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DAY 2
Today’s mantra: Every small thing I do matters.
Today’s step target: 8000
Tip/testimony from volunteer: It was hard to fit in all the walks with my day-to-day lifestyle but I adapted the activity zones to suit my own life and made sure I fitted in as much activity as possible. I definitely feel fitter. Melanie, 39
| On rising | 1 glass of water plus cup of coffee, green tea or tea, or hot water and lemon |
| Suggested activity zone | 15-minute walk (step target 1800) plus abdominal and core stability exercises |
| Breakfast | 2 glasses of water |
| 3 rye crispbread with 1 mashed banana and | |
| 2T peanut butter cup of tea or coffee | |
| Mid-morning spruce juice | choose a juice from those listed on page 14 |
| Suggested activity zone | 15-minute walk (step target 1800) |
| Lunch | 1 glass of water a lunch from the options suggested |
| Mid-afternoon snack | 2 glasses of water |
| snack a snack from the options listed | |
| Suggested activity zone | 20-minute walk (step target 2500) |
| Satisfying soup Dinner | 1 bowl of FOG or Immune-boosting Soup |
| 2 glasses of water a Starch Curfew meal from the selection in this book | |
| Suggested activity zone | 15-minute walk (step target 1800–1900) |
| Bedtime drink | chamomile tea, hot milk or soya milk, or hot water and lemon |
TIPS ON WALKING TECHNIQUE
Start slowly to give your body a chance to adapt to the demands of walking. Once you’re in full swing, bear in mind the following tips:
Land on your heel and roll through to push off with the forefoot
Don’t overstride – shorter, quicker strides are more natural
Keep your abdominals gently contracted, your chest lifted and shoulders relaxed as you walk
Swing your arms with approximately a right angle at the elbow joint, swinging them faster to speed up your walking pace.
DAY 3
Today’s mantra: I feel energized
Today’s step target: 9000
Tip/testimony from volunteer: Read the whole day’s eating plan first thing so you have time to stock up and/or make contingency plans for anything you don’t like to eat or won’t have time to cook. Sam, 33
| On rising | 1 glass of water plus cup of coffee, green tea or tea, or hot water and lemon |
| Suggested activity zone | 15-minute walk (step target 1800) plus abdominal and core stability exercises (see page 22) |
| Breakfast | 2 glasses of water fruit and yoghurt: chop up 1 apple, 1 peach, 1 pear and 1 plum (or substitute ⅓ cup of red grapes for any of these), add a 4oz pot of natural yogurt and sprinkle with a tablespoon of sunflower seeds |
| Mid-morning spruce juice | choose a juice from those listed on page 14 |
| Suggested activity zone | 15-minute walk (step target 1800–2000) |
| Lunch | 1 glass of water a lunch from the options suggested on pages 71–9 |
| Mid-afternoon | 2 glasses of water |
| snack | a snack from the options listed on page 17 |
| Suggested activity zone | 30-minute walk (step target 3600) |
| Satisfying soup Dinner | 1 bowl of FOG or Immune-boosting soup |
| 2 glasses of water | |
| a Starch Curfew meal from the selection on pages 80–97 | |
| Suggested activity zone | 15-minute walk (step target 1800) |
| Bedtime drink | chamomile tea, hot milk or soya milk, or hot water and lemon |
PERFECT POSTURE
The way we stand says a lot about us. It can portray our emotions as well as the general health of our bodies. Lifestyles today erode our natural ability for good posture – driving for hours or spending all day at a desk can all affect our posture. Long term, these misalignments can have a big impact on the health of our spines. Safeguarding your spine and posture does not require a large investment in terms of time.
To perfect your posture, stand with your feet hip-distance apart with your weight evenly distributed. Soften your knees as you pull up through your legs. Keep the hips square and level. Lengthen through the spine and contract the abdominals, sucking the belly button into the back of the spine as you extend tall. Drop the rib cage, pulling the lower ribs towards the pubic bone. The shoulders should be down and relaxed, so the neck is as long as possible. Breathe smoothly.
DAY 4
Today’s mantra: I feel strong and focused.
Today’s step target: 10,000
Tip/testimony from volunteer: When you first set out to lose weight, keep as busy as possible with other things so you don’t keep thinking about it – and keep out of the kitchen so you aren’t tempted to open the fridge all the time! Robyn, 52
| On rising | 1 glass of water plus cup of coffee, green tea or tea, or hot water and lemon |
| Suggested activity zone | 15-minute walk (step target 1800–2000) plus abdominal and core stability exercises |
| Breakfast | 2 glasses of water 1 grapefruit followed by 1 slice of stoneground, wholewheat bread with a scrape of butter and yeast extract |
| Mid-morning spruce juice | choose a juice from those listed |
| Suggested activity zone | 20-minute walk (step target 2400) |
| Lunch | 1 glass of water a lunch from the options suggested on pages 71–9 |
| Mid-afternoon | 2 glasses of water |
| snack | a snack from the options listed on page 17 |
| Suggested activity zone | 30-minute walk (step target 3600) |
| Satisfying soup Dinner | 1 bowl of FOG or Immune-boosting soup |
| 2 glasses of water | |
| a Starch Curfew meal from the selection on pages 80–97 | |
| Suggested activity zone | 15–20-minute walk (step target 2200) |
| Bedtime drink | chamomile tea, hot milk or soya milk, or hot water and lemon |
ABDOMINAL EXERCISE TROUBLESHOOTING
Problem: lower tummy muscles “popping out”
Sometimes as we lift, the lower abdominal muscles can “pop” out. This can create less stability in the lower back as well as not helping to flatten the abdominal wall. Here are a couple of solutions to help train the abdominal wall to flatten.
1. Check you have rib – hip connection (see page 23) then place a ruler across your lower abdominal muscles. As you lift, try to keep the ruler in place by focusing on drawing down through the lower abdominal wall – the ruler just gives you a reminder of how to do this.
2. Wear a belt for your abdominal exercises. Buckle it so you have a little movement between your abdominals and the belt. As you lift, focus on keeping your abdominals away from the belt buckle and not pressing against it.
DAY 5
Today’s mantra: My body feels tall and poised.
Today’s step target: 10,000
Tip/testimony from volunteer: When I first started the plan I had to completely re-think my eating habits. Towards the end of the first week I was getting to grips with it – I’d lost 3lb and my energy levels were increasing. Elaine, 33
| On rising | 1 glass of water plus cup of coffee, green tea or tea, or hot water and lemon |
| Suggested activity zone | 15-minute walk (step target 1800) plus abdominal and core stability exercises |
| Breakfast | 2 glasses of water porridge: ⅔ cup oatmeal cooked with ⅔ cup of semi-skimmed milk and garnished with 4 chopped dried apricots cup of tea or coffee |
| Mid-morning spruce juice | choose a juice from those listed |
| Suggested activity zone | 20-minute walk (step target 2400) |
| Lunch | 1 glass of water a lunch from the options suggested |
| Mid-afternoon | 2 glasses of water |
| snack | a snack from the options listed |
| Suggested activity zone | 30-minute walk (step target 3600) |
| Satisfying soup Dinner | 1 bowl of FOG or Immune-boosting soup |
| 2 glasses of water a Starch Curfew meal from the selection on pages 80–97 | |
| Suggested activity zone | 15–20-minute walk (step target 2200) |
| Bedtime drink | chamomile tea, hot milk or soya milk, or hot water and lemon |
STRETCHES FOR WALKING
It’s important to stretch out your muscles after walking, to reduce stiffness, maintain flexibility and aid recovery. Here are some of the key stretches you may find helpful.
Standing Hamstring Stretch
Stand with good posture. Extend one leg out in front of you with the heel on the floor. Bend the back knee and flex forward from the hips. Make sure you contract your abdominals as you extend forward. Lift up out of the hips and check they are level. Imagine you need to balance two glasses of water on each side of your lower back to help you.
Joanna’s top tip: To progress the stretch, lift your leg and rest it on a bench or low step or chair. Lift your tailbone up behind you to feel a greater stretch.
Standing Quad Stretch
Stand with good posture. Lift one leg, bending at the knee, and hold the laces of your shoe in your hand. Keep the knees together. Gently press your hips forward as you extend up through your spine.
Joanna’s top tip: If you are less flexible or feel pain in your knee, rest your foot on a chair instead and press your hips forward.
Standing Hip Flexor Stretch
Start in a lunge position. Make sure your front knee is over your ankle and your kneecap is in line with your second toe. Extend the back leg, and push the pelvis forward, using a chair for support or placing both hands on your front leg.
Joanna’s top tip: Keep the body upright rather than leaning forward. Drawing up through your pelvic floor muscle will help with your balance.
Seated Buttock Stretch
Sit on the edge of a chair with good posture. Place your arms on the back of the chair, fingers pointing back. Cross one ankle and rest the leg on the other knee. To progress this stretch, place your hands on the side of the chair. Support your body weight and lift yourself off the chair, slowly lowering yourself toward the floor. You should feel a deep stretch on the buttock of the crossed leg.
Joanna’s top tip: Make sure you extend through your spine as you sit. If you suffer from knee pain, try the lying buttock stretch instead.
Lying Buttock and Hip Stretch
Lie on your back with neutral posture, abdominals contracted and knees bent. Cross one ankle over and rest it on your knee. You may feel a stretch in this position. To increase the stretch, draw one knee into the chest, holding behind the thigh. If you are very flexible you may need to take the supporting leg slightly closer to the chest to feel the stretch.
Standing Calf Stretch
Stand with good posture. Take a large step backwards, keeping both feet facing forwards and the front knee over the ankle. If you draw an imaginary line down through the middle of the kneecap it would be in line with the second toe. Press the back heel down to the floor. Make sure the body is in line from the top of your head to your back foot. Use a wall for support if you need to.
Joanna’s top tip: To stretch more into the lower calf, bring the back leg in a little and bend the back leg at the knee.
Achilles Stretch
Crouch down to place one foot on the ground and rest the other knee on the floor beside the flat foot. Keep the foot flat on the floor and lean forward over your knee until you feel a stretch on the Achilles of that foot.
Joanna’s top tip: Press the front knee forward and diagonally toward the floor to feel a more effective Achilles stretch. This is a good stretch to do if you are a lover of high heels!
DAY 6
Today’s mantra: I can do this!
Today’s step target: 10,000
Tip/testimony from volunteer: My mood was excellent while I was following the plan, which surprised me because I’ve always felt irritable when I‘ve tried to lose weight before. I felt good because I was actually doing something about my weight and my health. Joan, 63
| On rising | 1 glass of water plus cup of coffee, green tea or tea, or hot water and lemon |
| Suggested activity zone | 15-minute walk (step target 1800) plus abdominal and core stability exercises |
| Breakfast | 2 glasses of water baked beans on toast: warm a small can (⅔ cup) of baked beans and serve on 2 small slices of rye bread |
| Mid-morning spruce juice | choose a juice from those listed |
| Suggested activity zone | 20-minute walk (step target 2400) |
| Lunch | 1 glass of water a lunch from the options suggested |
| Mid-afternoon | 2 glasses of water |
| snack | a snack from the options listed |
| Suggested activity zone | 30-minute walk (step target 3600) |
| Satisfying soup Dinner | 1 bowl of FOG or Immune-boosting soup |
| 2 glasses of water | |
| a Starch Curfew meal from the selection in this book | |
| Suggested activity zone | 15–20-minute walk (step target 2200) |
| Bedtime drink | chamomile tea, hot milk or soya milk, or hot water and lemon |
UNLIMITED VEGETABLES AND SALADS
All the lunches and dinners can be accompanied by as much as you want of the following vegetables or salad. Do not, however, add extra calories by stir-frying or coating them with dressing!
Choose from the following list:
| asparagus | cucumber |
| cabbage | celery |
| spring greens | onions |
| kale | red, yellow, and green |
| spinach | peppers |
| mushrooms | leeks |
| fennel | lettuce and all other salad |
| tomatoes | greens |
| squash | zucchini |
