every day, with a large pack on my pack. I’ll admit: I was very nervous before I left….
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…
GREEN SPACE IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH
Do you have time in the countryside planned this summer? I hope so. If not, find a bit of green space nearby (city parks are great) and aim for some Green Time every day. We’ve been singing the praises of trees and the great outdoors for some time now, but in the last few weeks…
WHY YOU SHOULD BE DANCING (& CHRISTMAS NUTS)
What you doin’ on your back, aah/ You should be dancing yeah… Anyone remember those lyrics from the Bee Gees? Well, it turns out the Bee Gees were right. And as we’re in full party swing, I’m delighted to bring you the facts and figures showing why we really should be dancing (yeah). I’m not…
HOW TO LIVE HAPPILY EVER LAUGHTER & FARRO SALAD WITH EGGS AND SMOKED MACKEREL
A few weeks ago I had dinner with one of the UK’s kings of comedy. Charlie Higson, writer, producer and comedian in shows like Saturday Live, the Harry Enfield Programme, Reeves and Mortimer and The Fast Show, had us all in stitches. After a while, we were laughing before Charlie even opened his mouth, almost…
