How to 5:2 your life: Part One

YOU’VE heard about the 5:2 diet, but this woman used the principles to overhaul everything from her love life to her sleep — and she’s never looked back.

Kate Harrison, prior to her weight loss.

HOW are your new year resolutions going? Abandoned weeks ago? Maybe your problem was thinking too big.

The 5:2 craze that rose to prominence last year is now being applied to more than weight loss — it could improve your love life, your work life and even your sleep.

For years — no, make that decades — I made the same resolution every year. Lose weight. And every year, I failed. Or, if I did lose it, I put it back on and more by the end of the year.

Until 2012.

That was when I started intermittent fasting — or 5:2 as it’s become known — and now, 18 months later, I’m 13kg lighter, two dress sizes smaller and still happily fasting once or twice a week.

But what’s been almost as exciting is the change in other parts of my life: I move around more, enjoy my free time and even had the confidence to appear on TV twice in 2013. Plus, I’m happier — the winter blues I used to suffer in dire British weather haven’t affected me now two years running.

I set up a Facebook group about 5:2 — it now has over 17,000 members — and I realised people were doing the same: making changes that went way beyond diet. They were taking up running, applying for new jobs, even finding new partners.

So I decided to design a plan to apply the two-day a week approach to our happiness as well as our bodies. As a bit of a self-help book addict over the years, I never dreamt I’d write one — but when I did, I decided to focus on the kinds of commonsense activities and challenges that work best for me, and are based on proven research.

The best thing is that you can fit it into your everyday life, by simply choosing two ‘5:2 days’ (if you do fasting, then it can be a great distraction from thinking about food) and trying out fun challenges around your normal routine.

News_Image_File: Kate Harrison.

If you don’t believe small changes can make a big difference, you’ll be surprised. Focusing on your dreams even for a short time creates a momentum of its own that stretches way beyond the two days when you’re ‘5:2ing.’ Just as the diet makes you savour your food on non-fasting days, this plan makes you think about how to make your life better beyond the activities. Plus, there’s no guilt here because you challenge yourself without biting off more than you can chew!

How to 5:2 …

1. Carve out time in between the chores: each activity takes between 10-25 minutes — easy to do when you’re picking up the kids, or commuting to work.

2. Work against the clock: working at speed for 10 or 20 minute bursts feels energising and helps you make an impact in a short time. It cuts the boring jobs down to size.

3. Be selfish: change is hard so reward yourself for progress and stay determined if people try to sabotage your efforts. Give yourself treats, or join an online group where people support each other round the clock and round the world.

5:2 YOUR FITNESS

I used to loathe exercise — too many embarrassing moments in step aerobics classes — but that was because I was trying the wrong kinds of exercise. You don’t have to wear Lycra to get fit.

• Take 5 minutes to list your fitness Loves and Hates: do you love the fresh air, music, working out in a group, team games? Or do you prefer the safety of your own living room, setting your own goals, doing something productive? Are you easily bored?

• Use your answers to find new ways to get fit.

• If you prefer to work out alone: find a fitness online on sites like Spark People or Fitness TV.

• Or download one of the many free Couch to 5K podcasts on the web — these take you on a structured, safe training program, even if you can’t run without getting out of breath.

• If you love the outdoors, try ‘green gyms’ where you work out in the park or doing conservation — or walk the neighbour’s dog.

• If you get bored quickly, look for the latest classes, to keep your brain and body challenged.

News_Image_File: Kate’s book on how to 5:2 your life.

5:2 YOUR DESK JOB

The human body is designed to be on the go all the time — but modern lives mean we often sit at our desks for hours. Fitting in ‘micro-movements’ — small bursts of activity throughout your day — may be as effective against diseases like diabetes or heart disease as going to the gym. On your 5:2 day :

• Set the alarm on your phone to prompt you to stretch and take a quick walk along the corridor every hour or half-hour if you do a desk job.

• Get off at least one bus/train/tube stop earlier than usual, and time yourself. Next time, walk faster.

• Try working standing up — prop your computer on a pile of books so the screen is at eye-level. Work up to doing this for longer — even standing on the spot works more muscles than sitting!

• Buy a ‘smart’ pedometer that records how many steps you take — and aim for 10,000 a day. Mine lets me compete against my partner which is very motivating!

5:2 YOUR HOME LIFE

Having good relationships and friendships is one of the key factors in happiness. The smallest gestures can get you out of a relationship rut — or help you reconnect with old friends. Pick one of these ideas to try:

• Commit to eat at the table with your family/partner/flatmates twice this week — with the TV off. Talk about your days, the food, your plans.

• Check your phone or email contacts, pick 5 people you’ve lost touch with lately and send them a text message, an email or even a cute postcard — nothing like getting something lovely through the post. The trick is to send more than one so not too much is riding on one person’s response: just one positive response can make your day.

News_Rich_Media: Get Happy, Get Healthy Get Slim: Kate Harrison explains the idea behind 5:2 Your Life.

Kate’s new book, 5:2 YOUR LIFE: Get Happy, Get Healthy, Get Slim is available from Amazon – her previous books, The 5:2 Diet Book and The Ultimate 5:2 Recipe Book are published by Hachette Australia. For more information, go to the5-2dietbook.com

More: The 5:2 diet group

More: The 5:2 Your Life group

Twitter: @katewritesbooks and @the52diet

TOMORROW: How to 5:2 your clutter, your cash and your mood.