12 tips for happiness in later lifeLI

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What’s the secret of happiness in later life? Here are 12 tips from Carl Honore, author of Bolder: Making theMost of our Longer Lives

Set new goals and find a new sense of purpose with CABA’s Strengths for a positive later life course.

Call 01788 556 366 or visit caba.org.uk/positive-later-life

If you think of yourself as old, you will be old. Age is just a number

Move out of your comfort zone. Keep experimenting. Challenge yourself and the way society might stereotype you

Do your best to stay healthy. Eat well and move more - it’s good for your brain and your body. Even a brisk walk each day will help keep you in shape

Look for positive role models. Michelangelo lived until the age of 88 and spent the final 20 years of his life designing and overseeing the construction of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome

Become the person you always wanted to be. One reason why many people are at their happiest in their 60s is that they feel freer and less beholden to others

Keep up social connections, and not just with your own age group. Mix across the generations as much as you can

Be willing to let stuff go. If that friendship isn’t working, drop it. Streamline your life. Make the time you have count

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Ageing should be a process of opening rather than closing doors. Many of us are in a position to make a bigger contribution to society in our 60s or 70s

Don’t pretend you’re not 75 or 85 or whatever age you are. The way to fight back against assumptions about age is to overturn them

Society tells us that love and romance belong to the young, but it’s not true. Plenty of older people continue to experience the joy of relationships

Similarly, innovation and creativity is not the preserve of the young. In fact, we can get more creative as we get older. The Turner prize has abolished its age limit for artists, so what are you waiting for?

Limited time makes it more precious. Set your focus on the things in life that really matter

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GET UP AND GO!Staying active keeps your circulation moving. It improves the blood supply to your brain and helps to flush away waste material and toxins. Read the Spring into action article on page 6 and 7 for some quick and easy workout ideas.

SLEEPDuring deep sleep, your whole body, including your brain has a chance to repair and renew. A study by Washington University found that sleep deprivation accelerates damage to brain cells, whereas deep sleep protects those cells from harm.

CONTROL YOUR BLOOD PRESSUREHigh blood pressure can damage the tiny blood vessels in your brain. Unfortunately, high blood pressure often has no symptoms, so you might not be aware that it’s happening. Your GP or local pharmacy can do a blood pressure check and you can buy a blood pressure monitor to use at home.

ARE YOU STRUGGLING TO DROP OFF AT NIGHT? Book a place on our free course: Supercharge your sleep. Call 01788 556366 or visit caba.org.uk/supercharge-your-sleep

.EAT BRAIN FOODYour brain needs the right kind of fuel to function.Eat plenty of fatty fish like sardines, mackerel and salmon. They contain Omega 3, which is critical to brain function throughout life.

Better brain function is also associated with higher levels of Vitamin D, which is made in your skin when it’s exposed to sunlight. We don’t always have enough sunlight in the UK, so consider using a good quality supplement to keep your levels topped up.

High blood sugar levels are associated with a decline in memory and Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, Alzheimer’s disease has been called ‘type 3 diabetes’. So save sweet treats for occasional celebrations and aim to keep your blood sugar stable.

LAUGH OUT LOUDResearch shows that laughing can boost your memory, lower levels of stress hormones, strengthen your immune system, protect heart health, help you learn better and improve your relationships. Knowing all that, it makes sense to find a reason to laugh every day.

NATURAL WAYS TO BOOST YOUR MEMORYA good memory relies on a healthy brain. Here are some simple things you can do to boost your brain health and your memory.

IntroducinG YOUR vagus nerveCould a nerve you’vepossibly never heard of bethe key to calming chronicinflammation and easing pain?

What is the vagus nerve?Vagus means ‘wandering’. The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in the body. It stems directly from the brain and connects to a host of organs including your gut, heart, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, kidney, spleen, lungs, ears and tongue.

The vagus nerve helps to monitor and regulate a range of body functions including:• Heart rate

• Blood pressure

• Digestion

• Mood

• Immune response (including inflammation)

How fit is your vagus nerve?Just like a muscle, when the vagus nerve is working well, it’s said to have good ‘tone’. You can measure its tone through something called heart rate variability (HRV).

Your heart speeds up a little when you inhale and slows down a little when you exhale. A larger difference between those speeds indicates that your vagus nerve has good tone and is associated with lower levels of inflammation and better resilience to stress.

• Deep, diaphragmatic breathing

• Meditation

• Relaxed movement like gentle yoga or tai chi

• Singing, chanting and humming

• Feeding your good gut bacteria with good quality probiotics and fibre

• Laughing

• Gentle to moderate exercise

• Having a massage

WHAT IS CHRONIC INFLAMMATION?Inflammation helps your body to fight infections and heal injuries. However, if inflammation persists for a long time it can cause long-term damage. Chronic inflammation puts you at a greater risk of rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

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Toning your vagus nerveNew research is now looking into how the electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve can treat conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, migraines, Parkinson’s disease and depression. In the meantime, there are plenty of natural ways to strengthen and tone your vagus nerve to help reduce inflammation and manage pain.

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR

CREDIT SCOREYour credit score doesn’t just affect whether an application to borrow money is approved. It can also determine the interest rate you pay, and whether a landlord will rent a property to you.You might think your credit rating will be in excellent shape if you’ve only borrowed to buy your house and you’ve kept up payments every month since then. But that may not be the case.

Having a limited credit history will tend to lower, not increase, your score. Each lender uses a different calculation to arrive at a credit ‘score’, so they may come to different decisions from the same information.

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR CREDIT SCORE 1. Register to vote so that you’re on the electoralregister, or re-register if you’ve moved house at yourvotematters.co.uk

2. Check that the information that credit reference agencies are holding about you is correct and up to date. There are 3 UK credit reference agencies; Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. If a credit reference agency refusesto correct a mistake in your file, you can add a notice of correction to your report or make an official complaint to the Financial Ombudsman at financial-ombudsman.org.uk

3. Reduce your debts wherever possible

4. Each application for credit is recorded on your file for 12 months. Too many applications in a short space of time can make you look desperate,and mean being rejected

5. Ask for a quotation or soft search rather than acredit search before you make an application

That way you’ll have a good idea as to what rate you’ll be offered and whether you’ll be approved

6. Cancel any credit cards you don’t use

7. Use consistent details when you applyfor credit

8. Join the rental exchange initiative. This will boost your credit score when youpay your rent on time. You can join here: experian.co.uk/rental-exchange

9. Pay your bills on time or get in touch with thecompany first if you’re going to be late paying

10. If you no longer have a relationship with someone you’re financially linked to, write to credit reference agencies to ask them to updateyour file

11. Avoid payday loans. Traditional money lenders often consider using them to be evidenceof poor money management

12. Check your credit report regularly and reportany suspicious activity

13. Apply for a credit card that’s appropriate for your current credit score. Spend a small amount and then pay it off each month

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If you’re concerned about your credit history or it’s having an impact on your finances, CABA can help. Our specialist debt advisors will work with you to help you get things back on track.

Call +44 (0) 1788 556 366 or go online to caba.org.uk/letstalk to speak to an advisor today. All of our services are free and strictly confidential.

Grow your own superfoods

OnionPlant in March and AprilHealth benefits: Onions contain high levels of vitamin C, which may help prevent some types of cancer. They also help to regulate our mood through the production of ‘feel good’ hormones.

Cauliflower, broccoli and cabbageSow seeds indoors from March and plant out from AprilHealth benefits: These cruciferous vegetables support heart health, contain antioxidants that reduce inflammation and help prevent type 2 diabetes.

TomatoesSow seeds indoors in March and April and plant out after the final frostHealth benefits: Tomatoes contain high levels of lycopene, an antioxidant that is thought to help reduce the risk of heart disease. They’re also a great source of potassium and vitamin K.

SpinachSow outdoors from mid-March to the end of May Health benefits: Spinach contains zeaxanthin and lutein, which help to protect our eyes from the damage caused by sunlight. It’s also thought to help contribute to the regulation of blood pressure and contains vital antioxidants for healthy cells.

Pumpkin and butternut squashPlant out in AprilHealth benefits: Pumpkins and squash are full of fibre, which helps to regulate blood sugar levels. They also contain Vitamin A, which is crucial for healthy lungs.

BeetrootSow seeds from mid-April to JulyHealth benefits: Beetroot contains high levels of folate (vitamin B9), manganese, potassium, iron, and vitamin C for improved digestive and brain health and reduced chronic inflammation.

There’s nothing sweeter than home-grown veg. Especially when it’s packed with health boosting properties too. Here are some easy to grow, nutritional superheroes that you can pick fresh from your very own garden.

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Find more grow your own guides online at rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/vegetables/

You could also join a local gardening group or allotment society to meet and share tips with other like-minded, green-fingered gardeners. Your local council should be able to give you the details of groups local to you. You can also phone the Royal Horticultural Society on 0203 176 5800 for information about their local groups.

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The scienceYour environment shapes your body, and the less you move and carry, the more strength you lose.

Unfortunately, we tend to move less now than we’ve ever done in the past. So many daily movements have been delegated to machinery – beating eggs, sweeping leaves, washing dishes, carrying shopping. There are even robots to vacuum the floor and cut the grass.

We already know that being active is good for us. But the effect of strong muscles goes far beyond just the tone you see from the outside. According to a study of 140,000 adults in 17 countries, low grip strength is connected to a higher risk of heart attack, stroke or dying from cardiovascular disease. Another study showed that weight bearing exercises – especially the kind that uses the large leg muscles - send signals to the brain that are vital to the production of healthy brain cells.

So with all the evidence stacking up, why is it still so difficult to get moving?

Being active can reduce the risk OF:•Breast cancer by 25%•Bowel cancer by 45%•Stroke by 30%•Heart disease by 40%

•Dementia by 30%

Being active can INCREASE YOUR:•Sleep quality•Ability to manage weight•Mobility•Balance•Self-confidence•Pain management

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motivation to moveIf the health benefits aren’t getting you moving, maybe 1 of these tips will help…

1. Choose an activity that you enjoy doing

2. Make it social. Research shows you’re more likely to stick to your intentions when you’ve got company

3. Get competitive

4. Exercise outside for natural inspiration

5. Catch up with friends by going for a walk together, rather than sitting in a coffee shop

6. Set yourself a challenge. Keep a record of your activities and aim to beat your personal best

7. Put on your favourite music as you vacuum and dust

8. Stretch your body and your brain by learning new routines at a dance class

9. Walk your neighbour’s dog. Or find a new local furry (and human) friend at borrowmydoggy.com

10. Switch back to manual – whisk, polish, scrub, sweep, dust, drill, dig and saw without technology for a full body workout

On-the-spot workoutsThese quick and easy workouts will help you build up your strength throughout the day. You don’t need any special equipment to do them.

1. After you get out of bed, rise up on the balls of your feet. Balance for a moment, and then slowly lower your heels

2. Don’t use your hands or pitch forwards when you get up from a chair. Focus on working your legs instead. Do the same in reverse when you sit down

3. Hold a can in each hand with your arms by your sides. Bend your elbows and lift them up to work your biceps. Repeat

4. Stand with your palms flat on the wall in front of you. Bend your elbows to lean in towards the wall. Push into the wall to straighten up for a full standing press up

5. When sat on a chair, lift the lower half of your leg to the height of your thigh. Hold it stretched out in front of you without locking your knee, before lowering it down slowly. Repeat on the other side

6. Stand and slowly bend your knees towards your toes with your bottom going back out behind you. Hold for a moment and then slowly straighten your legs again. Repeat every time you’re waiting for the kettle to boil

For more tips, advice and information on how to move more, eat well and get the rest you need visit cabaphysical.org.uk, call 01788 556 366 or visit caba.org.uk/eat-and-exercise-for-energy

Reci e Corner

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Ingredients:• 200g purple sprouting broccoli,

leaves removed

• 200g new potatoes washed and halved

• 6 asparagus spears, washed and trimmed

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1⁄2 small pack tarragon

• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed

• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

• 6 chicken thighs, skin on

• Handful mint, leaves only

• 100g natural yogurt

Method:• Heat oven to 200oC/180oC fan/gas 6. Put the broccoli, new

potatoes and asparagus in a roasting tin and toss with 1 tbsp

of the olive oil and some seasoning. Add 4 tarragon sprigs, the

garlic cloves and 1 /2 the lemon wedges. Sit the chicken thighs

on top and rub with the remaining oil, seasoning well.

• Roast in the oven for 45-50 mins until the chicken is cooked

and the vegetables are tender.

• Meanwhile, make the yogurt dressing by finely chopping the

remaining tarragon (leaves only) with a few mint leaves, then

stir through the yogurt. Season well and add a squeeze of

lemon juice.

• Bring to the table with the yogurt dressing and remaining

lemon wedges, and let people help themselves.

bbcgoodfood.com • Serves 3

PROVIDING LIFELONG SUPPORT TO PAST AND PRESENT ICAEW MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES

Call CABA +44 (0) 1788 556 366CABA 24 hour helpline 0800 107 6163 (UK only)Talk to us 24 hours a day caba.org.uk/letstalkEmail enquiries@caba.org.ukAll calls are strictly confidential

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SPRING CHICKEN TRAYBAKE

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