Books to inspire you
Looking for a lift? Read all about it.
TELEVISION’S Dr Dawn Harper never dreamed she would be famous.
She decided on medicine for a career when she was 12 while in hospital with appendicitis.
That it should later catapult her to celebrity status, with a string of TV shows and books under her belt, never fails to amaze her.
The mum-of-three – best known for Channel 4’s award-winning Embarrassing Bodies and Born Naughty?, as well as ITV’s This Morning and Bear Grylls’ The Island – tells me: “I remember sitting at the BAFTA Awards for Embarrassing Bodies, little old me from Bath, and thinking, ‘how on earth did I get here?’”
Surprisingly it all started when, as a GP, she answered a medical query from a woman who happened to be magazine journalist.
Dawn, 53, says: “Life is all about opportunities taken and opportunities missed. I don’t want to look back at my life in 10 years’ time and say ‘what if?’”
It’s little wonder then, that as readers and viewers face a new year, she is encouraging them to make the most of what life has to offer.
And the good doctor has come up with a series of health books published by Sheldon to help them to do just that.
Dawn, a member of the Royal College of Physicians, has penned 10 guides covering everything from weight and diabetes to heart, brain, sexual and women’s health.
She says: “I do let myself go at Christmas, most people do. And I do have most of the ‘fat genes’ so I have to work at keeping fit.”
According to the doc, the key to success is to set realistic targets. “When the New Year comes around people usually want to make a change and get back on track.
“But some set themselves unrealistic targets. They are setting themselves up for a fall. Those who are overweight or drink or smoke too much may have issues with self-belief and self-esteem and if they fail it makes them worse.
“It’s better to do little things that you think you can genuinely still be doing this time next year.”
She admits with a grin: “I was 40 before I worked that out. I was run over by two cars chasing each other and my knee shattered.
“Part of my rehab was to use a cycling machine. After that I got my bike out. I can happily cycle in the countryside but put me in a gym and I’m clock-watching. You have to work out what works for you; know your weaknesses and what motivates you.”