Wow! What a year!

2020 has been a tough one and I suspect it’s still going to be a while before things go back to ‘normal’. I mentioned in my last letter that my husband’s 60th birthday was rapidly approaching. However, before that had a chance to arrive, he suffered a stroke – minor thank goodness and he’s making a good recovery, but it was yet another blow from 2020. At times like this, resilience is a quality that will hold you in good stead – enabling you to bounce back from challenges both global (a pandemic) and personal (an unexpected health scare). Turn to our feature on page 101 to learn some strategies that will help you to bend but not break.

One of the things that has helped his recovery is exercise – he has always been active and now has renewed focus on staying fit. If you have type 1, however, it’s not always as easy as just pulling on your activewear and heading out the door. Dietitian and diabetes educator Dr Kate Marsh has some excellent exercise advice in her feature (page 108). Keeping track of movement and exercise can be a great motivator and on page 118 we’ve got a round-up of the latest wearable tracking devices – it might be worth leaving this page open for Santa to see!

The arrival of warmer weather means that we naturally feel like eating a bit more lightly and there are plenty of recipes in this issue that fit the bill. I’m loving the speedy salads on page 54 and ideas for leftover turkey on page 34. Why do I have leftover turkey? From my healthy Christmas feast of course – turn to page 24 for lunch with all the trimmings and browse our gorgeous desserts feature (page 42) for a sweet finish.

Thank you for being with us for 2020 – it’s been a rough ride but we know you’ll get through it and we look forward to continuing the journey with you in 2021.