So drinking wine will make you live longer?

In the news today is the announcement that if you drink half a glass of wine a day, you could live five years longer. Is this good news, I wonder, or is it just going to make us feel guilty if we drink a whole glass or worry if we don’t like wine?The body has an interesting relationship with alcohol. On the one hand we are told it is good for our health, and on the other, the body treats alcohol

Are your jeans making you fat?

I love wearing jeans. They are comfortable and fashionable, extremely versatile as they can be dressed up or down to look stunning. And they can be worn at any age with or without a belt, with flat shoes or the highest of heels and, of course, boots. The key is that they suit YOU as a unique individual and that they actually fit! This is where, unfortunately, wearing jeans can go

Fair weather fitness? - get active and beat the cold and rain!

The last couple of weeks of sunshine have lifted our spirits after a long and colder than usual winter. The sun encourages us to get on our bikes, go for a walk, get in the garden and generally get active. But now the sun has gone in and it has turned chilly again and the inclination is to stay in and do less. This is really bad news for our health and our fitness. There is no doubt, activity is

Love your work!

Last Friday and Saturday we held our Training Convention at Center Parcs in Nottinghamshire. This is an annual event when all of our franchisees, and their employees, are invited to listen to experts in the field of nutrition and weight management, and workout at Masterclasses taught by some of the UK's most respected fitness professionals. It is an extraordinary gathering of like-minded women,

The London Marathon

Tomorrow is the London Marathon and tens of thousands of people will be setting out on one of the biggest challenges of their life. The pressure to reach the finishing line is enormous and the physical challenge to the body is immense. I am in total awe of anyone who runs a marathon, let alone one with such a high profile and that is televised.Everybody wants to be fit but finding the motivation

When chips are the low fat option.

Well, what a great night we had last night! We were invited to dine in Hell’s Kitchen and to enjoy the world-renowned cuisine of Marco Pierre-White.Hell’s Kitchen is a working kitchen created in a film studio. But once you step on to the red carpet you suddenly walk from an industrial zone to luxury dining and a red velvet curtained bar with a menu of exotic cocktails. How easy it would be to

Call for unhealthy sandwiches to be better labelled

Which? magazine has published a report highlighting the fact that pre-packed sandwiches can contain a scary amount of unhealthy salt, fat and sugar. They are calling for more information to be included on the labelling and for the nutritional content to be more easily understood.Of course it is helpful to know how many calories and how much fat is in a sandwich but there is no doubt that

Guests at Hell's Kitchen

Tomorrow, Mike and I have been invited to dine at Hell’s Kitchen in London. I have to admit that this is the first time we have ever attended anything like this as neither of us are huge fans of reality TV programmes. In anticipation of our dining experience we have been watching the series unfold and develop and I have to say it is fascinating to see the true personalities of the celebrities

So is Alli the wonder slimming pill?

From tomorrow a new slimming pill will be available over the counter from a chemist near you. The drug, Alli (pronounced 'Ah-lie') is a reduced-strength version of Xenical the weight-loss medication which has been available on prescription for the last 10 years. This is the drug that can cause rather embarrassing side effects unless you stick rigidly to the low-fat eating plan - basically it can

Losing weight and achieving a healthier, fitter, body.

Friday was a fantastic day for us at the Roadshow in Swansea. It was an action packed day filled with enthusiasm and excitement, and total optimism towards achieving a healthier, fitter, body.At the end of the day more than thirty people stood on the stage having lost varying amounts of weight from 3 stone upwards with several losing as much as seven, eight or nine stone. (This wonderful group

An investment for the future.

Every Saturday,if I'm not away,I call in for lunch at Mike's mum's. Jeanne is an exceptional lady. She always looks beautifully dressed, with her hair carefully styled, and wearing just the right jewellery to complement her ensemble. In fact it is not unusual for people to approach her in the street and tell her how elegant she looks. She is my role model for someone in the autumn of their life.

Roadshow in Swansea

Today I am in Swansea at one of our Roadshows with 275 women who have travelled from all over the South West and across Wales to find extra motivation to lose weight and get fitter. Apart from listening to talks from myself and my fitness colleague Mary Morris, they will do a couple of workouts and have a low calorie, low fat lunch. The highlight of the day so far has been the fact that they have

Launch of Kids 2 – fitness classes for parents and children

Today sees the press launch of a fantastic initiative which we have undertaken to help educate children towards healthier eating and greater activity.This initiative called Kids 2 involves a child and an adult (usually a parent) attending a course of 6 classes over a 6-week period. The pair will participate in fun activities which offer physical and nutritional games and quizzes along with

Men don't do queuing!

Today we fly home and I'm bracing myself for the 'airport experience'. Mike doesn't like airports or queuing. We don't arrive too early, so that we don't have to queue for long to check-in. We will be the last ones to stand up to join the queue to board the aircraft - which actually is quite a shrewd move as the last on the coach to the plane is first off when you get there. we will probably be

After Easter - a good time to slim.

Anyone wanting to lose weight will find their greatest motivation to start on their diet after a festival where they have eaten lots. That's why the New Year, after the Christmas binge, is the number one recruiting time for members to slimming clubs and gyms and Easter, after the indulgence of Easter eggs, is the second. Would-be slimmers feel they have had their treat and they are fired up ready

Gary Player

If ever we needed convincing that staying fit and eating healthily keeps us young, veteran golfer and three times US Masters champion Gary Player's extraodinary achievement to have completed at a record breaking 52 US Masters proves the point. At 73 years of age he has finally retired after an incredible 162 tour wins and last night celebrated his remarkable career with a braii — a South African

Easter Eggs

It's Good Friday and across the nations most of the world is on holiday for the Easter weekend. And lots of folk are looking forward to eating their Easter Eggs and spending time with their family. Let's hope that if you are trying to lose weight, your loved ones gave you something other than chocolate to celebrate this most important weekend in the Christian calender.The problem with chocolate

The increasing cost of obesity

So the NHS are having to invest in super-sized beds, super-strong operating tables and lifting equipment to cope with an ever increasing size of patient. We have known for years that the cost of obesity to the NHS is astronomical and unless we turn the trend of the nation becoming fatter, potentially, obesity will break the NHS bank! It is no surprise then that the latest report from the

Home cooking

As reported on TV this morning, there's a trend away from buying ready-made meals and towards preparing meals at home to save money. Excellent! This is one of the upsides of a recession - people become more resourceful and push back the boundaries of habit.In recent years chefs cooking on television has attracted huge audiences and, not surprisingly, as we Brits seem to have an obsession with

Views of the recent Vitality Show at Earls Court, London

Some views of our Stand at the recent Vitality Show held at Earls Court, London. A great time was had by all who attended and it was a pleasure to meet so many of you there! We are now looking forward to next year's event.

Fight depression with activity.

Today there is a report on the alarming rise in the number of folk being prescribed anti-depressants and the economic climate is being blamed for their low mood. And not surprisingly. With job insecurity, house values falling and uncertainty prevailing in so many areas of people's lives it's not surprising that lots of folk are getting worried and feeling down.But we can help ourselves become

Informed choices when eating out.

Brilliant! The Food Standards Agency are recommending to restaurants that they include the calorie content of individual dishes on their menus so that customers can make informed choices and many of the fast food chains are happy to comply.Previously, you had to log on to Pizza Hut's websites to investigate the calorie content of their menu which was helpful for folk like us who needed the

Keeping fit helps keeping you feeling young.

Last evening we attended a delightful Golden Wedding party to celebrate the fifty year marriage of a wonderful couple. The bride is in her eighties and the groom is in his seventies and inevitably there were many of the other guests who were in their advanced years too - some who live here in Portugal on a golfing resort and others who had flown over from around the world. It was a superb

The joys of Spring weather

As we're sitting in the sunshine here in Portugal with some friends who have just flown in this morning, they have been saying how lovely and sunny it has been over the last week or so in England where they live in the south. I love the feeling of the sun on my back and realise how the animals who live outside throughout the cold winters in England must be feeling now that the spring grass is

Hope and belief in Alan Shearer

So Alan Shearer has accepted the job as Manager of Newcastle United and the fans are thrilled. His appointment has brought hope and belief to a football club that has been suffering in uncertainty for months but now the fans believe that Shearer can instill in to the players the power of confidence - the belief that they CAN win!No one knows how Saturday's game against Chelsea will turn out but

May issue of Rosemary Conley Diet & Fitness magazine published today

As I’m sitting here in the sunshine it makes me realise that Summer’s around the corner and lots of women across the UK will be preparing to run the Race for Life. Training for such an event gives us the motivation we need to be more active and there’s nothing better to motivate us to lose those winter pounds and get fit. This year we thought it would be really helpful to create a safe and

Airline seats are not designed for the overweight.

Today I flew out to Portugal from East Midlands Airport. All went well, the plane was full and on time. Well done Easyjet. But I really feel for anyone who is dramatically overweight. Flying must be one of the most uncomfortable and stressful experiences.I find low-cost air travel to be brilliant and I'm happy with the 'no frills' policy. The space between the seats is fine for a small person