Good afternoon. I hope everyone is getting on well with their challenges this week. I've been parking at the far side of the hospital car park to increase my step count and get a bit more active. Just a reminder that we have a catch up scheduled in for tomorrow at 7. This is an informal meeting for anyone who wants to ask a question and to support eachother. Hope to see you then. Nik

Happy Sunday! 🙌Hope you’ve had a great week and made progress reducing your stroke risk. This week’s format is the same: 3 simple ways to reduce stroke risk. 👉 Pick ONE of the 3 to focus on this week, start tomorrow (Monday), and post in the group what you’re choosing — accountability = power 1) 🏃‍♂️ ACTIVE CHALLENGE: Add cardio (just a little more) Cardio fitness is one of the strongest predictors of long-term brain and heart health. ✅ This week: Do a bit more cardio exercise than your norm. If your normal exercise is very little it could just be going out for a couple of 20 minutes walks. If your very fit it could be 4 high intensity sessions. Tailor to suit your current level. Examples: - brisk walk (fast enough to raise breathing) - jogging / cycling / swimming - treadmill incline walk - skipping / rowing - Goal: get mildly out of breath (but still able to speak in short sentences). 2) 🥕 DIET CHALLENGE: Crudités before meals This is a brilliant “hack” that helps blood sugar control and appetite without dieting misery. ✅ This week:Eat a bowl of crudités (chopped up veggies) BEFORE one main meal per day (lunch or dinner) Options: - carrots, cucumber, peppers, celery, cherry tomatoes - add hummus / tzatziki / cottage cheese if you want Why it works: fibre before meals makes you feel fuller and also slows glucose absorbtion giving you better blood sugar control. 3) 🩺 MEDICAL CHALLENGE: Check your numbers Most people don’t realise their cholesterol or blood sugar has drifted until it causes damage. ✅ This week:Check when you last had: - Cholesterol (including LDL / non-HDL) - HbA1c (average blood sugar) - Then ask yourself: - Was it within target? - Has it been more than 12 months, 3 months if it was high or you changed your treatment? - Do I actually know my numbers? - If you’re unsure: book a blood test / GP review. See the info in the classroom for more info on your blood targets or just ask me. 🔥 Your mission this week...

Good morning. We have our monthly stroke prevention meeting on Sunday at 6pm. You can join the meeting by clicking on the calendar app and then the link on the date. With it being the first of the year this is an opportunity for us to think about what we'll do this year to reduce our stroke risk. Think about the top 10 causes of Stroke: High blood pressure High cholesterol Smoking Diet Exercise and activity Abdominal obesity Alcohol Cardiac disease Diabetes Psychosocial stress In the meeting we'll have a bit of a catch up and then talk about the changes we're going to make to reduce our risk across those 10 domains. Looking forward to seeing you there. Happy New Year!! P.S. If you don't have the Skool app yet it is worth getting it to allow you to see these messages quickly from your phone.

Good afternoon. I have some exciting news. My colleague Dr Ali Sheikh is hosting a stroke prevention seminar on Friday the 30th January at Aintree hospital, Liverpool 9am to 5pm. There will be some high profile speakers talking about stroke prevention. We'd love it if you can attend. I think there will be face to face and online options. We're also looking for 2 stroke survivors to talk briefly and share their story with the audience of anyone is willing to volunteer. Have a great evening. Nik

Good afternoon. Just a quick reminder that we've got an online catch up at 6pm. You can join through the calendar section in the app. Hope to see you there!