Last week I included an invite for you to join us for a cuppa and a bit of cake (more information further down) and I included information about how you can reduce your risks of Dementia (outside of genetics and aging).
I wrote about nutrition last week and this week I want to explain briefly how maintaining social connection with others helps maintain mental health and reduce your risk of dementia/Alzeimers.
‘Social contact to reduce the risk of dementia’
It is thought that social contact helps with resilience against the effects of Alzheimer’s disease in the brain – known as cognitive reserve.
Engaging in social activities may help to build up your brain’s ability to cope with disease, relieve stress and improve your mood. Such activities include:
- adult education or learning
- arts and crafts (especially in groups)
- playing a musical instrument or singing
- volunteering
- social dancing and multi tasking fitness (one of the most effective)
It’s important to try to keep in touch with the people who matter to you, such as friends and family. Holding a conversation with someone can also exercise a wide range of your mental skills, for example:
- actively listening to and communicating with another person/s
- considering the meaning of what someone is trying to tell you and how they feel (social intelligence)
- finding the best way to express what you want to say and putting words together in the right order for someone to understand.
- recalling things that have happened which are relevant to what you’re talking about.
Social isolation is shown to increase dementia risk and there is a known strong link between high social contact later in life and memory and thinking skills.
Our DYBO classes are very interactive, friendly and supportive and it warms my heart to see the DYBO Dudes and Divas chatting and getting to know each other. I’m blessed to enjoy great
relationships with my one to one and group participants and know that together we support each other’s mental and physical health for now and the future.
This is a rare thing in today’s society and fitness /dance industry.
I thank you for that and want to remind you to keep in touch with older relatives, neighbours, and friends to help them with their mental health.
‘Time for a Cuppa’
Dementia is the biggest killer in the UK, with this awful disease affecting the sufferers and their families equally. We are all touched by this dreadful condition (my own family too) and I want to make a difference via my professional work and events such as this. I hope you can help me?
Not only will we raise valuable funds for awareness and research but getting together for a chat over a cuppa is great for our own and others mental health too!
(Research suggests that those who are lonely, stressed and worried are more likely to develop dementia and other mental health issues).
Please do come along and support ourselves and others!
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast, and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
Here is the link to our just giving page for a donation or you can leave cash on the day whichever is easiest – spending time hanging with you is more important if you don’t wish to/can’t donate.
Classes this week…
Remember we have a schedule change this Monday due to the Bank Holiday
Paleo Chocolate Cake
This recipe is lower in carbohydrates and has a slower sugar release than most regular chocolate cake recipes. It’s still a treat, don’t go nuts but please do enjoy!
It makes a single layer cake – I doubled it and made a bigger cake with icing in the centre.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups fine almond flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup water or milk of choice (I used oat milk but a nut milk will increase protein amount)
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup palm/coconut sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- *For a double layer cake, simply double the recipe and bake in two 8-inch pans.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 8 inch cake tin and line with grease proof paper. Stir all ingredients together well, then tip into the tin and level. Bake for 14 minutes in the centre of the oven; check it’s cooked through and adjust accordingly. Cool completely before icing.
Try it with yogurt, ice cream or cream and decorate with raspberries.
The Choccie Icing:
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- optional 2 oz melted chocolate
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 1/2 – 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 – 4 tbsp milk of choice (I used oat milk)
Instructions
- Bring cream cheese and butter to room temperature. Beat all ingredients with an electric mixer (or by hand which is what I did as I don’t have a mixer!). If too thick, very slowly add more milk of choice. If too thin, add additional powdered sugar.
I hope to see you at class and have you join us for a cuppa and cake!
Love ya,
Helen x
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DYBO Live & Online – Next weeks Classes are as follows:.
At All Hallows, Farnham & DYBO Studio, Church Crookham (Book in Advance only): Zoom class details further down the page.
Monday (DYBO Studio)
9.30-10.15am: Total Tone – with bands, handweights and mat.
Tuesday (AH)
6.30-7.15pm: 5 in 1 Fitness – with bands, handweights and mat.
7.30-8.15pm: Dance Fit & Fab
Wednesday (DYBO Studio)
6.30pm Old Skool Step – Step, hand weights and band.
7.30pm Barre Fit – Something to assist balance like a barre, eg. chair, worktop, mantlepiece etc.
Thursday (AH)
6.15-7.20pm: Contemporary Stretch – various equipment used at each class, contact me for info.
7.30-8.30pm: Dancespiration
Friday (DYBO Studio)
6.30-7.15pm: Friday Fitness Yoga Express
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Joining us at All Hallows or The DYBO Church Crookham Studio? – Protocols and Information
I’m so happy to be able to run Face to Face classes at All Hallows and at the DYBO Studio in Church Crookham. My primary objective is to ensure that we all have a wonderful time with effective and fun classes that are engaging, relaxed and of course, safe.
Preparation
1) Firstly ensure that you have booked by sending us an email info@dybo.co.uk confirming all the classes you wish to attend plus your payment method, be it as a member, using your voucher, or pay as you go. No on the door bookings or payments can be taken. Bookings are not refundable or transferable. I will keep records of all attending, please also keep a record of your own attendance too.
2) Preparing your kit bag/box. This depends upon the class you are attending.
Boogie Fit, Dance Fit and Dancespiration crew will only require your indoor trainers/dance shoes to change in to, sweat towel, and drink.
Total Tone and 5 in 1 crew – in order to prevent cross contamination currently I am not sharing equipment in a group exercise setting so you will need your mat, a resistance band and light hand weights/equivalent in addition to your trainers, sweat towel and drink.
Contemporary Stretch crew need a mat, band, chi ball and on the last Thursday of the Month you will need 2 x tennis balls and a sock for our Trigger Point and Myofascial release class !
3) Re borrowing equipment – if you would like to try a class or have forgotten equipment then you may borrow equipment on that occasion and please ensure that you sanitise it before and afterwards (sanitising products supplied). I can assist you with sourcing your own equipment inexpensively, moving forward.
On the night
*When you arrive at All Hallows, enter the school via the gates to the left as you face the school and follow the road around the school buildings.
*Please park in the playing courts and walk between the old school building and new sports hall, up a few steps on to the outside seating area, the studio door is to your right.
*Participants are required to arrive 5-10 mins before the class.
*Please change into your clean trainers for indoor activity as you enter, e.g. slip off your outdoor shoes, place your bag, walk to activity area then put indoor shoes on, the same in reverse to leave. This is to maintain the hygiene and cleanliness of the space, avoiding stones and glass being walked in and potentially causing injury and to protect the lovely new wood floor.
*The toilets are open to use but please arrive changed, ready for activity so as to keep use time minimal and avoiding queues.
*After a wonderful class change from your indoor trainers to outdoor shoes and sanitise your hands again if you wish.
*Please tell friends and family about our wonderful classes!
When joining me at the DYBO Studio (No.42, GU52 0YA) I will send information directly, including entrance code for the Studio and please note, advanced booking is required.
Fees, you have THREE options!
Please note that all Classes must be booked and paid for in advance and are non transferable or refundable.
Online payments only.
45 min Class – £8.00, 60/65 min Class – £8.50.
10 Class Voucher: £75 (to be used within 12 weeks of purchase).
Membership: £55, unlimited classes, plus a bonus of free access to all class recordings on our DYBO TV channel, and another bonus of a £5 discount for one to one services for current membership holders.
To be paid by the 1st day of the month (at the latest) and is valid from the first to last day of calendar month.
One full month’s notice of membership suspension/cancellation is required with one membership restart permitted within a 12 month period.
Bank details are UK Fitness Academy Ltd.
Sort Code 09-01-28, Acc No. 04284324
Please email me when you have made a payment and use your name and what it’s for as a reference. eg. Jane Smith Class Voucher
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Joining us on Zoom? – Links and Information
Monday
9.30am: Total Tone
Tuesday
6.30pm 5 in 1 Fitness Class
7.30pm Dance Fit & Fab
Wednesday
6.30pm Old Skool, Step & Strength – Step, hand weights and band.
7.15pm Barre Fit – Something to assist balance like a barre, eg. chair, worktop, mantlepiece etc.
Thursday
6.15pm Contemporary Stretch
7.30pm Dancespiration
Friday
6.30pm Friday Fitness Yoga Express
****** All the above classes change and vary weekly! *****
How to prepare your Zoom environment
- You need space to move 2 side steps, 4 walks forward, 4 backward. Move trip hazards and furniture as much as you can (get help, be careful!) to give you maximum space for upper and lower body movement. Roll up rugs or secure them so they don’t slip or cause you to trip.
- Plugging your device in to your TV with an HDMI cable is brilliant as it gives you a good picture of you (like a mirror) and me – as well as boosting the sound if you go through the TV/Hi-Fi sound system. If you can place your device under the TV, then even better.
- I know some of you are using your phones – try to plug in to a speaker system (even those little speakers we have when we go on holiday would help) so that you can hear better as you move back from the phone. Angie has tried Bluetooth earphones and it worked well.
- Ensure you have maximum access to your Wi-Fi in the house and as close to the router as is feasible. Take phones off the Wi-Fi system and pop them on to your 4/5G network or place on airplane mode, unless that’s what you are using to join us, obviously. Ask family to do the same for the duration of your class – keep them off the internet whilst you need the bandwidth. The more bandwidth you have, the better the picture and sound and the less likely you are to lose the feed. Your health is a priority at this time and I’m sure they can do something else for that short time!
- Ventilate your exercise space, have plenty of water and towels to hand, keep your exercise equipment close – if you need anything, let me know.
- Wear correct footwear for your activity – putting an old pair of socks over the toes and ball of your trainers will help reduce friction when exercising on carpet (if they are a really old pair, cutting the toes open and then just having them over the ball of the foot is even better). It’s up to you if you want to dance or train in bare feet but be careful if you don’t usually do this as it takes time for the muscles and connective tissue of the feet and rest of the body to adapt to barefoot training.
- Make your own gym equipment. Save laundry liquid or milk bottles – you can fill them with water or wet sand/rice etc. to add weight and make a dumbell/kettlebell. I recommend you make a few in differing weights and you have written on them so you know what they weigh and seal the caps with tape to prevent leakage. Get a heavy duty shopping bag and put weighty items in it, check they can’t fall out and you have a kettlebell alternative. Make your own hurdles, put cushions, pillows, boxes, books on the floor to jump over. Use household items as floor markers for circuit activities. The stairs and outdoor steps are great temporary steps/benches for cardio and upper body work. The garden is a great open space to make an assault course or if you can get a signal, take your class or PT session outside, but do make it safe.
Disclaimer
I declare that all of the information I have given (both written and verbal) is accurate and truthful. I know of no reason why I cannot participate fully in any exercise programme and I do not deem it necessary to consult my medical Practitioner/GP/specialist. I undertake to inform my instructor should any information change.
I understand that I participate at my own risk and that any information given is not intended to replace or represent medical advice. I agree to comply with all terms conditions and class protocols and instructions as outlined above and whilst attending DYBO classes/training.
Do not attend classes if experiencing symptoms of Covid 19, Flu or airborne transmissible infection or have tested positive.
Attending any DYBO class will assume agreement with above terms and disclaimer.
