How to avoid getting old.

Kimchi butter and sweetcorn. Goofing instead of slogging. CARs

My arms hurt. Specifically the forearm, oh and the bit where my biceps joins at the inside elbow and also my pectorals and traps and ribs. Actually, it might be better if I listed parts which don’t cause me to groan when I sit down, open a jar or swing my leg over anything. (Stop sniggering at the back.) You may imagine that I’ve been working hard at the gym, or marathon training. Instead of these laudable activities, I’ve been goofing in such a focussed way that each of my muscles is complaining about it.

When I was a kid, I spent every break doing cartwheels and climbing on the monkey bars. Not because I wanted to get fit, but because it felt good - and we had this game called red, amber, green where you did handstands in a version of Simon Says. We also skipped rope and did those jumping over elastic games while other kids chanted some rhyme about things on the washing line. My god it was fun. Somewhere along the way I stopped doing all of that and confined myself to running, cycling and latterly - swimming. Grown up stuff.

When Nick got into handstands around eight years ago, I thought it was great, but not for me. My shoulders weren’t strong enough anymore and I worried I’d hurt myself. He was having fun, but nevertheless, I felt too fragile for it. Then about four years ago I developed a frozen shoulder. You may remember because I spoke about the intense pain and how it was a massive wakeup for me to take care of my shoulders. It was only by immediately getting to work and pushing through excruciating moments of physio that I avoided the cortisone shots and extended period of debility that many people experience. If that’s you, I genuinely feel your pain. It’s very common for women in perimenopause and menopause, which I was and still am, despite most of my friends having passed go and collected their No More Periods badge. Boy was that physio boring though. Ugh!

Our nervous system likes to get comfortable with the range of movement we currently use. If that’s reaching things from a cupboard, typing all day and bending to pick things off the floor, that’s what you’ll end up restricted to. If you don’t crouch, reach behind or sit cross legged, at some point you won’t be able to anymore. To stay ready for anything - handstands, jump rope or showing off at parties - you need to put your joints through their whole range at least a few times a week if not every day. There’s a brilliant set of movements called CARs (Controlled Articular Rotation) which you can learn. We do it on the roof in the morning and at the very least, I always move my shoulders. I looked for something to link to, but I think it’s super personal, so search Controlled Articular Rotation and follow whichever video speaks to you. GMB and Kinstretch are good.

Nick found a handstand class here in Fuerteventura a few years ago when I was still uncertain about my shoulder, even though I had done the work to get it strong again. Damaging it by doing something elective felt too risky and I was right in the middle of craziness with Mum. But he was having so much fun, that this year when we moved over here finally, I decided to give it a try. ‘Tengo miedo.’ I said to the instructor. ‘I’m afraid.’ And old. Everyone else was in their twenties and thirties. He told me that we would go as slowly as I wanted, no pressure.

I started doing the movements to prepare for handstands. Moving on the floor like a monkey or frog and hanging from a bar like a gorilla. We played hilarious versions of twister where we tried to turn each other into pretzels. With our feet we made towers of Jenga blocks and bounced tennis balls. Then at the end of each class we’d do a few handstands up against a wall or in the air if we were confident. I laughed my way through every class and when the ninety minutes was up, we lay on the floor, shook like cucarachas and laughed some more. The following day I would wake up and wonder what I’d done to myself and over the next 24 hours, bits of me would reveal aches - as though I’d done a serious workout and not a silly one.

I had done a serious workout, but in a playful way. I can feel my strength returning. I’m aiming for cartwheels, but I won’t care if I don’t get there soon because the preparation is so much fun.

I don’t know what your version of handstand prep is, but if you’re a woman in mid life, consider finding something that puts your shoulders through their paces. Do this test - try to touch your hands behind your back, one behind your head from the top and one behind your shoulder blades from below. If you can’t get your fingers to touch then try CARS or yoga or something similar to remind your joints of their full range. If you can that’s brilliant - aim to be able to clasp your hands and keep doing what you’re doing.

If you can’t do a press up or pull up anymore, think about why. Obviously if you have an injury or debility that prevents you then this doesn’t apply - or rather a modified version does. But I urge you to challenge the idea that we automatically stop being able to do these things. To assume that we don’t play anymore once we’re older and that exercise should be gruelling or painful. Playing can exercise more than muscles, it makes you feel part of a group and keeps your heart light - even if just for the duration of a class. Let me know if you try any of this. It’s been life changing for me.

Kimchi butter

I hope that I’ve encouraged you to cook up grain every week, in order to make lunchtime salads and quick suppers. Another of my top tips is to make flavoured butter and stash in the freezer to bring a satisfying and flavoursome finish to steamed or boiled veg - especially broccoli, sweetcorn or potatoes. It’s also delicious to melt a slice into a bowl of hot grain - rice, quinoa, millet or buckwheat. Right after you make it and it has the texture of buttercream, try dipping in a few raw radishes before it firms up again.

125g softened unsalted butter

80-125g kimchi

sea salt if needed

Chop the kimchi as finely as possible (or whizz in a blender for a super fine finish) and put into a mixing bowl with the soft butter (or add butter to the blender). You can either just beat the whole thing together, adding kimchi juice until the texture is like buttercream, or blitz with a stick blender until everything is homogenous. Season with salt if you think it needs it, but it shouldn’t.

Lay out a piece of oiled paper (I use paper sandwich bags) or baking parchment if you don’t mind the siloxanes and scrape the butter onto it in a rough sausage shape. Roll up into a log and twist the ends of the paper to secure. Freeze for up to two months or refrigerate for up to two weeks. Just slice a piece off as needed.

Shipton Mill classes

I’ve just confirmed two teaching dates for late September with Shipton Mill at their teaching kitchen. Once all the details are ironed out, I’ll share them with you. Should be pretty soon! There are two days with six places on each. I plan to teach seasonal pieroggi dumplings, fougasse and gum free doughnuts. Yum! We can cater for most dietaries except egg free. Let me know if you’re interested. Apparently tickets sell out quicker than Glastonbury.

That’s it for this week. I’ll be back next Monday or Tuesday, aiming to get back to my regular scheduling.

Much love,

Naomi x