The Ultimate Body Plan: 75 easy recipes plus workouts for a leaner, fitter you

I will listen and pay attention to what my body is telling me

We’ve become experts at ignoring what our bodies are telling us, dismissing uncomfortable physical symptoms as ‘normal’ and just things we have to put up with. For example, feeling so bloated after lunch you have to undo the button on your jeans, or your heart racing so hard after your fifth mug of coffee that you have to sit down clutching your chest. These things aren’t normal and you don’t have to just ‘accept’ them.

We can get into habits of doing things because we ‘always have’. I used to have chippy tea night every Friday. Doesn’t mean I have to do that for the rest of my life – especially if I don’t feel like it. Just like you don’t have to drink a bottle of wine when you’re with that certain mate. This plan is about becoming accountable to yourself.

What is your body telling you? Is it full? Bloated? Hungry? Thirsty? Heavy? Sluggish? What does it actually need? Is it truly craving junk or is that in your head? Start taking notice. Accept that your body will change at different stages of your cycle (there are apps that monitor mood and physicality during your period). Trust what it’s telling you. If you do need to stop, don’t be a hero – have a rest day. Look after yourself. If that happens once in eight or nine sessions, fine, but if it’s happening once in every two or three sessions, address the reasons why. Might you be eating too much or too little? Eating the wrong things? Pushing yourself too hard? Or might it actually be your mind giving up rather than your body…?

I will surround myself with supportive people

Taking this step to improve yourself is a great thing and should only ever be commended. However – and I hate that I have to say this – those close to you, and perhaps even strangers, might be negative about it. I’ve had: ‘Your body’s fine, it doesn’t need to change’, or ‘You looked better before’ directed at me. People can get really annoyed when it comes to you giving up booze, feeling it somehow reflects badly on them. Fuelled by their own insecurities, they get defensive. Brush it off and stay strong.

If you’re committed to this plan and to feeling your best, surround yourself with people who’ll support you – and distance yourself from those who don’t. Tell those closest to you what you’re doing; their support will be invaluable. Even better if they’ll do it with you! However, just having someone who understands that this is important to you, whether a friend or partner, will make things easier. When I was doing the 12-week programme, I’d tell my friends I’d drive because I couldn’t drink, and they didn’t once say, ‘You’re so boring! Come on!’ They said, ‘Great! A free taxi home!’ It made all the difference.

We women need to stick together. We all know how awful it is to be brought down or made to feel like we don’t measure up. The other day I saw so many women in the gym’s weights section and wanted to go over and high-five them all, saying, ‘It’s a Sunday, you could be hung-over and lying in bed, but you look incredible!’ So I did! That’s what this is all about, supporting each other to be the best we can be, until eventually we change the ‘Why are you doing that?’ questions to ‘How are you doing that?’