Recipe of the month – Salmon with basil & lentils

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Katie Bishop is back with another recipe to make your mouth water. This month, she’s developed one specifically for my Menopause Metamorphosis programme as part of the self-care Sunday feature. I’m so grateful to her for doing this – I really hope you enjoy it!

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This incredibly easy recipe uses only a few products, but tastes great. You can vary the grains depending on what you have in the cupboard, or what you like to eat, but the pack of lentils I use in this recipe has lots of great flavour which really adds to the dish, so I would strongly recommend it.

“I’m not a nutritionist, but I do know that the most important thing to remember when eating during menopause, is to ensure you have a balanced plate of food.”

That means it needs to include wholegrain carbs for slow release energy, a good source of protein (salmon is good because it’s high in vitamin D), healthy unsaturated fats (so that’s things like olive oil, nuts, seeds etc), and preferably some calcium too.

Osteoporosis can be an issue during menopause, so it’s important to look after your bones. Calcium and vitamin D are both critical for this.

This recipe ticks all of those nutrition boxes, but also tastes delicious and feels comforting, warming and wholesome to eat.

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Overview

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Time to cook: 10-12 minutes
Serves: 2 people

Ingredients

2 x 250g lightly smoked salmon fillets (or unsmoked, if you prefer)
Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle
200g Tenderstem broccoli (or other favourite green veg)
About 10-15g basil
250g pack Merchant Gourmet Tomatoey French Puy & Green Lentils
2 tbsp half fat crème fraiche

Let’s get cooking …

  1. Preheat the oven to 220C, gas mark 7. Line a baking sheet with foil. Put the salmon on top, skin-side down. Drizzle with olive oil and season well. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until just cooked through.
  2. Meanwhile, bring a medium pan of water to the boil. Cook the broccoli for 4 minutes, then drain and keep warm.
  3. Return the pan to a low heat. Trim then finely chop the basil stalks. Place them into the pan with the lentils and 2-3 tbsp water. Cook over a low heat for 2-3 minutes, until piping hot.
  4. When the salmon is cooked, stir the crème fraiche and whole basil leaves through the lentils. Spoon onto warm plates.
  5. Serve the salmon, leaving the skin behind on the foil (unless you like to eat it), on top of the lentils, with the broccoli, seasoned and drizzled with olive oil, on the side.

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Katie will be back next month with something else delicious to try.

In the meantime, you can find out more about her at https://katiebishop.co.uk or follow her on Instagram at @ktbishopcooks

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Book review of the month – The Last Library – Freya Sampson

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Hi! I’m Helen Gambarota and I am delighted to be back with Jo’s Weekly Workout Family to share my love of books with you.

I am a total book nerd and an avid reader and a compulsive book buyer, although I do need to slow down on the book buying as there are piles of books all around the house. I started reviewing books on Instagram as @BestBookFoward almost 4 years ago and I love chatting about books and sharing my passion for reading.

Each month I bring you my recommendation of a must-read book. I read a variety of genres so it could be anything from fiction, non-fiction, romance, historical fiction or a thriller and I really hope that you’ll enjoy each of them as much as I do.

If you’d like more book inspiration you can find my reviews on my Instagram account which is @BestBookForward, on Facebook or on my website bestbookforward.org

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Autumn has to be one of my favourite times of the year to curl up with a good book. I just don’t think you can beat snuggling up on the sofa with a hot chocolate and escaping into the pages.

I wanted to pick a book this month that would really compliment Jo’s fabulous self-care series and so I’ve gone for the The Last Library by Freya Sampson which is out now in hardback.

The story is about a young woman named June who is the local library assistant. June thinks that you can tell a lot about a person from the library books they borrow, but June herself is very much a closed book.

Since her mum passed away June has retreated into herself, surviving on Chinese takeaways for one and rereading her favourite books at home.

When the library is threatened with closure, an unlikely group of locals band together to save it and we get to see just how important the library is to the community. But in order to save it, they’ll need to persuade the shy and reclusive June to join their cause.

To me, this just felt like a big warm hug of a read! It is a story about love, loss, friendship, kindness, community and standing up for what you believe in.

It is funny, warm and while it is a little sad at times it overall a wonderfully uplifting read which I really hope you’ll love as much as I did.

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You can buy your copy from Amazon here, or from all good bookshops.

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Pilates for menopause – yet another reason it’s good for you!

There’s one BIG and very important reason why Pilates is the perfect exercise to practice when you head into menopause. It helps to keep your bones strong by working with your own body weight and with weighted exercises.

During menopause, the risk of osteoporosis can increase due to a lowering of the homormone oestrogen.

So, working with weights as well as our own body weight is vital, as strength training exercises will help to build bone and muscle strength.

Screenshot taken from one of Jo’s on-demand workout classes – Rock bottoms

During menopause, because bone density decreases, it’s weight bearing and weighted exercises that will help counterbalance this.

How? Well, it’s because the action of muscle pulling on bone which results in denser, stronger bones which are less likely to break.

Strength training is also fabulous to do, as the higher the muscle to fat ratio we have, the more metabolically active we are and so the more calories we burn.

Screenshot taken from one of Jo’s on-demand workout classes – Upper body weights

Therefore a good pilates regime will target muscle and bone strength, directly aiding in the prevention of osteoporosis.

If you’d like to know how I can help you, to help yourself – visit my Menopause Metamorphosis page.

I’m so proud of our amazing membership – here’s a snippet from a recent email …

“I Just wanted to drop you a note to say how much I’m enjoying the menopause program! Life is incredibly busy of late and we have also sold our house and buying a new one in the countryside. But I’m determined to stick to the classes, I so need them to keep me sane at this crazy time! Im full into menopause now too….

I have been with you around 18 months now and can honestly say I so look forward to my 30 minute class each work day morning. Your classes give me routine, it’s really toned me up and I thoroughly look forward to laughing along with you… most days I’m chuckling along 🥰 it sets my day up!”

Thanks so much to Lesley for her lovely words.

xx

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October member spotlight: Carolyn Colvin

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Each month, we feature one of our amazing Weekly Workout Club members here in our smaall bu perfectly formed wellness and lifestyle area.

If you’re a member, you’ll know that its really important to Jo that we are all in this together and supporting one another on our fitness journeys.  This is the reason why Jo always refers to the club as the ‘Weekly Workout Family’

We thought it was time for members to get to know each other a little more and to share some stories and experiences.

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Our October spotlight features Carolyn Colvin. Over to you Carolyn ….

Tell us about yourself

My name is Carolyn Colvin, I am 48 years young and I live in Dublin, Ireland, after moving here from Cheshire, UK in January 1995 after meeting my Irish husband Peter on holiday in the South of France.

I have 3 children, my eldest daughter Ciara (22), my son Conor (18) & my youngest daughter Carys (15).  I work in a mainstream primary school as a special needs assistant – a job I absolutely love, supporting children with additional needs is an absolute privilege.

Why do you enjoy The Weekly Workout Club?

I found the weekly workout club during the very beginning of the first lockdown in March 2020, and honestly I haven’t looked back.

“Working out with Jo energises me, gives me focus, purpose and so much joy.”

I have been in perimenopause for the past 5 years and find that my mobility is less than it was, I have gained belly fat and my anxiety has increased hugely.  Pilates is just so good during this time of my life.  It’s low impact, but still helps increase my flexibility and my balance and improves my muscle strength and ‘hones and tones’, as Jo likes to say.  It is also so good for my mental health and it reduces my stress, anxiety, fatigue and lifts my general mood overall if I practice my pilates with Jo regularly.

I love the varied classes offered by Jo, there is something for everyone, all abilities and levels and it is just so much fun. Jo offers so much information too, so you know why you are working a particular muscle, how to get the most out of each move and what each muscle group does…it’s so interesting and motivating.

Jo offers 30 minute online workouts but also has 10 minute blasts, which are just fantastic if you’re short on time.

What are your favourite three classes?

It is so hard to choose just 3 favourite classes, but I do love workouts with weights and the pilates ring. But here’s 3 of classes I have completed and returned to repeatedly:
I think all the workouts are my favourites to be honest, but being in perimenopause, I am learning the importance of strength training and how important it is to build bone and muscle strength, burn body fat and get the metabolism going, so July #2 – ‘Weight it up’ is one I really enjoy and challenges me in a good and positive way at this time in my life.

[You need to be a member and logged in to view those workout pages!]

What are some of your favourite things?

 

Food – Fish and seafood.  Nobody in my family likes it, so it is a treat to go to a restaurant and pick seabass or prawns from the menu.
Drink – I love a glass of wine.  Red is my colour and a lovely Rioja or Merlot would be my favourite.
Book – ‘The Anne of Green Gables‘ series by LM Montgomery and ‘Me before you‘ by JoJo Moyes
FIlm – ‘The Holiday’, ‘Elf’ and ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ Oh yeah, and I love everything  to do with Christmas
TV show – ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.  I’ve been a fan since series 1.

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Thank you so much to Carolyn for her wonderful spotlight article. We’ll feature another member next month and if you’d like to be featured – drop us a line!

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Selfcare Sunday – handcare tips with Kim Treacy

In order to view the video below – you do need to be logged in as a member. If you’re not already a member – you can find out more about my Menopause Metamorphosis programme here.

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To all my members, welcome to self-care Sunday!

Today is all about looking after your hands and nails, and who better to do this than Kim Treacy – nail stylist to the stars!

Kim has been a nail Technician/ Manicurist for 25 years. Over the years the nail industry has boomed – there are now so many ways of doing a manicure, and therefore, so many ways to destroy your natural nails with use off gel polish if you do not know how to remove  it properly!

So Kim is very passionate about natural nail and hand care and below shares a few tips as part of my Menopause Metamorphosis programme.

In the video below – we talk through a hand scrub – you can find the ingredients below:

Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon of coconut oil (preferably organic)
* 1 tablespoon of honey (preferably organic)
* 1/4 cup of sugar ( brown or white)
* 1/4 cup of sea salt
* Lime juice

Method

1. Mix one tablespoon each of coconut oil and honey
2. Add the sea salt and fine sugar to this and mix well
3. Add the juice of a lime and blend for 30 seconds
4. Massage the mix gently onto your hands for 1 minute. Rinse with warm water
5. Store in an airtight container and use it within a week

I really hope you enjoy our fun chat and you take some time out for yourself at some point today.

x

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Small business spotlight – Nostara

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Every now and then I aim to showcase a business I really love and believe in – it’s great to champion the smaller business.

So I wanted to introduce a fabulous lady called Nikki Holt and her candle business – Nostara.

These candles are my “go to,” as not only do they all smell divine but they burn really well!  Nikki actually showed me how to burn a candle to make it effective and last!

Over to Nikki …

xx

Introducing Nostara

I first met Jo at Axe Vale Craft Fair in 2018, since then she has been an avid supporter of Nostara.

She has asked me to write a few words to tell you all about my journey from stay at home mum to founder of Nostara…

After many happy years as a primary school teacher and a stay-at-home mum, it was time to start a new chapter in my life. My love of fragrance drew me to creating my own range of luxury home fragrances and with the support of my family and friends and in 2017 the Nostara brand was born.

Finding the perfect name for my business was very tricky – I had lots of great, and not so great ideas, but I finally settled on ‘Nostara’!

It is derived from a combination of my first initial and ‘Ostara’ the Goddess of Spring, chosen for its meaning of new beginnings – the perfect metaphor for my new business.

Why did you start the business?

My aim was to bring a sense of luxury to the everyday and launch a collection that was aspirational but accessible – something that I would want to buy for my own home.

Focusing on ethical, sustainable, and local production was really important to me. I wanted to keep everything sourced in the UK and I am pleased to say I was able to achieve this.

I was thrilled to be awarded a Great British Brand in 2020 and 2021 – something I can truly say I am proud of.

About Nostara’s candles & diffusers

Nostara’s candles are hand poured in small batches in the South West – one of my fabulous suppliers and an expert in pouring candles!

I use 100% natural sustainable soy wax and scents which have been created using premium quality essential oils with distinguishable top, heart, and base notes. The candles feature 100% cotton wicks and will burn for approximately 40 hours with an exceptional scent throw, providing a clean, even, long lasting burn to your home, office, or wedding.

Nostara reed diffusers, also hand poured in Devon, are made from Augeo, which is an innovative and eco-friendly new base, derived from soya renewable resources. It is non-toxic, low in carbon footprint and low in odour, giving it a superior performance.

The reed diffusers are the perfect way to effortlessly add long-lasting fragrance, whether you want a signature scent or to create a particular ambience.

My collection is available in eight fragrances, all personal to me: Bergamot & Black Tea, Lime & Juniper, Linen & White Gardenia, Ebony Rose, Burnished Amber, and two winter editions – Frosted Fir and Winter Wonderland, both encapsulating the magic of Christmas!

My collection even encompasses a ‘MANdle’ with the Leather & Vetiver fragrance offering a confident, masculine redolence – a darker addition to Nostara’s range. This aroma will bring a sense of drama to any space, with its deep, musky undertones and powerful presence.

About Nikki Holt

I teamed up with the award-winning perfumer, Marina Barcenilla (also local to me), to develop my perfumery skills and create a range with an emphasis on complex fragrance notes, giving a multi-dimensional olfactory experience.

I love travelling and discovering new scents along the way. When I return home, I try to recreate those fabulous scents and bring a bit of that special place back to life in Nostara’s fragrances. Whether you are tempted by the zesty homage to a G&T in the sun – Lime & Juniper, or the uplifting, spa like fragrance Bergamot & Black Tea (inspired by a hotel in Hong Kong) there is something for everyone.

I am such a lover of fragrance, it has the power to evoke such wonderful memories. Creating new scents and products is one of my favourite parts of running the business. I’m so pleased to have created something unique to Nostara, and that everyone can enjoy for many years to come. I hope you enjoy them too!

Love Nikki x

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Nikki has kindly offered all of our members a discount code – which if you’re a member and logged into the site – you can see it below.

Not already a member? You can find out more about Jo’s Workout Club here.

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Please either login or refresh your page to view if you are already part of my Workout Family.

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It's time to get motivated! #letsmove

 

“A positive Menopause” – a guided meditation with Amanda

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It’s time to bring you our regular meditation, courtesy of Amanda Penalver.

Amanda is a meditation expert and founder of True Rest®. Her work is devoted to challenging, inspiring & motivating her clients to live a more growth-full, rich & deeply fulfilling life.

Amanda offers True Rest classes & guided meditations to uplift, restore, replenish & re-energise you to live on purpose, fully awake, fully embodied & deeply connected.

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“A positive menopause” – members only meditation

Today’s meditation is exclusively for our members and forms part of our Menopause Metamophosis programme. If you’re not already a member – you can find out more about this unique programme by clicking that link.

If you’re already a member – make sure you log in above and the meditation will appear for you below. Find yourself somewhere quiet for 20 minutes and click play to indulge yourself.

We often focus on all the difficulties and negative things about our menopause, so in this uplifting meditation we reflecti on the many positive aspects of the menopause journey.

Find out more about Amanda’s brilliant work at mandypenalver.com

The content you are trying to access is for the Jo Tuffrey Workout Family

Please either login or refresh your page to view if you are already part of my Workout Family.

If you would like to become a member sign up, I would love to have you join the club.

JOIN NOW

It's time to get motivated! #letsmove

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Introducing my new Menopause Metamorphosis programme for 2021

Finally I can reveal what I have been working on for the last 3 months ….

🦋 My Menopause Metamorphosis Fitness Pilates Programme 🦋

To celebrate World Menopause Day on 18th October 2021, this is biggest and best programme I have written and choreographed to help those in perimenopause, menopause and post menopause.

This programme includes..

🦋 A comprehensive, 6 week, guided fitness programme involving Pilates, yoga, Cardio and weights. with 5 classes a week.

🦋 A tracker sheet to chart your progress and to keep you motivated throughout the 6 weeks.

🦋 Everyday the classes will be completely different targeting all aspects of Menopause. Weights and weight bearing classes for bone health, cardio for heart health, relaxation for anxiety and many more exciting new classes.

🦋 13 brand new classes within the 6 weeks and 18 classes carefully selected from the back catalogue of over 230+ classes

🦋 Educational classes covering areas such as the pelvic floor and good posture.

🦋 Self care Sunday classes where we will look at meditation, hand aesthetics, books, recipes and more!

🦋 2 live zoom chats with me to ask questions and to keep on track.

This is certainly my most comprehensive programme and one I truly believe in..

If you want to make that change and metamorphasize what you want to become 🦋…… Visit jotuffrey.com/menopause-metamorphosis where you can see the programme in full 🦋

Members will be access the new programme from 30th September. It begins on 4th October, but you can start at any time.

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September member spotlight: Edgar Wallner

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Each month, we feature one of our amazing Weekly Workout Club members here in our smaall bu perfectly formed wellness and lifestyle area.

If you’re a member, you’ll know that its really important to Jo that we are all in this together and supporting one another on our fitness journeys.  This is the reason why Jo always refers to the club as the ‘Weekly Workout Family’

We thought it was time for members to get to know each other a little more and to share some stories and experiences.

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Our September spotlight features Edgar Wallner, one of Jo’s longest standing clients, Judith (Edgar’s wife is Jo’s longest standing client). Jo has been training Judith for nearly 20 yeas and Edgar for 15 years.

“I can honestly say I never tire of training them, as their enthusiasm each week to training is unyielding.” – Jo

Jo goes onto say:

“I always look forward to our sessions not least to exercise with them but also to learn from them.

I always leave the sessions with a smile on my face from regaled stories of old and always a nugget of wisdom.

They definitely are testament that we should always keep moving!

During lockdown I obviously could not Personal train them so they both joined the weekly workout family… ”

Tell us about yourself

My name is Edgar – I graduated in 1958 and am now 84.

I took a small Italian medical device company public in the USA in 1992 and when I retired in 2004, I set up a theatre production company which transferred plays from the National and other subsidised companies, giving them back a large part of any profit but taking any losses ourselves.

Among our successful transfers to the West End and Broadway were The History Boys, War Horse and One Man Two Guvnors for which James Corden won a Best Actor Tony Award.

Why do you exercise?

Essentially to keep me alive and kicking!

But also, for flexibility, so that I can do the contortions to get out of my car in a tight parking situation, for keeping up muscular tone so that I can still lift the shopping and for balance which always deteriorates with age.

Why do you enjoy The Weekly Workout Club?

I really appreciate Jo’s imaginative choreography which means that the varied exercise is never boring, unlike the treadmill.

It feels like you are a member of a family and Jo’s constant humorous chatter keeps you involved. I especially like her physiological explanations of what the exercise is doing.

My favourite exercises are weight exercises lying down.

My top 3 favourite workout classes so far are listed below:

Weight it up.
Arms, bottoms and centre.
Circuits

[You need to be a member and logged in to view those workout pages!]

What are some of your favourite things?

My favourite food is Herbed Spatchcock from Rooks, the great family butchers in Holyport, Berkshire.

My favourite drink is a Campari, soda, fresh orange juice, angostura bitters, so that it is the colour of lobsters.
My favourite book is Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby

And my favourite film is Fahrenheit 451, the 1966 version starring Julie Christie and Oskar Werner, directed by François Truffaut. (Not the cr**py American remake of 2018!)

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Thank you so much to Edgar for his wonderful spotlight article. We’ll feature another member next month and if you’d like to be featured – drop us a line!

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Rest and restore – thoughts from Jo

It’s time to rest my body and mind. I have been busy  planning something for the last couple of months (ready to reveal soon!!) 🥰

So much goes on behind the scenes in my online work. It’s quite easy to be working on it day and night, especially when I have something new on the horizon… like now. 🥰 It’s sometimes just good to just stop and take stock, then come back with fresh eyes.

It’s so important for us all to stand back and reflect on what we have done and to be proud of all the things we have accomplished, as insignificant as they may seem sometimes. As we race through our lives, it’s very easy to forget the small stuff; the stuff that, when everything else falls away, is the stuff that really matters!

In a world seemingly full of perfection, especially through the lens of social media, it’s good to remind ourselves that being ‘perfectly imperfect’ is ok. (Thank you to @thejoyjournal for your wisdom reminding me of that!)

I’m always in my happy place on the river, with the ever-changing scenery, the wildlife, the slow pace of life and the nighttime star gazing (when it’s not cloudy or raining which it usually is for us!) 🙄

I just love pootling along, not knowing where we will moor up next, but knowing that when we do, the barbecue will be lit, the glass of wine will be poured and everything will be ok! 🥰

So, In the immortal words of one of my idols…

“Don’t get too busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”
Dolly Parton

Here’s to making the most of the summer.

x