I have seen this on the news this morning and I would love to get your thoughts on this......
 
Do your kids or grandkids take packed lunches or have school dinners?
 
The news is reporting how kids packed lunches are still filled with unhealthy things...sugary treats etc however they did also report (but it was snuck in  not a headline) that sugar levels in packed lunches have dropped...
 
I think that lots of us are aware of the importance of feeding our kids as well as we can.......someone did say on the news when interviewed that her view was that it was expensive to get healthy snacks for her kids lunchbox.......what do you think?
 
My son is in year one and so he gets free school dinners at the moment which we have gone with...most days he tells me has had fish so who knows...BUT he always has a dessert........so is that healthy?
 
Its a minefield isn't it.....how to feed your kids healthy food that they will actually eat and enjoy.........my daughter is at secondary school and has her own money to take...so that becomes another minefield as I have no control really as to what she spends it on
 
As always I continue to feed them as best as I can at home.....giving them an appreciation for home cooked meals....but everything in moderation....and always referring to foods around health...so the language I use is " good or bad for your skin, teeth, muscles etc" never using language around making you put weight on etc..
 
Also my kids are active, they do lots of exercise so thats important as well...
 
I would love to get your thoughts on this.....do your kids take packed lunches? How do you make them healthy? Do you worry about your kids diet?
 
Kelly xx
​​​​​​​www.keepfitwithkelly.com
​

January...the telly is full of programmes about diets isn't it....I can't help watching them even though I have probably over the years done pretty much every diet going!!!
 
I find them compulsive viewing even though I absolutely know that the only way to lose weight and keep it off is to burn off more fuel than we take on board through food..
 
There are many different ways to do that and it really is not one size fits all,  and that is why in my weight loss groups we try a different theme each week to see what works best for every individual, however the simple science always boils down to the fact you lose weight when you are in a calorie deficit
 
So how many diets have you done over the years.......what has worked and what has not? Are you currently on a "diet"? Or does the thought of dieting make you reach for the biscuit tin????
 
I don't like to deprive myself of anything...that is why I am not doing dry January...it just makes me want the thing I have given up even more....that is why on my course we don't deprive ourselves of anything completely..everything in moderation....
 
Would love to hear your thoughts as we go into 2020......
 
Kelly xx
www.keepfitwithkelly.com
 
PS: My brand new podcast The 40 Something Female launches tomorrow on ITunes and Spotify....the first 3 episodes will be published tomorrow...looking forward to seeing what you all think........

​A deep question hey!!!


This has come from a video I did on Facebook this week looking at what sort of coach I am? What sort of women work with me?

Click HERE to have a look at the video..

I also asked the question on social media........if you come to my classes or work with me one to one how would you describe me???

Some lovely words were used to describe me....positive, fun, upbeat, energetic, non judgemental, supportive..and one lady simply said "you care"

How lovely is that.........the purpose of asking the question was so that i could give you an idea in this blog post of what I am like as a coach and hopefully they have summed it up perfectly...

I would also add that I am REALISTIC!!!

I am a real women who eats chocolate and drinks wine..............and the women I work with are real women too...we are not about bulging biceps and rippling abs...we are about being the healthiest and happiest versions of ourselves we can be

I know that over the next few weeks thoughts will be turning to your plans for next year in terms of the exercise you are going to do and maybe the type of eating plan you will follow...give working with me a thought if you are resonating with any of this....

Kelly xx
www.keepfitwithkelly.com

So if you follow me regularly you will know that we recently got a cockapoo puppy.....we have had him 3 months now and it has been wonderful but challenging!
 
I have spoken about this on my social media A LOT...it was really tough...
 
I have never had a dog...any pet for that matter and so it was a really big shock...many times during those first few weeks I questioned whether I had done the right thing.....it was as hard as having a baby!
 
But with perseverance.......patience and lots of time we have got a lovely little doggy now.....he is toilet trained and is really getting a character and has certainly become part of the family..it was the sleeping that was the hardest...we had him downstairs in our kitchen and he just really wasn't getting on with it....waking at 4am every day if not more than that during the night and we just couldn't take it anymore.....
 
But I had always said I didn't want him upstairs...
 
Eventually we caved and he now sleeps in with my daughter and we have never had a disturbed night since...it seems he was lonely...
 
So to anyone reading this thinking about getting a puppy, my message would be it is super hard and you need to be prepared for that........it changes your life and you always have to think about the dog going forwards....getting back for him...not leaving him too long..daily walks.....toilet training is tough...you will say he is isn't going in this room or that but they probably will........
 
BUT
 
We wouldn't be without him now and I am pleased we got him.....here is Alfie who will be 6 months next week
 

Today is National Stress Awareness Day..this is something that the charity MIND arranges each year on the first Wednesday in November and it is just to get us talking about stress and what we can do to reduce it..
 
I did a poll on my Instagram story yesterday and simply asked the question Are you Stressed?
 
It was a pretty much 50/50 split on answers so that is half of us that are stressed currently.....
 
I had a great guest on my radio show yesterday to talk about this...Faye is a hypnotherapist and also is an expert in reflexology and massage and she shared her top tips...you can listen back HERE
 
She advised speaking with your GP as a first point of call but then these pointers may help as well....
 
1. Get some exercise.......staying active whilst it won't get rid of stress in our life will help us handle it better
 
2. Spend time with family and friends and talk to them about how you are feeling and don't bottle things up
 
3. Me time...making time to just do something for you...be that a bath, getting your nails done, meeting a friend for coffee...I chipped in that having a cuppa and watching Loose Women helps me!
 
4. Challenge yourself...trying a new hobby, doing something new
 
5, Reducing unhealthy habits, so watching your caffeine and alcohol intake
 
6. Volunteering apparently is a stress reliever as we are doing things for others
 
7. Be positive...every day look for the 3 things that have happened that day that have gone well......always look for the positives
 
I hope that has helped if you are stressed at all.......get in touch and let me know
 
Kelly xx
www.keepfitwithkelly.com

Mine is my best friend all year really but especially at this time of the year...
 
I use it to cook whole joints of meat, stews, curries, chilli......so many different things
 
It is great if you are busy and don't get home until late some days......what is better than walking in to that delicious smell......
 
I find if you have people coming home at different times it works well too as you can all just eat from the pot when you need to...
 
Have you got a slow cooker? What is your favourite thing to make....share your favourite recipe with me and I will send out a few of the favourites on Friday..
 
Kelly x
www.keepfitwithkelly.com

​So many women ask me this question?
 
They see things written about weight training being good but do not really feel confident or know where to start....
 
So yes weights are a great addition to your workouts, for women to bulk up it is very difficult, so never worry that you don't want to be muscly, using light weights and high reps will increase your muscle mass, improve your shape and do wonders for your fitness without bulking you up.
 
Most of us want to look better......so it is best to stop obsessing about the scales and start to think about your body shape and muscle tone...using weights as we get older is brilliant for combatting menopausal weight gain as well
 
Resistance training with weights or bands can be extremely effective at preserving or even increasing lean muscle mass, which normally declines with hormonal changes and age
 
So now to getting the confidence.....attending a weights based class or perhaps using a trainer is a great idea as you then know that you are doing things correctly...
 
I run 3 weights based classes on my timetable if you are near enough to me..
 
Tuesday - 8pm Kettlercise Coppice School
Thursday -10am 50+ Kettlebells Holy Cross Church Hall Walmley
Thursday - 6.15pm Kettlercise Falcon Lodge Community Centre
 
Please hit reply and feel free to ask my any questions about working out with weights
 
Kelly xx
www.keepfitwithkelly.com

​It can be hard to stay motivated when the nights draw in....the temptation to just stay on the sofa rather than go out to exercise is HIGH..I get that!!!!
 
Also the shops are already starting to fill their shelves with the Xmas goodies.......soon the coffee shops will have their specialty drinks in......I was behind 2 ladies in a queue in Aldi this week both buying mince pies....
 
BUT IF WE START EATING ALL THE GOODIES AND HIBERNATING NOW.......WHAT WEIGHT WILL YOU GAIN AND HOW WILL YOU FEEL BY THE NEW YEAR
 
I love this time of the year...this run up to Xmas is my ABSOLUTE favourite and I am no party pooper...
 
BUT
 
If I start on the mince pies and baileys now then I will gain a stone by January...FACT!!
 
And I do not want to do that!!!!
 
​​​​​​​So my message today is stay motivated.....make good food choices.......avoid the SUGAR and rubbish and keep up with the exercise routine...it only takes 2 weeks for your fitness levels to start to decrease!!!
 
 
Kelly xx

And if you do...why shouldn't you!
 
We only get one life and I believe in living it...whilst being as healthy, happy and active as I can be
 
AND SO
 
If you like to eat out...go on holidays and have a drink at the weekends....I encourage all my clients to carry on doing that!
 
I always tell them never to cancel social occasions they just need to learn how to create the right balance........I eat out, drink alcohol and eat chocolate.......but I also follow some other simple rules to stop me from gaining weight...and this is the sort of info I share on my 6 week Kick Start Home plan.....
 
It doesn't have to be all or nothing...there is another way!
 
Kelly xx
www.keepfitwithkelly.com

This is a question I get asked a lot by my clients....perhaps if they are injured, or haven't exercised in a while or simply struggle to lose weight and they worry that a lack of exercise is hindering them...
 
So here are my thoughts
 
Exercise is really important for
 
Heart health
Keeping your joints supple and flexible
Helping with weight stability
Enhancing mental health and a positive mind
Muscle tone
Feel good factor
 
HOWEVER
 
If you are looking to lose weight WHAT YOU PUT INTO YOUR BODY is the main thing...you can't out exercise a POOR DIET
 
So if you don't enjoy exercise at the moment maybe because you feel self conscious or find it hard because you are unfit...or if you are injured DON"T LET THAT STOP YOU EMBARKING ON IMPROVING YOUR DIET
 
Once you start to eat better and lose a bit of weight you will then hopefully find that you feel more like exercising and the two then go nicely hand in hand....
 
I am a perfect example of this....I do tons of exercise but I still have to watch what I eat...Yes I can get away with more because I burn such a lot of calories with the level of my activity BUT I have to keep an eye on my food or I gain weight...
 
So that is why on my 6 week Kick Start Home plan we focus on the food and then work on increasing your activity levels as we go along......if we have people in the group who are happy to exercise from day one then I supply short at home workouts for you do ......
 
I would love you to join us on the next one starting in just 6 days!!!
 
Kelly xx
www.keepfitwithkelly.com