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 the best service we can to help serve the consumer and support our franchisees.

So when one of our ‘family’ is threatened with a potentially life-threatening illness, we all feel it.

Illness is a strange thing and many times in our lives we find ourselves shying away from folk who are suffering because we feel either embarrassed or guilty that we are well and they are not, but we were determined not to do this for this very special member of staff. So, we, as a team, decided that we wanted to give him every support and care and prayer that we could.

A group photograph was orchestrated with the words ‘we miss you Mark XXX’ emblazoned across it. The photograph was made into a card and everyone signed it with a personal ‘get well’ message. Next, we all decided that we would donate DVDs that would be humorous and entertaining so that Mark could watch them when, after his radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatments, he felt like doing little else.

Texts, emails, home visits have also become common place and Mark has responded with amazing graciousness and courage.

If you are reading this and you have a faith, please pray for Mark. He is a great guy. If you want to send him a get well message you can email him on markp@rosemaryconley.com. Let’s join together and help make Mark well again.

Thank you!

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 guy. Just check out his website and you may recognise him from That’s life, many moons ago.

So, on Monday I went into the studio to offer the challenge ‘live’ and on Monday evening Bill visited the class I personally teach in Birstall, Leicestershire and worked out with my members. Bill can move reasonably well and most of the time can hear the beat of the music but occasionally he misses the beat and the rhythm so this really is going to be a challenge. My members were very encouraging and there is no doubt that Bill is a good sport and very determined. After all, Bill has already won 'Come Dine With Me', not once but twice!

It was arranged that Bill would be recorded at our studios on Wednesday but on Tuesday we had an emergency phone call. Bill is suffering symptoms of flu so Wednesday’s recording has been postponed until next week.

I’m not sorry about this. For any of my videos we rehearsed for around a month, admittedly to record around 16 tracks and Bill only has to do one, but nevertheless, to expect Bill to learn and professionally present an exercise track so that viewers could actually follow it and exercise safely in just two days, as well as work full time, is a tall order.

So, Bill has a week to learn his routine, to learn about cueing so that you can tell the viewer what’s coming next when you’re doing something else, and to keep in time with the music. Let’s hope he soon feels better and can start rehearsing. I really want him to succeed as he has tremendous determination and a great spirit. Get well soon Bill!

The track Bill is learning is track 3 from my Real Results DVD. Check out whether Bill succeeds from Friday 30th July on www.bbc.co.uk/leicester.

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 dog we loved to bits. She spent her life following our old gardener Ken wherever he was working, happily sitting close by him and supervising! As Max grew old, Ken was reaching his 80s, and they loved their days together in our lovely garden. When Max died a year or so ago, she left a real void and we have spent many a happy time remembering her quirky character with enormous fondness.

But now we have BB (pictured, above, right) and Sky (pictured, above, left). I do the early and late shift and Mike does the day. It’s hard work. In the morning, at 6.15, I let them out and we go for a walk around the garden. They are so exuberant that it is almost impossible to walk as they weave in and out of my feet. Toilet duties accomplished it’s time for breakfast. Two bowls, identical, but each wanting to eat the other’s as they dash from one to the other in case there’s something extra in that one! BB is bigger and fatter than Sky. I can see why. She is at the front of the queue for food, pushing Sky out of the way as she gobbles down her puppy food. It’s just like humans really – scared that maybe after this meal there will be a world famine and this really is their last meal on earth!

As I write this they are asleep, fast asleep, in our kitchen. At last they have exhausted themselves. I’m going to bed too. After my hour of exercise with them this morning and another good walk again tonight, I feel I’ve had the equivalent of an hour and half in the gym – but it’s been much more fun! If I carry on at this rate I’ll be able to drink that extra glass of wine and not gain an ounce. I love you, puppies!

What has surprised us more than anything though, is how Waise has accepted the pups. Waise is a spoilt-to-death dog who has had our undivided attention since Max passed away. She has totally embraced the pups, lying down with them – almost baby-sitting – when they collapse into sleep after a highly energetic play period. She allows them to crawl over her, nibble her ear, and generally ‘play’ with her. It is totally enchanting. There is no jealousy, just pleasure at taking on the role of auntie! Long may it continue!

And Tom the cat? He’s really cool about the pups. As he sits in his usual spot on the settee the pups come and say ‘hello’. Tom taps them gentle on the nose as if to say, ‘If you’re nice to me, I’ll be nice to you and these claws will stay inside my paws’, and the pups carry on with their game.

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 before. We love it when new people sign up because we know that it is for them a week full of surprises, new experiences and exciting emotions. We have never had a disappointing week yet in our two and half decades of this trip to the family-run ‘der Berghof’ hotel in Lech in Austria.

From the trout fishing walk, (when we catch our own lunch), to the Tyrolean evening with very fit young Austrians slapping their thighs and leaping in the air, the swimming in the open air pool among the mountains, hiking through meadows that look like a scene from the Sound of Music, doing aerobics in the school gym with myself and my colleague Mary, the week is action packed from beginning to end.

The highlight of the week is our Concert Night when Mary, a brilliant performer in her own right, carefully nurtures and encourages those among our guests who can sing or recite, inspire or delight, through a variety of performances that are unique. The reputation of this annual spectacle has now encouraged other un-connected hotel guests to book the same week so that they can enjoy the cabaret! There is always a finale which involves a very willing audience into participation leaving everyone on a high.

Each day started with an optional early morning walk followed by a weigh-in. Our lone male guest, Ryan, was Slimmer of the Week having lost over 8 lbs, whilst our female Slimmer of the Week, Barbara, lost 5 lbs. Almost everyone lost weight which wasn’t surprising as the average daily number of steps clocked up on their pedometers was around 28,000!

So, we go home today feeling fitter, healthier, happy and content that everyone has had the time of their life.

And why do we do it? We, the team who lead it, are exhausted but satisfied. Very satisfied. This is a holiday that brings together people who have experienced more than their fair share of life’s ups and downs, trials and tribulations, but who, together, grow and embrace the beauty of one of the world’s most exquisite countries, who push back the boundaries and grasp new challenges and make new friends. While we continue to witness such wonderful experiences we will keep going. It really is worth all the effort. Who says losing weight and getting fit can’t be fun!