Mind, Body & Soul
Never mind living forever, enjoy the one you’ve got!
Jo Loveridge, 50, runs a funeral business in Maidstone and Ashford, providing 24-hour emergency cover for the bereaved, seven days a week. A (recently remarried) working mum looking after three teenagers also means a hectic home life, too. How does she do it? She spoke to Mid Kent Living…
How are you?
I am very well, albeit a bit tired, but this is probably no different to every other 50 year old working mum! I’m always on the run and don’t oſten have the time to do everything I would like to do, but I do sleep well most of the time, try to eat well and exercise as much as possible. I have to admit that I don’t always manage all of these things and sometimes that is stressful in itself, but I’m still trying to learn to ‘go with the flow’.
How is your health generally?
I am lucky that my health has always been very good generally. Good genes! I am a bit clumsy though, so I have had a couple of accidents over the years which have caused me a few problems later in life. I try to eat healthily (but don’t always manage), but I always cook from scratch for all the family and avoid convenience foods as much as possible.
Have you ever had any major illnesses? No, again I’ve been lucky – apart from a few childhood illnesses I have never had anything major. My dad had a bad stroke when he was my age (which he managed to fully recover from), so it’s always a bit of a concern. We do seem to have more health checks now, which hopefully would have more chance of flagging up something worrying.
Do you take any medicines?
I’ve always found that I seem to react strongly to medicines and that, although they oſten help one symptom, they can create three others, so I try to avoid taking them if possible, and when I do I will cut the dose usually by half. I do try to find alternatives – some are easy - such as drinking water when I have a headache instead of reaching for the Paracetamol, and using natural remedies for allergies etc. Over the years I’ve found myself more and more drawn towards a more natural route of care which is oſten more holistic, and can tackle more than one issue at a time by finding the link between them.
Have you ever considered herbal remedies?
Over the years I’ve found myself more and more drawn towards a more natural route of care…
Yes I’ve oſten looked at herbal remedies as an alternative and have found them quite effective, particularly for allergies. When the kids were younger, my son suffered with really bad hay fever throughout all the summer months and my daughter had asthma. I took them to the doctor to start with and they were given anti-histamine tablets and a steroid pump respectively. Neither worked and the side effects were staggering. I took them both to a homeopath and their conditions improved significantly.
Ever needed an osteopath or chiropractor? Yes, I’ve used an osteopath quite a few times as I’ve suffered from back problems ever since I first had kids. It’s the only thing that works for me and has improved my
back considerably. Now, if I feel the first signs of pain starting, I have some exercises to do that usually stop it geting worse. If it doesn’t work I have a couple of sessions and I’m back on track again.
What, if any, exercise do you take?
At the moment I’m not doing what I should. In the past, I enjoyed running and would do about 15k a week But, aſter a few minor injuries,
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I fell off the wagon. I am working myself up to starting again gradually. I love the freedom of puting on a pair of trainers and just jogging out of the door. In the meantime, I walk our dog every day and try to go on longer walks in the woods at the weekend. I also try to walk whenever possible instead of taking the car.
What are your vices? I don’t drink a lot of alcohol, but I do enjoy my food a bit too much sometimes... chocolate and cheese! In the summer months I tend to drink a bit more and sometimes enjoy the odd cigarete outside in the sun.
What is the best piece of health advice anyone has ever given you?
My mum always encouraged us to stay hydrated and drink a lot of water – this seems to work for her as she’s now 80 and is still in good health despite smoking 40 cigaretes a day for many years! Tis was confirmed to me years ago by a kinesiologist. Kinesiology uses the theory of muscle testing to discover the underlying causes of health issues. He was able to easily demonstrate to me how the body is weakened when it is dehydrated by testing my muscles before and aſter drinking a glass of water. It was a real eye-opener and I’ve just realised that I’m actually thirsty so I’m going to drink a glass of water now.
Would you like to live forever?
No not really. I’d like to live as long and as well as possible. I recently took part in a discussion for an upcoming television programme about death and one of the topics was about rich people in America paying vast sums of money on regenerative medicine and the prevention of ageing. Tey were puting themselves through all sorts of controversial treatments to periodically repair their bodies and postpone ill health in the hope of living forever that I couldn’t help feeling that they were so busy trying to live forever that they actually forgot to live at all and enjoy the lives they had.
I don’t drink a lot of alcohol but I do enjoy my food a bit too much sometimes... chocolate and cheese! I
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