Monday 30th November 2020 - Lazza updates us on HMHB's activities

Posted 2:20pm

Tomorrow is the first day of December, so let's have a quick look at how we did in November, and what is upcoming in December.

We continued to release our weekly health packs, and today we launched number 33.  You can log onto our website to download a copy.

Another 26 pages crammed full of information, news, and challenges.

Mindset - we ask you to review 2020 and think about what your 2021 targets are going to be, and how you can give yourself the best chance of achieving them.

Nutrition - we hope people are already cooking more at home.  We look at why that is a good idea and that 2021 can be your year of experimentation.  Also we look at "corn".

Exercise - we look at Resistance Bands.  They are cheap, readily available, and can enhance yur fitness exercises.

Health - we cover our Nervous System. What it is, what it does, and how we can try and keep it functioning right.

Plus:  Lazza opens up honestly about his weight-loss issues, and his plans to restart his journey, and how he hopes you will support him.

There is the usual fiendish quiz, an artistic picture game page, we have a huge Trifle on our recipe page with homemade sponge and custard involved, opportunities to join online classes, our challenges for you, and more.

We have completed our walking challenge as part of Walk With A Doc's Kilimanjaro climb.  We managed over 50 miles during November, so well done to us.

During December we will continue to walk around Highbury Fields most mornings.  However, on Sundays we will be using the main gym studio at Highbury Leisure Centre, and we are having dialogue with Pancras Leisure on using space there.  Plus, on Sundays, we will continue to do Zumba.

Lazza would like to thank everyone who has contacted about his knee surgery, which has gone really well.  It appears that things will work out.

Finally, we have made an exciting contact with a very large worldwide company that likes our "vision" and wants to explore ways we can work together.  Maybe 2021 is going to be fab!!  I wont count my chickens as yet. :-)

Tuesday 24th November 2020 - Pack 32: Chat with possible helpers: Lazza has surgery

Posted 11:40pm

It has been over a week since our last post in this blog, which I find amazing. The days are flying by so fast.  So, let's have a quick update for everyone.

Firstly, we have to say "get well" to our Lazza.  He underwent surgery on his right knee last Thursday at University College Hospital London, near Euston.  It was to correct a meniscus tear, was keyhole, and it all seems to have gone smoothly.  He has started walking again, and is hoping to be back to normal (whatever that is) by the end of the year.

We released Pack 32 yesterday, and it was another 26 pages packed full of information.

Mindset - we cover some more Transferable Skills; planning, organising, and research, all important for all aspects of our lives.

Nutrition - we look at Fats, one of the macronutrients vital for our health and body functions.

Exercise - we are grateful to have Karina come along and show us some moves we can do to music, and we just want to encourage people to move more.

Nutrition - we wanted to have a view of ADHD as a couple of our users have that diagnosis, and it is a learning curve for us too.

Lazza cooks a lemon cake with icing (delicious), sets us a fiendish quiz as usual, and we have a musical picture game too.  Plus, news, classes and more.

Finally, through a successful funding application with Camden Giving, we had an online chat today with a potential partner/supporter. There was Lazza, Luke and Scott, plus their representative, and we had a good honest open chat about where we are, what we are doing, and what we hope to achieve.

Monday 16th November 2020 - Pack 31 published. Plus update on all about HMHB and website

Posted 2:10pm

Really pleased to announce that number 31 of our weekly health packs was published last night, and we are sending out copies today and tomorrow, after emailing over 150 addresses last night.  We now reach over 1000 people, as we know various organisations promote us in several London boroughs and beyond. This is humbling and exciting all in one.

Pack 31 - it is 26 pages crammed full of information, research and news.

For Mindset:  We take a walk through "self-doubt", how it can be both good and bad, as well as how to deal with it if it becomes overwhelming.

For Nutrition:  Following last week when we looked back at Protein, we are now going back to update on "Carbohydrates" - one of the "Building Blocks of Life".  It is an interesting journey.

For Exercise:  We invite you to try out your own "Circuit Training" - looking at including legs, arms, core, and cardio exercises into your routine.

For Health:  HMHB ventures into "headaches and migraines" this week, talking of possible causes, and what we can do try and prevent them from happening.

Lazza cooks his first ever homemade burgers for the recipe page, he sets his usual fiendish quiz which is deliberately set to make you sit down and think, and there is an animal picture game page to get your brain cells working.  Plus much more.

We have been busy updating parts of the website, and that will continue over the next couple of weeks. We ensure all the health packs are available to download, and list the contents too, so people can choose which ones they want to read. Do check them out. All of Lazza's recipes are on there too, and we promise that every one of them is his first effort at making the dishes, listing and picturing the ingredients as well as a photo of the end product.  I can honestly say that although some may not look as pretty as they could be, every single one has tasted fabulous, so far!!!

All of them can be found on our website:   www.hmhb2016.org.uk

Now, a quick update on what HMHB has been doing.

Lazza has been completing a Kilimanjaro climb challenge organised by our friends in the United States, Walk With A Doc.  Sadly, not trip to Tanzania, but a virtual challenge, and he has been walking around Highbury Fields in the mornings since November 2nd.  Going well so far, and he has been joined on and off by some of our users to encourage him along. We have to be careful because of the Covid 19 restrictions and guidelines, and distancing is also adhered to.

We won a small grant from Camden Giving recently to work with Kentish Town Job Centre with their users from a "Pathways To Employment" Fund - Andrea, one of their disability officers, had asked us to provide some fitness/exercise intervention with our PT Dean.  Due to this lockdown we are aiming to start that in January in conjunction with Pancras Leisure Gym.  More news to follow.

We have a very interesting zoom meeting on Tuesday week with a very exciting organisation who "like" our "vision" and what we are trying to do. It has the potential to open a few doors for us, and I think we deserve our opportunity now after creating so much great feedback to our various interventions.

Finally, we just want to say good health to all our users and friends, as we know some are struggling a bit during the lockdown with cancelled hospital appointments and treatments.  This is a difficult time for many, but more so for people who have other ailments.  Please stay active though, and try and get outdoors if you can, obviously following guidelines.

Hugs to all.

Friday 13th November 2020 - possible good meeting ahead: pack 31 finished; walking

Posted 2:00pm

Yep, Friday is here once more and it's been another cracker of a week.

We received some welcoming emails from various groups praising our health packs, which was really nice. It does make all the time and effort worthwhile.  And the team has just about finished number 31, which will be out on Sunday.  Rosie was taking some photos of our Lazza doing various exercises for our fitness pages this morning.

We are still doing our Kilimanjaro challenge at the moment, walking around Highbury Fields. Listen, I know it is not following the guidelines to the letter, but we are mostly walking in pairs (you can exercise with someone outside your household) and ensuring social distance is adhered too.  There are many groups of multiple people going around, and we are much better than them.  And for our mental health, we need to be able to get outdoors and have some kind of interaction.  Are we bad? Are we rebels? No, we are just trying to have a life. But we agree with all the prevention stuff around, so please everyone be safe.

We have had a very special contact today, and I do not want to jeopardise it too much by saying a lot at the moment. It has come through one of the funding streams we successfully applied to in the last few months, and could possibly lead to some better things.  We have a zoom meeting arranged for the 24th, so will share more after that. But it is so nice to be recognised for our work.

Monday 9th November 2020 - New lockdown does not stop us exercising: plus more applications; Lazza eye operation

Posted 4:00pm

Hello everyone.  Back to another Monday morning, but also still in the new lockdown, as we will be all November.  Let us hope that this is the last of the major lockdowns.

Sadly, for our daily exercise session, this was the kiss of death. The new lockdown regulations state that you can exercise outdoors, but only with one other person from a different household.  This does not stop us totally though. Lazza is doing his Kilimanjaro challenge, and started last Monday.  Since Thursday he has stated that he will continue to do it, and if anyone just happens to be walking at the same time that is great. It meant that we are walking around Highbury Fields every morning - socially distanced in groups of two. Maybe, technically, we are still following the rules.

Lazza did not walk this morning - he had a "Yag Laser Capsulotomy" - which sounds quite complicated but is, in fact, a fairly easy straightforward laser surgery on his right eye, following his detached retina in 2018 and cataract in 2019.  This was his sixth eye surgery in 38 months and, thankfully, what should be the final one. It was a success.  Yay!!

Finally, we have made two more funding applications.  It is quite easy to lose track, but we are currently waiting to hear on five we have made.  If we can get one or two that would be absolutely brilliant, and any more would be a bonus.  We have to also be aware that due to many people applying for funds at this time there is a good chance we will not get any of them.  That's life!!!

Wednesday 4th November 2020 - 11 new health blog entries; studio at Highbury Leisure

Posted 4:15pm

We added eleven new entries into our health blog today, with a full diversity of topics. All based on studies and research, which is cool.  I love reading it all myself, and find it fascinating how scientists and universities delve into various subjects.

We posted one on our Facebook and Twitter sites which focused on the links between alcohol and cancer, which was particularly relevant with new lockdown rules starting tomorrow. More people will be stuck indoors and I know some will turn to drink to help them cope with life. But the health effects can be devastating if it is abused.

We did add a further one to Twitter only, which looked at "awe walks", where you really appreciate your surroundings and try and find vistas and views that inspire you. Apparently that is better than a normal walk.

I mentioned the new lockdown, and this will have an effect on us, due to the fact we have to stop all group fitness and exercise. I, however, will continue to do the walking Kilimanjaro challenge around Highbury Fields, and I have told people that if anyone just happened to be walking at the same time then we could naturally chat.  Maybe not totally the right thing to do, but I know people want to get outdoors and be active.  I will see how it goes.  It's just for a couple of weeks until my knee operation on the 19th.

Monday 2nd November 2020 - Walking with the Mayor: Pack 29 released: Lockdown changes

Posted 4:20pm

Hey.  Look at us!!!  Here we are gathered in the foyer of Highbury Leisure Centre this morning where, despite a gorgeous sunny start to the day - right up to around 9:30am - we took refuge from a quick downpour.

Were our spirits dampened??  Not a chance!!!  Off we trundled into the now spitting rain to start our walking challenge around Highbury Fields, and it soon stopped raining and we enjoyed sunshine once more.

It was lovely to be joined by Janet Burgess, the Islington Mayor (standing behind a kneeling Lazza, wearing her chain of office).  She was wonderful, chatting to everyone, and we eventually did three laps, and I was delighted that our turn out was so good.

The new lockdown changes coming in Thursday, which say you can exercise outdoors but only with one member of a different household, means Lazza will be doing most of the challenge himself. We will need to relax the exercise sessions until December. However, with upcoming knee surgery, maybe that is a good thing, as it will enable him to get some recovery time in.

https://www.hmhb2016.org.uk/mental-health-packs

We released number 29 of our health packs this morning, and it really is full of content.

In this one:

Mindset - we look at Confidence, Optimism and Esteem (often confused with confidence)

Nutrition:  we turn to milk, and look at some of the alternatives being offered to us

Exercise:  Lazza demonstrates some "Big Ball" exercises, but you can use alternatives at home

Health:  We look at our Bones

We also provide some recent research on mental health and the Covid on our News page.

And we have a film-based picture game page, Lazza's fiendish quiz, a recipe for Beef Stew where Lazza cooked his first ever Dumplings, and much more.

I have almost finished Pack 30, which is 26 pages, and I am really happy with the way they are coming.  I am hoping we can get to number 50 which would be around April 2021.  Let's see.