You too can change your life for the better. Just follow the experts' advice on dieting, exercise and relaxation. Fiona Tyrrell reports
Having guided the three VHI turn-your-life-around contestants through significant changes over the past six weeks, our four experts share their thoughts on the programme and offer advice on how anyone can change their life for the better.
The contestants' achievements during the past six weeks were dramatic, according to fitness coach Philip Phelan, and was down to determination as well as the motivation of the publicity surrounding the programme.
In terms of fitness, all three have increased their fitness levels significantly. Dermot, who wouldn't have dreamt of walking to work, is now running to work; Fiona has discovered the inside of a gym and decided she likes it; and Martin has experienced big changes to his physical appearance, thanks to his high-powered workouts.
For people hoping to emulate the life changes experienced by the candidates, taking a step-by-step approach to life change is advisable, according to Phelan. "For the ordinary person on the street it's sometimes best to look at the areas that need to be addressed and pick one, make the changes and then move on to the next."
Fitness is always a good first port of call, he says. Not only will it give a more positive outlook, but it usually inspires people to look at their nutrition next.
"The reality is that most people change their lives over a period of time. If you take small steps you are more likely to hold on to it."
And when it comes to falling off the wagon, don't be disheartened, Phelan says.
"If you have exercised for six weeks and then stop, you haven't failed. You have done a lot of good for your body and are still better off than if you hadn't exercised at all."
Reliance on takeaways, ready meals and takeaway menus from restaurants, which are all very high in calories and fat, was one aspect of all the candidates' diets that nutritionist Nuala Collins wanted to tackle from the outset of the programme.
Another problem was the misconception that olive oil is good and that it can be used liberally, she says. All three were over-using olive oil in stir fries thinking it was healthy and at 279 calories a tablespoon, that is quite a fattening mistake.
Each week she asked the contestants to focus on different aspects of their diet and these core pieces of advice can be put into action by anyone interested in improving their diet.
The advice included eating more fruit and veg, paying attention to dairy and calcium intake, upping the amount of wholegrains consumed, incorporating beans and nuts into daily diet, watching salt intake and reading the labels on food.
She recommends that the candidates use the Irish Heart Foundation's Happy Heart Cook Book which has a good selection of healthy and tasty recipes.
"Dieting doesn't have to be painful. You don't have to go on a really difficult diet or exclude any major food groups to succeed in weight loss."
While the primary goal for Dermot, Fiona and Martin was to get fit and lose weight over a six-week period, life coach John Sharry tried to get them to take a more holistic view.
His aim over the six weeks was to get the candidates to reflect on their broader life goals. Key to this was hands-on reflective exercises from Jinny Ditzler's book, Your Best Year Yet.
"A long-term and balanced view is the key to successful life change," according to Sharry.
"Most of the time people focus on just one area such as getting fit or eating well and they don't think about the broader context or why they want those things."
It's important to find out what you want for your total life not just short-term goals, he says. A good sense of balance is important too. Not just focusing on your careers to the detriment of your family for example, he explains.
Meanwhile, stress expert Karen Belshaw got the contestants to focus on perception and awareness. How you perceive the world and manage it is the key to stress management, she explains.
The aim of her part of the programme was to show the candidates how to get in touch with themselves so they could figure out how they respond to stressful situations, she says.
One of the exercises given to the candidates was a deep breathing exercise which takes three-five minutes to complete.
The exercise aims to calm the mind and body with slow breathing - inhale through the nose for the count of four and exhale through the mouth for the count of five.
"When you are stressed, your body is in a panic and you can't think straight," she explains.
Another big winner for the three contestants was the positive commands exercises. This is simply choosing a positive sentence that makes sense to you and repeating it a few of times, Belshaw explains. They are great to use in stressful situations like a crunch business meeting or when your child is having a temper tantrum.
It may be something like "this is a difficult situation but I will do my best", according to Karen.
It's about talking to your brain and giving it a few moments to gather itself and put its best foot forward.