There are so many benefits of exercise. From getting fitter and helping control weight, to easing stress and lifting mood. I certainly began learning to run, hoping for the former and continued when I realised the latter. One of the unexpected benefits I discovered however was the ability that exercise has to empower.
I’m happy to welcome Laetitia to the Active Women interview series. She became active when she was struggling to cope with the concept of being pregnant and now fitness is a huge part of her life. Baby number three has just arrived and she is desperate to get back to high intensity exercise but knows there are some important steps to take first.
Reaching the 5k target is a huge accomplishment so congratulations on your achievement! Perhaps you’ve done a 5k race or a parkrun to mark the occasion and are still basking in the glory of success. What do you do now though? Has running become a regular part of your life that you can’t do without out or more commonly, are you still wondering what all the fuss is about and dreading putting yourself through another run? Deciding what step to take next can be tricky. It’s very easy to find yourself not running at all and quickly losing all that fitness you’ve gained. Take a few minutes to consider which way to go now. Here are some ideas and options.
Everyone’s barriers to activity are different. Ann explains how she had pretty much given up exercise in her twenties due to long term back pain. She discovered for herself how exercise is really important in managing and preventing back pain. Read about how she overcame it and the amazing, active things she’s getting up to now, in this latest #ActiveWomen interview!
This is in some ways the hardest post I’ve ever written but in other ways the easiest too. Any eagle-eyed followers will have noticed some subtle, yet huge changes in my social media bios and ‘About Me’ pages. All I have done is take out two letters but in doing so I have changed the direction of my life. What are those two letters? G and P.
I wasn’t running the London Marathon this year but I went down to the ‘big smoke’ to attend an event and cheer on a very special runner. I had an unforgettable weekend which was too good not to share!
I’d been training in freezing temperatures and cold winds when I was suddenly plunged into the heat of the Virgin London Marathon in 2013. As a relatively new runner and taking on my first marathon, I was anxious about running the distance anyway and this quadrupled when I realised how warm it was going to be. How much should I drink? What speed should I go? Would I even make it round now? So many extra things to think and worry about. I survived without incident and I’ve since run marathons in soaring temps in Mallorca and Boston and along the way I’ve picked up lots of tips for running in the heat.
UPDATED INTERVIEW. With the London Marathon just around the corner I know that this Active Women Interview is going to hit the mark for those of you thinking that maybe one day you’d like to run but don’t really think you can. I want to introduce Alex Barnes who only twelve months ago could barely run for 30 seconds. She is about to line up at the start in London and during her running journey, she’s discovered a whole lot more than how to run, along the way.
So, it’s done. All those months of training and previous blog posts and the Manchester Marathon 2018 is finally over! So how was it?
Wow! I can’t actually believe it’s one year since my book Sorted: The Active Woman’s Guide to Health was published. Time has flown by. Many authors liken writing a book to giving birth and there are certainly many similarities.
