We’ve all had it drummed into us – it’s life threatening to be overweight; ;whether it be an increased likelihood of heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, cancer … you name it, being overweight is likely to increase the chances of suffering from at least one of the aforementioned. Not that I’m making light of it – it’s pretty obvious that if you’re overweight then you’re not fit and “leanness” has always been considered to be a major factor in a longer, happier life.

My mother has recently been diagnosed with the early stages of dementia and, needless to say, this is causing me concern and I’m losing sleep as a result. I’ve tried to get a good eight hours before I have to get up and start work by 9.00 – fortunately I work from home as a writer/digital typist for the real estate industry so I don’t HAVE to be up before 8.30, but even if I go to bed at midnight and read or listen to dreamy classical music on the radio for half an hour, I still find myself tossing and turning well before the end of my eight hour sleep!