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Now that life after the festivities is getting back to normal, it is time to think seriously about how we can improve our health, our happiness and our lives in 2023. Let’s see how we can make some changes for the better over the coming months.
We know that we find ourselves with all kinds of cost-of-living challenges beyond our control that we haven’t had to face for many years, but the great thing about our nation is that we are not quitters. We are made of strong stuff and we are kind. We care about each other and we have seen so many examples of how neighbourhoods and individuals have gone the extra mile to help those in need.
If we see ourselves as a ‘silent army’ one of the basic needs is for us to be well nourished, fit and in the best health we can be – and that is our theme for this brand-new year.
- How can we lose weight without it costing more?
- How can we get fitter for free?
- How can we boost our immune system so we can fight viruses and infections?
HOW CAN WE LOSE WEIGHT WITHOUT IT COSTING MORE?
First of all, if we are deciding we want to lose weight, we must acknowledge that we are really, really determined to do so. There is no point in being half-hearted about it as we are almost bound to fail, but if we are definitely committed and determined then we will succeed. Here’s how …
To lose weight we need to eat fewer calories than our body uses but that doesn’t mean we need to go hungry. It’s about making wise food choices that keep us feeling fuller for longer and then, to make a big difference to our weight loss progress, we need to commit to being more active (which is free) so that we burn more calories every day and lose weight faster. If you feel you are up to making that commitment, this is how we will do it…
The fundamentals:
- Eat three healthy meals every day
- Eat high-fibre options of bread and cereals
- Eat pasta, basmati rice and sweet potatoes and new potatoes with skins in moderation
- Have 450ml milk (or yogurt) every day
- Cut your portion size by 20%.
- Commit to completely stopping snacking between meals.
- Drink less alcohol and commit to three or four dry days each week
Soups are cheap to make or buy and are highly nutritious and make great lunches. Tea is unlimited but coffee should only be drunk in moderation and if you are working, rather than buying a drink from a coffee shop, why not make your own and save money? Eat unlimited vegetables and/or salad with lunch and dinner as they will fill you up and give you loads of healthy fibre and other nutrients. Avoid buying unhealthy foods that contain excessive additives, flavourings, salt, sugar and fat. Buy fresh foods and cook your own meals if you can. And finally…
Exercise is key to helping you lose weight. Not only does it burn extra calories to help you lose weight faster but it will help to tone you up as you slim down. In addition, it will help your muscles become stronger and that will help the rate at which you burn calories to increase. Great news all round. Why not commit to doing Mary’s Pick 'n' Mix New Year Challenge to transform your fitness and weight in 2023?
If you follow these guidelines for four weeks, you WILL lose weight but more importantly, you will FEEL so much better physically and mentally.
HOW CAN WE GET FITTER FOR FREE?
Mary will give you lots of ideas in her section below but going for a walk in the winter sunshine is both free and great for boosting our immunity. In addition, we spend lots of calories because when it’s cold we burn more. Other ideas include walking up and down stairs 3 - 5 times consecutively; marching on the spot with knees high for two minutes; pretend skipping on the spot for 60 seconds; These are all great ways to exercise indoors. Practising balancing on one foot for 30 seconds is really valuable too – try it when waiting for the kettle to boil.
HOW CAN WE BOOST OUR IMMUNITY?
Eating healthy food and exercising regularly is vital to boosting our immunity. Onions, mushrooms, natural live yogurt, fibre and fresh vegetables are really valuable immunity boosters. Daily exercise, such as going for a 30-minute walk, makes a massive difference too because moving our muscles helps to transport our infection-fighting white blood cells around the body to where they are needed.
Next, try to avoid putting harmful toxins into your bloodstream as they cause our body to have to work extra hard to get rid of them. Alcohol and energy drinks, artificial flavouring in food and drinks and unhealthy fats all work against our immune system. Try to consciously cut back on these foods and drinks that cause us more harm than good.
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Serves 2
Per serving: 244 Calories, 1% fat
Prep time 10 mins
Cook Time 25 - 40 mins
300g sweet potato, peeled and diced
2 large leeks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
750ml - 1 litre vegetable stock (add a Vegetable Stock Pot if possible)
200ml semi-skimmed milk
fresh chives, to garnish (optional)
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Method Using a Soup Maker
- In a non-stick saucepan or frying pan sprayed with rapeseed oil, dry-fry the leeks and crushed garlic for 1 - 2 minutes until soft then place in the soup-maker.
- Add the chopped sweet potatoes and 750ml of the stock and cook on high for 25 minutes, seasoning well with freshly ground black pepper.
- Liquidise for 30 seconds, allow to rest before pulsing again for 60 seconds to ensure it is smooth. If too thick, add more stock.
- Just before serving, add the milk and bring back up to near boiling, if necessary. Sprinkle with chives and serve in warm bowls.
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Method Using a Pan
- In a non-stick saucepan or frying pan sprayed with rapeseed oil, dry-fry the leeks and crushed garlic for 1 - 2 minutes until soft.
- Add the sweet potatoes and the stock and bring to a gentle simmer and season well. Cook until the potato is soft.
- Allow to cool slightly then place in a liquidiser and whizz until smooth, adding more stock if the soup is too thick.
- Just before serving, add the milk and bring back up to near boiling, if necessary. Sprinkle with chives and serve in warm bowls.
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Fun, Facts & Fitness from Mary Morris MSc.
There are definitely some times of the year that lend themselves to a fresh start and the beginning of a New Year is the best one to my mind.
I have hinted previously that I am not a great fan of New Year’s resolutions but I do like to give myself a good talking to about things that may have lapsed a little and I try to commit to putting them right. Add to that anything different I would like to have a go at and I begin to see a plan forming. But will I be able to carry it through often enough for it to become a natural habit?... The burning question indeed!
So if like me, you would like to make some changes this year that will improve your health and fitness, I hope you are in it for the long haul, because that is the level of commitment it needs. For permanent and long-lasting change to take place it all depends on how you set up your brain for success. This set-up, and please don't be put off by the long words at this point, is called your 'neuroplasticity'. Please bear with me here, as for those of you who have frequently failed at New Year’s Resolutions in the past, this may be just what you need in 2023 to make it work this time.
What is Neuroplasticity?
New scanning techniques on the brain make it easier to determine how the brain works when it is trying to change something and all through life, at any age, we retain the capability to make changes that can be sustained with the right approach. These are called 'neural pathways' and all our habits are set in the neural pathways that make us repeat them again and again, often to our detriment if it is a bad habit.
So, perhaps we feel you are addicted to chocolate? Well, that is just a habit that is stored in our neural pathways. Can anything be done to change that pathway? - Yes it can!
Old pathways (our current habits) can be replaced by new pathways (new healthier habits) when we manage to override the old pathways. However, be clear that this is manual labour for our brain that requires effort! But, it is my belief that if we understand what happens in our brain it will help us raise our game. We will try for longer! We will not have given up by February but will succeed further into the new year. And the longer we stick with a new habit then the more of those new neural pathways will be created.
So how long does the process of changing the neural pathways take? All the research tells us that 3 – 4 months should see those new pathways well developed in our brain and a new and long-lasting habit formed.
The path to success here is that we are not setting one 'hard to achieve' resolution that is difficult to see through in the long term, but we set a few, maybe three or four, small goals that are easier to sustain and if one or two of them don't work out we will still have made some changes that will see us on the right path. Also it is wise to try to avoid 'vague' goals and go for much more 'specific' ones that just instruct us to get on with it!
VAGUE GOAL Replace with a SPECIFIC GOAL
I'm going to lose weight I aim to lose 10lbs by March 31st
I'll do more exercise I will reach 7500 steps everyday
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Pick 'N' Mix New Year Challenge 2023
I have often started the new year with a Challenge as it gives us a purpose and a framework to follow and we can be confident that it covers all we need fitness-wise. It only lasts 7 days but you can continue for longer if you want. We all feel the excesses of the festive period being worked off in the best way possible when we are 'back on track' with real vigour and renewed enthusiasm! Let’s give it a go!
- Decide on the day you will start and record it in your diary. Ideally, pick a day when there will be no social events that can scupper your plans.
- There are three elements to each day.
- Some Cardio Exercise to get the heart rate up and the blood circulating.
- Some Strength Exercise focussing on the major muscles of the body so you are stronger from top to toe!
- And finally, a Balance Exercise every day which you know is so important for preventing falls.
- Simply look at each list and pick one Cardio, one Strength, and one Balance activity each day for the seven days. Try to chose ones that suit you and your current fitness level.
- Print off the Challenge Chart and record every activity you do each day.
Following every workout you do ensure you stretch well. There are more than one short stretch programmes on the website for you to follow after walks or workouts. The Programme uses many of our well-constructed videos from the website but there are also many options that are not from the website.
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Cardio Exercise
Seated Warm-up
Seated Aerobics
30+ minute walk
3 - 5 x up/down stairs
H.I.I.T Workout
Long walk - one hour plus
30+ minute walk/slow jog combo
One-hour cycle ride
30+ minute swim session
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Balance Exercise
Standing on one leg. (Minimum 10 seconds to 30 seconds)
Standing on one leg with eyes closed (Minimum 3 seconds to 10 seconds)
Heel/toe walks
Balance Programme
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Did you know... 
Developing a new habit is much like learning a new skill - it takes time!
You need to train your brain to do whatever it is - whether it is learning to ice-skate or developing the habit of eating fruit instead of chocolate - and during the process you will pass through four stages.
- Unconscious incompetent
- Conscious incompetent
- Conscious competent
- Unconscious competent
In stage 1 - Unconcious incompetent - you don't know what you don't know! You have no idea how to skate on ice, or just how delicious fruit is.
In stage 2 - Conscious incompetent - you begin to release how much you don't know, and what you will need to learn, so you start making the effort, and take some ice-skating lessons or buy some fruit!
In stage 3 - Conscious competent - you know what you need to do, you just need to really think about it to do it. You like ice skating, so you go to the rink and practise, you know you like strawberries - you just have to remember to buy some and eat them instead of chocolate!
In stage 4 - Unconscious competent - you reach the point where you just do whatever it is automatically. You can skate on ice - or you no longer buy chocolate because you'd rather reach for the fruit bowl.
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And finally...
The key to our success is making a commitment to make some changes for the good of our health. We may not achieve all our goals but if we can achieve some, then it will be well worth the effort!
What have we got to lose except a few lbs and inches? Let’s go for it…
Wishing you every success.
With love and best wishes,
Rosemary Conley CBE DL
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LIVE LONGER | LIVE HEALTHIER | LIVE HAPPIER
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