Janet Menzies - Five Two For a New You: The Fast Formula for a Happier, Healthier Life

First published in Great Britain in 2013 by
Michael OMara Books Limited
9 Lion Yard
Tremadoc Road
London SW4 7NQ

Copyright Michael OMara Books Limited 2013

This electronic edition published in 2013

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ISBN: 978-1-78243-218-0 in paperback print format
ISBN: 978-1-78243-235-7 in ebook format

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A massive thank you goes out to my family and friends who were all so patient and tolerant while I was obsessing on this book. Lisa Sewards gave me massive support and help, along with Hugh Morris, Nathan Champ and Sally Monkhouse. Some of you even volunteered to help with the research by being test pilots and air controllers. To avoid potential embarrassment I havent used your names but you know who you are, so thank you very much!

Thank you also to my agent, James Wills, for teaming me up with Michael OMara Books, and to Louise Dixon, Gabriella Nemeth, Emily Banyard and the team at Michael OMara Books.

Sometimes your life feels like a balancing act. Now heres a method to put your life in balance. Five:Two For a New You can teach you how to improve your figure and fitness, how to make your relationships less stressful, and even how to put the life back into your working life. You will learn methods to help organize many different aspects of life so that you can achieve the goals you want. You can use the regime to beat the signs of ageing and bring some relaxation into even the most frantic schedule.

We all know that balance is important, but modern life can make it impossible to keep that balance. Twenty-four/seven social media, advertising pressure, work demands, and constant juggling, all mean that we lose sight of the simple basics to enjoy life. This book gives you the techniques to get back in control, without having to give up the things you enjoy. Once you get used to the method, you can apply it to anything in your life that you want to regain control of. Instead of all-or-nothing rules that cant be kept, you will learn the arts of balance and compromise that will last you for ever.

Five:Two turns I ought to into I want to

Two of great is worth Five of OK

Five:Two makes I should into I will

Wonky wheels?

If your life is out of balance its like trying to get the supermarket shop done when youve grabbed a trolley with a wonky wheel. You know what happens the thing has a mind of its own and you keep crashing into the shelf stacks. Its a huge struggle to get it going straight, and then that wonky wheel keeps dragging it off-course. And as you get more stuff in the trolley the problem gets worse and worse. By the time youre back out in the car park, youre shattered from trying to push against that wonky wheel all the time. The whole thing is exhausting.

Its just the same if your life has a wonky wheel. You think youre back on track for a while, but then more stuff is going on in your life just like your supermarket trolley getting fuller and pretty soon the wonky wheel underneath is pulling you back off-course again. Like trying to go up and down the aisles, even day-to-day life becomes a huge struggle when things are out of balance.

Get your trolley back on track

But the original idea of supermarket trolleys was to make shopping easier. When you happen to pick a brand-new trolley with smooth wheels, you whisk round the aisles in no time. Even when you have a really big weekly shop and there are loads of things in your trolley, the wheels are running so well that youve soon got all the bags in the boot of the car with a minimum of effort. It will be just the same when you learn the techniques in this book. No more wonky wheels every day will be a new trolley day. Even if your life is really busy just like a very full supermarket trolley you will be able to keep all those different things in balance, so that you can cope comfortably without feeling you are being dragged in different directions.

The balanced life

Just imagine waking up in the morning with a sense that you are looking forward to the day, even if you know youve got a really busy time ahead of you. You may have a dozen different things that need to be done, but with these balance methods, you are going to be equal to all of them. It will put an end to that feeling that things are getting out of hand, because if things are in balance, they cant get on top of you.

All the different formulas are here to help you with a load of different problems you may be worried about. The formulas act like recipes, giving you a step-by-step approach to solving your anxieties. Its all about finding the right solution for your particular issue.

Waking up to a new you

You will be amazed at the change in your life once you have started using the new formulas. Remember the difference when you swap that wonky trolley for a new one? Without the strain of pushing the wonky trolley, suddenly you will find you have mounds more energy. Things that seemed almost impossibly difficult will feel quite achievable.

When I made this programme a regular, permanent part of my life, I couldnt believe how different I felt about things. The first thing I noticed was how much less physically tired I was. This surprised me because I didnt think that my issues were physical ones. But the stress of being out of balance all the time was actually having a physical impact on fatigue and lost sleep. Some friends said I actually looked like I had grown an inch! I think this was because I really did feel like a wonky trolley, all twisted out of shape with worry. When I fixed that wonky wheel, it felt like I was able to stand up taller it had genuinely taken a weight off my shoulders.

I noticed more changes. After I had been using this method for a while, and had got the hang of how to apply it in different situations, I began to feel a really unusual thing. Problems even quite stressful ones hardly worried me at all. It really was an out-of-the-ordinary feeling. If a difficult situation, or even a real crisis, blew up at home, or about work, or with family and friends, I began to react in a way that was much more calm and confident. I would say to myself: Hmm, this is a tricky one, but this technique will have the answer. If I just give myself a while to work out how I can apply it, I will find a solution.