Olympic champ Jessica Ennis-Hill creates fitness app and reveals her top tips to help new mums get back in shape
SHE was the poster girl for the London 2012 Olympics after taking home gold in the heptathlon, but now Jessica Ennis-Hill wants to whip the nation into shape.
Jessica retired from athletics following her victory at the World Championships in 2015 and the birth of son Reggie, now four.
After adding to her brood last September with daughter Olivia, she is keen to show other new mums how exercise can be a part of their day-to-day life.
She is launching the Jennis Fitness app offering 20-minute, no-nonsense workouts that promise to give you a body that is “fit, healthy and functional”.
Sun Fitness Editor JENNY FRANCIS met with Jess to try out the app and find out the former athlete’s top tips for getting in shape.
Jess says: “There are two types of mums who will really benefit from this app – the ones who used to work out pre-pregnancy but are struggling to get back into fitness.
“And mums who didn’t work out before, but now have a new reason to want to get into fitness, but don’t know where to start.
“This app is for both of them.”
Jess's top tips for new mums wanting to get fit
- Don’t put too much pressure on yourself: So many mums feel they have to “snap into shape” after having a baby. Don’t give yourself timelines to hit straight away. Instead, take time to adapt to a different life and body.
- Take your time: Follow the process of slowly getting your body ready for working out. There are lots of small exercises you can do, such as pelvic-floor strengthening and breathing. Don’t ignore these, take it slow and you’ll be stronger in the long term.
- Find little windows of time: Being a mum is so unpredictable. After I had Reggie I still had the support of coaches and experts as I went back into athlete training, but after my daughter I was thrown into this world of finding my way back into exercise by myself, with no structure around me. Quick ten-minutes routines build over time and you will feel a difference.
- Remember that post-exercise high: When you’re tired or short of time, it’s easy to let workouts fall to the bottom of any to-do list. The most motivating tool is to remember how amazing you feel afterwards. Tune in to that high and you’ll soon find you look forward to exercise as it energises you.
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- Jennis Fitness and Jennis Pregnancy & Postnatal are available for £9.99 a month.