The December edition of Living Well

Dear reader,

Well, here we are – mid December! What a year it has been.

There is no doubt that as we end 2025, the prevailing atmosphere in many people’s lives is one of uncertainty – economic uncertainty for many with the high cost of living, and for business owners, the escalating cost of running their operation.

One of my mottos in life is to try not to worry about things you cannot control, and to focus on what you can. This approach has served me very well since I decided to focus on health and wellbeing, because one thing is for sure, if you don’t have your health, nothing else really matters. So, my prevailing message to you in this end of year newsletter, is to double down on your efforts to look after yourself, which in turn will give you greater resilience to cope with everything else. Health comes first.

From a personal perspective, 2025 has seen many health highlights. I recently met the lovely and charming Joe Wicks and he very kindly helped promote my book Fit & Fabulous! I also met the team behind Simon Squibb and Help Bank – an amazing outfit who go the extra mile to help entrepreneurs everywhere. Fiona Lambert (fitness and lifestyle entrepreneur) and I had a terrific broadcast conversation about life over 60 and how to get the best out of it, and I did more podcasts than I care to mention!

I loved meeting the inventors of the QLVR running slippers – the first to be modelled on a woman’s foot for women – and they are now the only trainer I wear. Of course, back in March I also launched Fit & Fabulous, how to rewire your second act, which incidentally might make a good Christmas present and we are offering a special bundle discount as a festive bonus! Buy 2 hardback books for £29 plus postage.

However, if you fancy trying to win a copy, we have a new collab with Le Garrick offering you the opportunity to win a meal for 2 and 2 copies of Fit & Fabulous. Just click here to go to our instagram page for the competition details.

I have also adopted a new health protocol, which is that in the last quarter of each year, I go on a three month health MOT, to reset my health and trim off any pounds that have crept on that year. Why now? Well, statistically, people who adopt a new health regime prior to Christmas are more likely to succeed than those who start on January 1st (January 19th is the day most people give up!!). It also means I’m feeling good about myself (and what I’m wearing) during the festive season and am raring to go on Jan 1st for the year ahead. We’ll be discussing this at greater length in a couple of New Year newspaper articles, so keep your eyes peeled.

But perhaps my big news is that 2026 is going to see the launch of my new range of Leka Leka healthy snacks. Food retailing is new to me but has been inspired by my quest for healthy but delicious snacks which will satisfy my sweet tooth! So, after almost two years of kitchen trials, Lela Leka energy balls are being launched in Virgin Active on April 1st 2026. I’m beyond excited. There’s a story around this, which will unfold as we launch, but bottom line, I have Richard Branson to thank.

It just remains for me to wish you a healthy and happy festive season. Take care, and remember that brussels sprouts are good for you, and turkey is a wonderful source of lean protein 😊.

Here’s to 2026.

With my very best wishes,

Alison