I was really pleased to go to the launch of a summer health campaign by drinks brand ‘Simply Great‘ who are hitting back after the negativity over the sugar content in fruit juice. With the aid of a celebrity panel including Olympian Victoria Pendleton, medic Dr. Christian Jessen, psychologist Jo Hemmings, nutritionist Charlotte Stirling-Reed and personal trainer Charlene Hutsebaut the company are encouraging people to adopt healthier lifestyle habits.

Dr Jessen says that small changes to the way we live day-to-day have a more positive impact on our overall wellbeing, and firmly believes that fruit juice has a role to play in a balanced diet. 

The Be Simply Great campaign is an eight week programme helping people to being healthier, happier and fitter just by making small sustainable changes to your lifestyle. I am a real believer in everything in moderation, I let my children drink fruit juices occasionally and I like the Simply Great Pomegranate and Mango flavoured juices which are sweetened naturally from fruit and no nasties! To be honest, as an aside I get quite cross at the people trying to dictate that juices be banned, there are far far worse out there and people should be allowed to make their own conscious decisions. Rant over.

I think sometimes we need to be reminded how to love ourselves and celebrate our achievements, I had a great chat with Jo Hemmings over my ‘comfort eating’ which may not actually be as bad as I think and perhaps I’m a bit too hard on myself. I love her tips:

1. My body is beautiful – ‘I say it all the time and it sounds like such a cliché but we should all learn to love the skin we are in and accept ourselves for who we are.’

2. I am thankful for my body – ‘The body is such a wonderful thing and sometimes we take it for granted. Recognise how amazing your body is and stop being so negative about what you can’t do and focus on what you can.’

3. I feel comfortable in my own skin– ‘If you feel content in your own skin, your inner happiness will shine through for all to see.’

4. I accept myself completely – ‘Be honest with yourself and recognise the things you need to work on.’

5. Being active fills me with energy –‘Stop treating exercise as the enemy, – embrace it. Exercising will release endorphins and help make you feel Simply Great.’

And Dr Christian Jessen’s Tips are:

1. Ditch the diet – ‘Forget the faddy quick-fix diets and opt for a sustainable, healthy approach to living.’

2. Moderation is key – ‘Enjoy a well-balanced diet. You don’t need to completely exclude food – everything in moderation is the key. Great abs are made in the kitchen not the gym’

3. Exercise – ‘Anything that gets your heart pumping is exercise. Aerobic activity is important and can include everything from walking to riding a bike’.

4. Opt for steady, sustainable changes – ‘Slow and steady wins the race! NHS guidelines suggest a safe rate of weight loss is between 0.5kg and 1kg per week.’

5. Seek advice – ‘If you’ve adopted a healthy lifestyle and you’re finding it hard to lose weight, visit your GP for advice.’

The Be Simply Great 8 Week Challenge is available to download here so everyone can take part and Be Simply Great, because we deserve it! It has got some great fab exercises from Charlene that even the busiest people can fit into their lifestyle, I know because I have been managing them. Go on…

Simply Great_8-week-plan-download-print

Disclosure: I received some goodies at the Simply Great launch but all opinions are my own.