The November edition of Living Well

Welcome to the November newsletter!

October was a really interesting month, not least because I got down to some reading on my favourite subject, longevity. I learned so much and one piece of research that absolutely fascinated me was related to pomegranates and its relevance to Ozempic.

In other news, I spoke at The Power Decade conference run by The Really Helpful Club in South West London. An excellent day that covered everything to do with midlife for women - from confidence to health, finance and beyond.

I love talking at events like this because of the sense of camaraderie and I urge you to look at the slate of activities coming up from @thereallyhelpfulclub. There were men there too, I promise!

I also met a fantastic new brand – a running slipper – called QLVR. Did you know – I certainly didn’t - that until now, all running shoes have been modelled and designed based on the shape of a man’s foot and just reduced in size for women. Yes, you read that correctly. Until QLVR designed a running slipper based specifically on the shape and structure of a woman’s foot, for women. The incredible design means that there are no laces, your foot just slips into the show and is perfectly supported and held in place. I do a lot of walking and can vouch for the fact that I have never felt so comfortable in a pair of walking shoes. They are genuinely life changing and well worth checking out at qlvr.com.

My healthy restaurant review series continued with a review of Chop Chop at London’s Hippodrome – read what we said here. I think we proved that it IS possible to eat Chinese and eat healthily…

Using my British Airways avios, I also bought a £1 flight to Zurich, took the breathtakingly beautiful train ride to Interlaken and stayed for two days at spa hotel Victoria-Yungfrau.

Situated in the gorgeous mountains of the Swiss Bernese Oberland with the distant Jungfrau, the Victoria Jungfrau Hotel & Spa is a glorious combination of old school Belle Epoque glamour and modern spa complex. I recently experienced everything it had to offer on a sublime two day break. As a lover of historic buildings I was especially taken with the grand public rooms, public fountains and glimpses of its glorious heyday, but it was the 5,500sq/m spa we had come for, and we were not disappointed. In a zen like environment of soaring ceilings and careful planting we tried it all - from a Nescens pro aging facial and massage to the several saunas, gym, huge pool complex, outside jacuzzis, steam room and relaxation quarters - there was so much to enjoy we didn’t leave the spa for two days, well, only to take the fresh mountain air from our balcony!

Then there was the food… the Italian Sapori restaurant (veal ragout and truffle polenta) and the Terrace Brasserie, where the wild menu offered game pate, hunch of venison, wild boar with red cabbage and many other dishes using local ingredients which quite literally made my mouth water. I am a huge fan of wild cooking and this was a superlative menu. For those who want to take it even further, there is the Radius restaurant with head chef Stefan Beer which offers a fine dining tasting menu using ingredients such as wood sorrel and Mirabelle plums, and a plethora of playful and creative dishes, each a work of art in their own right.

I should say I am half German, so a breakfast buffet that includes smoked fish, veal sausages, warm bread, mountain cheeses and yoghurt will always get my vote. A terrific hotel with impeccable service and first class facilities, a weekend here will leave you revitalised and raring to go.

And finally, a big thank you to Good Housekeeping for publishing my article on how to MOT your health and fitness in time for Christmas!

For more tips on healthy recipes, movement and living well, do check out my Insta account @alisoncork_home and website alisoncork.com.

If you are thinking of festive gifts and know someone who needs a bit of inspiration, my book Fit & Fabulous over 50 might just do the trick. Packed full of tips and hints on movement, food, recipes, supplements and much more, you can buy it direct from alisoncork.com – type in FABULOUS20 and get 20% off. Job done!

Have a great month and see you all soon,
Alison