It doesn’t have to be a major health barrier that stops us from being active. Often it’s just everyday life making us feel too tired or a dose of self-conciousness preventing us stepping out the front door. In this, the 4th interview in my Active Women series, I talk to Cheryl Speight who overcomes these types of barriers and reminds us that we can do it too. What have we got to lose?
‘Can you be at my house at 4.45am in your running gear? We’re going on BBC Breakfast in the morning.’ It’s no wonder my running ladies thought this was some sort of Saturday afternoon prank call!
Welcome to my new ‘Active Women‘ interview series. I’m passionate about helping inactive people to become active. There are just so many barriers stopping women from making exercise part of their lives. Time, health issues and lack of confidence are just three that spring to mind.
I love to win! I’ve always been competitive. I’ve even been known to beat my own kids at snakes and ladders when a subtle ‘miscount of the dice’ would’ve been more appropriate. These days though the only person I’m really out to beat is myself. I started my running career late and I’m thankfully still getting faster. I don’t enter that many races but when I do I always want a new Personal Best. I know there’s no shame in being the final one to cross the finish line but it’s not something I’ve ever wanted to be. This race however was different, that was my only aim … to come last.
I’m busy, busy, busy at the moment and I don’t have time to go for a run AND take the dog for a walk so I’m combining the two and dog-running. I don’t really like to take my dog Honey too far on the road as I worry about her paws getting sore. She also pulls on the lead, unpredictably veers off into on-coming traffic and randomly stops for a sniff or a wee sending me head over heels on top of her. It’s far more enjoyable (and less stressful) for both if us if she’s off the lead, running and stopping as she pleases. This leaves me free to enjoy the views and be my own pacer!
This is an updated post from my blogging days on Tumblr. It was very popular and I felt it deserved a bit of a revamp for my lovely WordPress home. The benefits of exercise are widely known (and worth their own blog). We need to get everyone moving to improve the health of the nation. As a GP I feel a real responsibility to let patients know how exercise is a powerful tool for improving their health and well being. I’m still finding the best ways to do this.
I’m delighted to have been asked to be the Resident GP for UK Sports Chat. If you haven’t heard about this fantastic, growing community then let me fill you in.
I’ve run marathons in London and Mallorca and been frantically searching the internet for other interesting places to run one. Paris, New York, Boston…..my list is endless. I was really excited to meet Shona Thomson who’s taken this desire to another level. She’s one of 3 British women to run a marathon on all of the world’s seven continents and then she added one at the North Pole for good measure! I’m intrigued by (and slightly jealous of) strong women with the guts to take on challenges like these. I was also interested to find out why and how she left her job as a city banker to follow her running dreams and use her time to help and inspire others to become and stay active. Speaker, trainer, mentor and adventurer; a woman after my own heart and it was a pleasure to chat to her.
I know, I know, how can I have been a runner for 7 years and never have done a parkrun? I’m almost embarrassed to admit it. Parkrun has become a regular date on most runner’s weekly calendar and Twitter overheats on a Saturday morning with race facts. So, what took me so long and was it worth the wait?
I love solving a problem, I get real satisfaction from finding a solution to challenges that face me. When I met Yvonne Brady an Irish business woman she took my breath away with her story of problem solving on another level entirely. An engineer by trade she took up running as a hobby and like many women found that leaking a bit of urine was an embarrassing side effect. Rather than moaning or giving up she decided to take action.