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 Back in the day when I was first running my slimming and good grooming classes, I soon learned that folks were most motivated to lose weight at three times of the year: In January, when they had over-indulged over the festive period and a new year meant new beginnings; after Easter – when they had over indulged in chocolate Easter eggs and hot-cross buns and wanted to lose weight for their holiday; then in September, after the summer holidays were over and Christmas was beckoning.
With this in mind, Mary and I have come up with a plan for this September. Our Autumn Challenge!
It is so easy for us to relax our good healthy habits. We all do it. I do it! In recent weeks I haven’t walked BB (our dog) quite so far in the mornings or followed Mary’s advice to incorporate an uphill path. My workouts haven’t been quite so energetic and I’ve relaxed my focus on portion control. And they all add up! Why has this happened? Because life gets in the way and distracts us.
So, for the following two weeks (Monday 5th September - Sunday 18th September) we are setting you the goal of boosting your health and fitness so you can lose a few lbs if you need to and increase your fitness level to re-energise yourself.
We all need a goal to motivate us to make an extra effort if we are to shift those holiday pounds and to boost our fitness levels. This is it! And it is much more motivating when we know lots of other people are doing it too! Why not get your other half or your best friend to join in? You have nothing to lose but a few lbs and inches and everything to gain - your fitness and youth!
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THE TWO-WEEK AUTUMN CHALLENGE
PART ONE - THE EATING PLAN
Write down what you eat, as you eat it, on the Food & Drink Record Sheet. Click here to download it.
- Eat 3 meals a day – breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Avoid all snacking between meals – no biscuits, cakes, crisps, chocolate, etc!
- Watch your portion size. Use your Portion Pots® if you have them, if not, weigh your portions of rice, cereal, pasta etc. Use the chart below to gauge the correct portion size of lots of common foods.
- Eat high-fibre foods: wholegrain bread; new potatoes with skins or sweet potatoes; basmati rice; pasta; wholegrain cereal; vegetables and salad. They will keep you feeling fuller for longer.
- Minimise your alcohol consumption and have at least three dry days each week. Your body sees alcohol as a poison and has to work really hard to get rid of it. While it's doing that it's not processing your food so give your body a holiday!
- Select foods low in fat and sugar – they just add unnecessary calories and fat.
- Drink plenty of low-cal drinks – water, low-sugar squash, tea – hydration is key to your success!
- Each day allow yourself 300ml (half a pint) semi-skimmed milk (or plant-based alternative) plus 150ml live yogurt.
- Salad and vegetables (excluding potatoes) are unlimited. These, together with your other high-fibre foods and the live yogurt, work wonders on your gut which will help you to feel healthier and not so hungry.
- Restrict fruit to no more than two pieces a day because of its sugar content.
Follow these guidelines and you will be able to get back on track in no time and see great results and now see Part 2 - The Activity Plan from Mary, below.
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This chart gives you the correct portion size for many common food items.
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Fun, Facts & Fitness from Mary Morris MSc.
 The rhythm of my year has always revolved around the school terms despite having not taught in schools for 45 years and my children having left school over 25 years ago! Even when running my health club, the start of those three terms in the year, January, April and September were an integral part of running the business when we would advertise more and then set our members on a path to better health and fitness.
This September sees the start of the Autumn Term, and I always think it has a really strong sense of renewed energy regarding our health and fitness. It is the run-up to Christmas for a start and if you want to relax and enjoy the excesses the festive period brings, then you need to start now to be in the best shape you can be. Add to that the fact we are entering the winter months when, certainly in older age, we are more susceptible to becoming ill so what better time to motivate us to give ourselves a big boost to our health and wellbeing!
So here is your opportunity to do the physical side of THE AUTUMN CHALLENGE! Hopefully you have taken note of all that great advice from Rosemary on the food front, so here are some ideas for revisiting your activities and exercises to give a real boost to your energy levels at the end of the two weeks.
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THE TWO-WEEK AUTUMN CHALLENGE
PART 2 - THE ACTIVITY PLAN
Write down all the activities you do on the Activity Record Sheet. Click here to download it.
Begin by downloading, printing and displaying your Activity Record in a place where you will see it regularly throughout your day. Record ALL your activities including your total step count – this means every physical activity you do – walking, strength workouts, following any of our videos on the website as well as how many Active 10s you achieve. (Active 10 is an NHS app you can download to your smartphone. Find out more here.)
So good luck everyone! Make all the preparations necessary to start with real determination on Monday, September 5th with a strong commitment for the full 2 weeks ending on Sunday, September 18th. It is good to know that there will be lots of you doing it at the same time and do let us know how you get on. We love to get feedback from you!
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Serves 4
Per serving: 338 calories, 1.5% fat
Prep time 5 mins
Cook time 10 mins
450g lean rump steak cut into strips
3 baby leeks, finely sliced
100g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
1 tsp chopped fresh ginger
150g sugar snap peas, cut in half
2 whole pak choi
300g pack beansprouts
400g pack ready to wok medium noodles
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander, to garnish
- Heat a non-stick wok or frying pan, then add the beef strips and dry-fry them for 3 – 4 minutes until sealed. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.
- Return the pan to the heat, add the leeks and mushrooms and dry-fry for 2 – 3 minutes, mixing well.
- Mix together the soy sauce, chilli sauce and chopped ginger and pour over the beef, coating the meat.
- Return the beef to the pan. Add the remaining ingredients, toss well to combine them and dry-fry until the meat is hot.
- Serve straight away topped with the chopped coriander on a bed of noodles cooked according to instructions.
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 Did you know...
Ginger is a common spice used worldwide, both for food and drinks and for medicinal purposes.
Ginger is a fragrant kitchen spice. The young ginger rhizomes are juicy and fleshy with a mild taste. They are often pickled in vinegar or sherry as a snack or cooked as an ingredient in many dishes. They can be steeped in boiling water to make ginger herb tea, ginger can also be made into sweets or ginger wine.
Mature ginger rhizomes are fibrous and nearly dry and can be grated.
 Fresh ginger can be substituted for ground ginger at a ratio of six to one, although the flavours of fresh and dried ginger are somewhat different. Powdered dry ginger root is typically used as a flavouring for recipes such as gingerbread, biscuits and cakes, ginger ale, and ginger beer. Candied or crystallized ginger, often known as "stem ginger", is the root cooked in sugar until soft, and is a type of confectionery. Fresh ginger may be peeled before eating. For longer-term storage, the ginger can be placed in a plastic bag and refrigerated or frozen.
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And finally...
Mary and I wish you every success as you launch into your Two-Week Autumn Challenge and be assured we will be joining in with you. It is a fact that writing down everything we eat and drink and what activity we do increases our chances of success dramatically. Keep your record sheets so that you can refer back to them in the future when you want to repeat the Challenge.
Let's all get fitter, trimmer and healthier this September.
Enjoy your week!
With love and best wishes,
Rosemary Conley CBE DL
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LIVE LONGER | LIVE HEALTHIER | LIVE HAPPIER
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