This is Kate and Pippa Middleton's secret to staying fit, according to a family member

And it's all down to their mother

Words - Diana Pearl

From the editors of People

Healthy habits run in the Middleton family.

At least, that’s what Gary Goldsmith, brother to Carole Middleton and uncle to Pippa and Kate Middleton has said about his sister and nieces.

In the run up to her wedding, Pippa famously signed up to a gruelling boot camp which reportedly included a personal trainer, a pre-wedding skincare programme, meditation, yoga and pilates classes.

The sisters' uncle Gary, 52, is currently undergoing a weight-loss challenge to raise money for the Opera Global Youth Foundation and opened up about his sister Carole's influence on her daughters when it comes to fitness and healthy living. And he admits one of the elements that inspired his own efforts to lose weight is the comparisons between him and his family.

'A few years back someone asked me why I was super-sized when my family [is] so slim?' he wrote on his blog. '"Charming," I thought, but it did strike a chord.'

He says his sister has always had good habits when it comes to nutrition and exercise, and that it’s something she has passed along to her daughters — especially fitness fanatic Pippa! Goldsmith adds that Carole — who, at 62, is 10 years older than he is — looks 'phenomenal' for her age.

'The family they were referring to was obviously my sister Carole Middleton and my nieces Kate and Pippa,' he said.

'Carole has always looked after herself and eaten healthily and she has a stunning figure and that mentality of considering your diet and exercise is evident in the girls also.'