Snow and soon it will be Christmas!

There is something very magical about snow when it first arrives. It looks so beautiful and so fresh and when there’s a really heavy frost the trees become fairytale-spectacularly beautiful.For us it was lovely to see our black labs, now aged 9 months, experiencing snow for the first time and it made me realise the fun the children will be having, particularly the ones who are just old enough now

Strictly weight loss!

We are away for a few days in Portugal which means that I buy a daily newspaper to read on the flight and occasionally to read while away. I don’t normally buy newspapers (other than our local evening one) and rely on the television news to keep me up-to-date with world events. But, ridiculously, I do enjoy reading all the comments and self-written columns on the subject of Strictly Come Dancing!

What a fantastic day!

On Friday 22nd October we held our Annual Franchisee Convention which is the main event of our year when all our franchisees are invited for a day of motivation and information, rewards and Awards. And it’s fun!It was wonderful to see almost all our franchisees in one place, all looking fabulous and fit, and ready to be inspired. Running a franchise means you are running your own business but

Celebrating women everywhere!

On Monday I was privileged to be invited to the Women of the Year lunch at the Intercontinental Hotel in London. The Women of the Year Foundation have given hundreds of thousands of pounds to help support, care for, cherish and respect women across the world. Women who need our help and who are valued. It is a brilliant charity run by exceptional women who bring together, twice a year, a group of

Judging our Slimmers of the Year!

On Monday we had our judging session for our Slimmer of the Year Contest. There was a massive file full of applicants who had lost over 8 stone. That’s what I weigh! I cannot imagine what life must be like carrying that sort of weight everywhere you go.We were spoilt for choice and will shortly be inviting our Regional Slimmers to attend a ceremony at Quorn House for for us to make our final

Will exercise alone make you slim?

We’re currently in Portugal at the tail end of our holiday so apart from my nightly Fitness Challenge on Twitter, I have had a rest from blogging and most things to do with work. I feel rested, relaxed, I’ve caught up with my sleep and I’m now re-energised and ready to go back to work and get cracking again. Yesterday the Observer carried a feature headed ‘Why exercise won’t make you thin’.

What a fantastic night!

The sun shone, the countryside looked magnificent and the crowds arrived. The villagers marshalled, the farmer mowed the car park, the bands played, the Pimms flowed and the guests opened their purses and wallets for three great charities.Music in the Meadow is a fun night out for all the family held in the grounds of our house which nestles in a valley in the east of Leicestershire. Surrounded

An Interesting Tuesday!

Last Tuesday was one of those days when lots of things happened that were very different but still were interesting and exciting.Abbi Morrell-Faulkner is an 18-year old girl who was bullied at school and who has turned her terrible experience into an extraordinary strength. Abbi is now a campaigner against bullying and has won numerous awards, has been introduced to David Cameron and David

Music in the Meadow - we're getting there!

For the past three years Mike and I have hosted a live pop concert in the grounds of our home to raise funds for Steps Conductive Education Centre, Matt Hampson - the under-21s England Rugby player who broke his neck in training in 2005, and the church and village hall where we live in Ashby Folville in Leicestershire. This year the event is being held on Bank Holiday Saturday, 28th August. Every

When everybody cares...

When one of our staff was recently diagnosed with cancer everyone felt devastated. We are a close-knit family at our offices at Quorn House and we take a lot of time and trouble to organise staff events so that everyone gets to know everyone else within our complicated business. I say ‘complicated’ because we are an amalgam of different companies who work in synergy with each other, delivering

So, you'd like to present a fitness DVD?....

When the producer of BBC Radio Leicester’s lunchtime programme rang my office last week to ask if I would help with a ‘weekly challenge’ for the presenter Bill Buckley, of course I said ‘yes’. The challenge is ‘can Bill learn a fitness routine to sufficient a standard to present it as a fitness routine for fellow listeners to follow on the BBC website? If not, he fails!’. Bill is one really busy

Getting a dog is the answer to the nation's obesity problem!

Last Sunday our pet-family number doubled. Waise our whippet/greyhound/lurcher dog, and Tom the black cat were invaded by two extremely energetic, totally adorable black Labrador puppies – BB and Sky.It’s some 14 years since Mike and I took on a new pup. The last one was a German Shepherd called Max who was unique. Incredibly hard work at the beginning, an extraordinary character in the end and a

The magic of Austria

I’m writing this on the flight back from our Activity Week in Austria. This is the 25th year we have organised this special holiday when members of the public are invited to join us for a week of fun, fitness and fabulous scenery.As we met at the airport a week ago it was exciting to meet up with lots of new faces and one or two familiar ones. Of our 30 strong guest list, only nine had been

Oh dear!

I was happy to present medals at the Leicestershire and Rutland Youth Games on Sunday and fortunately the organisers had, in their early planning stages, anticipated an important World Cup game kicking off at 3 pm on the same day so the event was organised that it would end at 2.30 pm. No-one hung about and at 2.30 there was a mass exodus.With a sinking feeling at the pit of my stomach and the

Be Inspired!

Last Sunday I had the privilege of being invited to present the Compassion Awards at a Church service organised by the Trinity Life Church in Highfields in the centre of Leicester. The Awards had been created by their charity Open Hands.I have been fortunate enough in my lifetime to meet some wonderful people who have achieved extraordinary things - from captains of industry to celebrities who

Inspiring times

Every year we run a special RC week at Ragdale Hall when I pop along each day and give a talk or teach a few workouts to the group who have booked in for a four night stay. Lots of folk return year after year for their annual dose of inspiration and motivation to encourage them to adopt healthier eating habits, lose a few pounds and become a bit fitter. And it is delightful.I love watching the

Friday 11th June 2010!

At last the day has finally arrived. Today is the start of the 2010 World Cup.Whether you are a fan of football or not, there is a real sense of excitement as this event is about to kick-off. To witness so many countries coming together in a united way to watch a sport of universal interest and passion is fabulous. Billions of viewers from across the globe will be tuning in to watch a game of

A funny couple of weeks.

It’s a while since I blogged but it’s been a funny couple of weeks.Weekend before last we went with some friends to Loch Lomond Golf Club. It was a delayed celebration of Mike’s special birthday which he had in January and we invited three couples to join us for this real treat of an occasion. The men played golf around this idyllic championship golf course (the Scottish Open is held here) and we

Another 'What a week!"

I found last week fascinating. I couldn’t wait for Monday and the ‘soap opera’ of a new government unfolding.I was born after World War II but I saw enough footage of films showing families huddled round the radio to listen to the latest news to realise how anxious the nation was to hear about every twist and turn of events as they unfolded. Last Monday and Tuesday were like that too. On Tuesday

What an interesting couple of weeks!

This is the first time I’ve blogged for two weeks. The last fortnight has been a really frantic time with lots of ups and downs to challenge me.It started with my lovely mum-in-law falling down the stairs at her dentist’s surgery two weeks ago today. She hurt her foot, banged her head and passed out! After visits to the doctor, the hospital, two X-rays and the great news that nothing was broken,

Center Parcs Training Convention - WOW!

It’s a while since I blogged. Since we came back from our holiday two weeks ago my feet don’t seemed to have touched the ground. It’s been totally manic – but as always, tremendous fun! Last weekend was no exception. It was our annual Training Convention at Center Parcs and no less than 200 of our wonderful franchisees and their employees/instructors attended. It really is the most extraordinary

Why I think 5-a-day is still good news!

I’m back from our two week holiday and of course we find ourselves in the middle of Election Fever. May the best man win!Anyway, the news emerged last week that eating our five-a-day didn’t have the cancer-preventing qualities that the nutrition experts thought it had after all. Reducing levels of obesity and smoking are, apparently, more effective.I think it is really sad that all the progress

Spring time and a new beginning

It is now officially Spring and Easter has been and gone and hopefully, very soon, we will start to have some beautiful warm weather in the UK. I’m currently in Portugal where we really are appreciating the warmer weather and realising how good it is to feel the sun on your back.I love the Spring-time with the trees breaking into life and the flowers looking so bright and cheerful. There are

So the best diet to suit us could be found in our genes...

In a report of some research carried out in the States, it would seem that our suitability for a particular diet could be determined by our genes. For some, low-fat works wonders whilst for others there is a real preference for eating a high-protein-low-carb diet. I think this is interesting and I will watch with interest to see how further research develops.As you know, I still take a couple of

Recovering after the Vitality Show!

Well, it’s Wednesday and this is the first day I have felt like I am a human being again! After four solid and full days at the Vitality Show, signing autographs, having my photograph taken with a multitude of lovely folk, and giving a one-hour lecture each day, it is lovely, at last, to be back to normal.The Vitality Show is the only Show we do all year as to do an event like this is both

We’re off to the Vitality Show!

On Thursday Mike and I, and about a dozen of our staff, travel down to the Vitality Show at Earls Court in London. It’s a four day exhibition and I’m there for the full duration. It is probably the toughest assignment I have all year as it is full-on – meeting the public, answering questions and giving a speech every day to a few hundred folk who are kind enough to want to come and listen to me

I love my job!

Last Thursday I had the privilege of speaking at the East Midlands Business Women’s Conference and presenting the Awards for the three categories, sponsored by EMDA (East Midlands Development Agency),for Business Woman of the Year, Small Business of the Year and Most Innovative Business of the Year. Some weeks earlier I had been a judge for these awards so I was involved in deciding should win.

So much to do!

This is going to be a really heavy week but it will be fun - as my weeks usually are. I have been asked to be an Ambassador for, and to get involved in, an initiative to help the folk of Leicestershire, Leicester City and Rutland to get more active and tomorrow I meet with representatives of up to 23 different areas of health to discuss progress. It is very different for me to be working with

Patience, patience!

For those of you following my blogs and on Twitter you will be aware that I have been trying to shed a few of my own pounds – along with the rest of the nation at this time of the year. The crunch came when I couldn’t button up my Guess jeans – the ones I wore in the photograph used on the front of my Gi Jeans Diet book in 2006. Because they then fitted me so well, I saved them to be worn on

An interesting week!

Last week Mike was away skiing with his friends which meant that I could attack all sorts of jobs that I normally wouldn’t have time to do. Along with every other working wife in the country, I feel guilty about doing jobs when we need to spend quality time together so if hubby’s away, then I can work till whatever time I like with a clear conscience.In addition to completing lots of household

The weight losses continue!

I’ve just completed the first month of classes with my new members following my Amazing Inch Loss Plan. It is exciting to see the pounds falling away and I can honestly say that I have never given out so many half-stone and one stone certificates of weight loss as I have in the last couple of weeks nor have I ever had so many new members join my classes.One of my members lost 1st 1 lb in 3 weeks.

Take a look at the diet trialists

This week we have uploaded the initial weigh-in day of my Trial Dieters on www.rosemaryconley.tv.Last May the first group of dieters came to Quorn House to be weighed in and measured. They were interviewed too and you can see the sense of fear and trepidation in their body language as they embarked on this weight-loss challenge. Men and women alike were given a 1200 calories a day diet sheet and

The Magic Measure is Magic!

As I explained a couple of weeks ago, I would rather go by the fit of my clothes than weighing myself on the scales everyday, which I think is counterproductive, but I want to lose about 3 lbs so that I can get back into my Gi Jeans which currently are just too tight!Upon returning from our skiing holiday, and having lost 1lb whilst away, I wanted to keep up the momentum so on Monday last I

Back to normal!

It’s been a funny week. Getting back to work after our holiday and it seems that everybody wants a little bit of me – well my time, anyway.Monday is normally my day off but that gets over-ridden when I’ve had a holiday as there just aren’t enough hours in the day to fit everything in the rest of the week. Radio interviews are still coming through which is lovely. I really enjoy them as they are

Very exciting!

We’re back from our skiing holiday and Mike and I feel so much better having had a holiday for the first time in seven months.I made the rash decision to try and lose 2 lbs over the ten days we were away because my best jeans don’t fit at the moment. Well, I didn’t lose 2 lbs but I did lose one and I’m certainly fitter and trimmer and I’m really glad about that. My class members had to work extra

Why am I dieting on holiday?

A week ago I was packing to come away and I knew I had put on a pound or two over Christmas resulting in my clothes selection being undertaken carefully. I don’t weigh myself at home because if I do I become paranoid about food, so I just go by the fit of my clothes and things had been getting a bit snug. Well, tight actually. As soon as the New Year was underway I had made something of an

Sun, Snow and Activity.

Mike and I are holidaying in Austria at the moment, enjoying our first break for seven months. When Mike’s 87 year old mother became very frail last year we felt she couldn’t be left but now she has moved in with us. Good food, good care and no worries has turned her health around to a point where we now felt we could leave her with our friend who always house- and dog-sits for us. Apparently

The Amazing Inch Loss Plan Works!

Last night was the second week of my own classes since Christmas. Despite the snow my classes have survived and last night was the first weigh-in for the new members who joined last week and who started on the Amazing Inch Loss Plan that is the new diet issued to our class members. The weight losses were staggering and the best I have ever experienced in my 38 years of running classes. My Slimmer

Lose a stone in a month!

I can remember going to BBC Radio Leicester in May last year to invite folk to apply to be a trial dieter for a new diet I was wanting to test. Tony Wadsworth is the presenter of the mid morning radio show and Tony has worked for BBC Radio Leicester for as long as I can remember. He is a good guy. When I wanted to recruit some volunteers, I felt sure that Tony would help.When I come up with a new

SLIMMERS OF THE YEAR 2010

Yesterday was a very special day. We officially launched www.rosemaryconley.tv – our online television channel – and announced our eight Slimmers of the Year.After months of preparation, planning and performing we went live to the general public with our state-of-the art channel and whilst there are still a few loose ends to tie up, you can now watch, free of charge, a vast selection of subjects

My Magic Measure – The Greatest Motivational Tool!

There’s nothing quite so motivating as seeing your inches disappear when you’re trying to lose weight. It is total evidence that you are shrinking and that spurs you on to further success.Earlier this year I had an idea to produce a tape measure with some removable tags that would show how many inches you were losing as you progressed on your dieting campaign. The result is my Magic Measure and

Happy New Year everyone!

New Year's Day was an interesting day! Friends were expected to join us for lunch in the morning but first Sky News sent a truck (outside broadcasting unit)to our home so that I could do a piece for Sky News for 9.45 am about New Year’s Resolutions. I had declined the invitation to travel down to London so when they offered to come to us, I was delighted.Paul and Andy arrived with their highly