Hypertension at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle

Reviews

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This issue we review two very different books, which are both powerful in their own ways, plus an app to help you keep calm.

Winter reading to keep you mobile and well-nourished Sod Sitting Get Moving! by Diana Moran & Muir Gray Sod it! Eat well! by Anita Bean & Sir Muir Gray In these days of digital books and YouTube videos, it’s refreshing to come across a couple of hard back staples that could become life-companions. And if you can get past the somewhat controversial ‘Sod it…’ titles, you may enjoy and benefit from the concentrated wisdom inside their covers. Sod it! Eat well! and Sod Sitting Get Moving! are twin publications to set you up for the winter. Written in a relaxed and chatty style, they give good advice to the elderly (of which I am one!) on lifestyle and getting the best out of our later years. These are books that we can dip into as and when; especially the one on exercise. Sod Sitting Get Moving! provides illustrations of easy to follow and varied exercises. Also, the print’s quite large and therefore readable even if you don’t have your spectacles to hand. I tried all the exercises and found them well within my capacity, notwithstanding my elderly status and having had PH for over five years. Sod it! Eat well! is more exacting, going into a level of detail that may make some of us glaze over, so skip those technical bits and go for the recipes, and such sections as ‘How much fibre should you eat?’ and ‘Ten healthy snacks’. The recipe section offers a variety of healthy dishes, ranging from vegan to carnivore with such items as Chicken Tagine and Tofu and Red Pepper Stir Fry. Each section has a helpful summary that saves making notes and that helps those of us whose short-term memory function is fading. Co-written by Diana Moran, alias ‘Green Goddess’ fitness expert of the eighties; and Sir Muir Grey, knighted for services to the NHS as Chief Knowledge Officer, this combination of practitioner and theorist works well in providing exercises backed up by reasons why they should be beneficial to us. The appropriately named Anita Bean is a top nutritionist whose knowledge and experience underpins the advice and recipes in ‘Eat Well’. Reviewed by PHA UK member Heather Pollitt

Keeping ‘Calm’ appYou can’t ignore anxiety. Having trouble relaxing and / or sleeping? I have found the Calm app exceedingly user-friendly and genuinely calming. As well as 'Daily Calm' sessions you can pick tracks to help you focus, relax or sleep. If you would like something a little different such as a 'Calm Body' there is a series of ten-minute guided videos on mindful movement. I particularly enjoy the sleep stories designed to help you nod off. Nine times out of ten I am asleep before the story has finished. Many are read by well-known people who have extremely soothing voices, pitched just right to lead you into a relaxing sleep. There is something rather nostalgic about being read a bedtime story! My favourites so far have been the nature stories from around the world and surprisingly, the children’s stories like The Velveteen Rabbit. There are stories to suit everybody. You can download the app and sign up for a week’s trial. Thereafter, the annual subscription is £35.99 (just under £3 a month). Reviewed by PHA UK co-founder Kay Yeowart