Dear LPG,   

I wonder if, as we get older, eating becomes more of a pleasure for a while. I think for some, it becomes a preoccupation if there is nothing else to do, while for others, we find some other preoccupation that leaves us forgetting to indulge far too much of the time. 

Either way, it is something that we all have to do, but if you live on your own and have passed the stage when having to go to work each day strongly influences the times you eat your meals, it is so easy to slip into the habit of eating exactly what you feel like when you remember that you are hungry.  

We all know that eating healthy options at regular times each day is the way to go. Still, I think I have slipped into a habit of having many more home’ days than I ever did before lockdown and getting involved with whatever I am doing to the point where I often lose track of time.  

When I decide to have a meal, it is much more tempting to put something quick between two slices of bread or in the microwave oven because there is little point in going to all the effort of cooking something so that you can eat it on your own.

I became aware of how bad I can be at eating healthily by talking to a few friends.  They have taught me that I am not the only pensioner who could have a better eating regime.  I read an old article on the LPG web pages which suggested virtual dinner guests, and that helps.

What JE had to say really works, and my virtual dinner guest and I now find that we can overdo the eating. The time such a call takes can add an extra focal point to look forward to each day if you don’t leave home very often. 

The two of us have a ‘once a week’ lunch date, and it is true that when you know that your dinner will be seen, you do make more of an effort regarding preparation.  The two of us often sit, eat and chat to the point when we are too full, which got us having one of those ‘I have eaten far too much ‘conversations one day not so long ago.

With that in mind, we looked on the internet and discovered the art of Qi gong. It is a form of yoga, and I always thought it was a bit non-productive, but we had a go, and I think it really did work.  

So, after a big dinner and a pair of stomachs that quite often leave us feeling a bit lethargic and bloated, the two of us now finish our video lunches by refocusing our phones, finding a bit of space, and doing a bit of gentle after-dinner yoga.    

If you would like to have a go, I have added the links we use…  

DH, Lewisham.

DH shares some after-dinner yoga…

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