New OT Meal Plan initiative undertaken by number of secondary schools

New OT home, 5 new leaders, Operation Transformation National Blood Pressure Day, & Find Your Sport form part of upcoming series 

Plus, the return of the OT podcast & Ireland Lights Up 

Operation Transformation (OT) has today announced its 2024 return on Wednesday 3rd January at 9:35pm with five brand-new leaders as it continues to connect communities all over Ireland with the aim of improving their health and wellbeing.

Presenter Kathryn Thomas will be on hand to encourage and cheer the show’s new leaders every step of the way as they embark on a health and wellness plan under the supervision of four qualified experts. Devising the health and wellness plan and guiding the class of 2024 leaders in a new chapter of self-improvement are the team of OT experts; principal clinical psychologist Dr Eddie Murphy, dietitian Sophie Pratt, general practitioner Dr Sumi Dunne and fitness expert Karl Henry.

This season will see the launch of a brand-new Meal Plan devised by OT expert, CORU registered dietitian, and member of the Irish Institute of Nutrition and Dietetics, Sophie Pratt, aiming to aid a more sustainable approach to healthy eating that also reflects the cost-of-living crisis*.

With this year’s Meal Plan Sophie hopes to improve the cooking skills of the nation. So, this year OT wants to encourage young people all over the country to learn how to cook, a key life skill to put them on the pathway to a healthier future.

For the first time, the series has opened the OT Meal Plan to secondary schools across the country, with the Main Meal plan featuring three recipes from Home Economic students across the country. During the series, Sophie will visit each school, cook dishes, and educate students about the value of cooking as an essential life skill.**

In another OT first on Thursday 18th January 2024, OT will host Operation Transformation National Blood Pressure Day in association with the Irish Pharmacy Union. With a membership of just over 1800 pharmacies across the country, each participating pharmacy will offer free blood pressure readings to their community. The programme will highlight the importance of blood pressure awareness as it is a key health indicator – knowing your blood pressure numbers is the first step to a long and healthy life.

Kathryn Thomas said: “Our 2024 leaders are just phenomenal and without a doubt are going to inspire the entire nation as they embark on their health transformations – at the same time encouraging us all to focus on our own health and wellness goals come January too. This year we are delighted to launch our very first Operation Transformation National Blood Pressure Day and we are thoroughly delighted Ireland Lights Up is back and we’ll encourage the nation to train with us for the 5k run in the Phoenix Park, the ultimate nod to the power of the Operation Transformation community.”

Kilbeggan, Co Westmeath will be the home of OT 2024. Each week the five leaders will have their Health Check-In at St James Hall, Kilbeggan. In partnership with Westmeath County Council, the county will host the weekly Ad Break Challenges where Karl Henry gets groups from across the county moving, as well as the audience at home.

Pat Murtagh, Senior Executive Officer for Community Development & Corporate Services from Westmeath County Council said: “Westmeath County Council welcomes Operation Transformation to the beautiful Lake County. We are proud to support our diverse communities by providing opportunities for healthy living, sporting and physical activities. Westmeath, in the centre of Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands, is the ideal destination for outdoor activity and adventure with nearly 100km of scenic greenways, along with woodland walks and our wonderful lakes.”

Katie Jones has continued to embrace change in her life since she was a leader in 2022. She will return to present series two of the OT Podcast. Over the course of eight weeks Katie will meet the 2024 leaders and experts. The podcast will provide additional up to the minute content for OT fans. It will feature former leaders, Find Your Sport, delve into meal and exercise plans, and prepare for the much-loved OT 5K.

Ireland Lights Up returns for its 7th year. With just over 1,200 clubs participating in 2023, this hugely popular initiative by the GAA encourages clubs from the 32 counties to open their grounds and allow people to safely walk under their lights. The GAA and Get Ireland Walking are delighted to invite communities back into the safe outdoor spaces where everyone can get moving at their own pace. Sport Ireland, Athletics Ireland, Local Sports Partnerships and Operation Transformation will work together to bring communities safely together, culminating in the 5K in the Phoenix Park on February 17th, 2024.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

*The new Meal Plan will have a full new collection of breakfast, lunch and snack recipes. Snacks have been categorised as follows – everyday, post exercise, treat and special occasion snacks. The meal plan again consists of 28 recipes (10 of the most popular from 2023 and 18 new recipes). All recipes are interchangeable to plant based. The plan is designed to empower leaders with the tools and knowledge to adapt and sustain healthy everyday eating going forward for including portion size, culinary skills, calories and practical ideas of how to incorporate more fruit and vegetables into their diets.

**With its supermarket partners Dunnes Stores, Supervalu, Centra, Spar, Londis, Mace and Eurospar returning for another year, the OT Meal Plan recipes and ingredients will be available in stores across the country and via the OT App and website.

***All leaders will be announced in early January 2024

Over the course of eight weeks, viewers will see what “transformation” specifically means to each leader as they begin their quest beginning and sustaining a healthier lifestyle. Some are seeking a better work/life balance, some want to make improvements to their general health, while others want to go on a journey of self-discovery. No matter their motivation, the five leaders are here to inspire the nation to discover what their own transformation looks like and start the year as they mean to go on.***

The five leaders began their transformation back in November when they were fully assessed by the experts.

During the series Professor Niall Moyna and his team will highlight the importance of everyday movement in the workplace and they will take the OT/DCU Health Related Fitness test into the community of Westmeath.

The Exercise Plan has also undergone some modifications! In a change from previous years the cardio plan (couch to 5k) will be followed for 28 days exclusively (4 weeks). And then for the first time, in week 5, the leaders and followers will be encouraged to replace one cardio day with a cardio sport of their choice. As with the Meal Plan it will empower the leaders, and the OT home audience, to take ownership of their fitness as we move into the second phase of the plan.

Speaking of lasting change, the series will check in with former OT leaders to see how they are doing since appearing on the show.