Former world champion Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill tells James Moore how she is passing on healthy habits to her children – and how her own fitness regime is very different now compared to her glory days on the track
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As Britain’s current crop of athletes gear up for the Olympics in Japan, retired sporting hero Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill admits to a pang of nostalgia for the starting gun.
“I miss the adrenaline,” says Jess, who became the toast of the nation when she scooped a gold medal in the heptathlon at the London Games in 2012. She also won a silver gong at the 2016 Olympics in Rio and notched up three world titles.
But the 35-year-old mum of two is now focused on a new mission – to bring up her young family in a healthy way. In fact, she and husband Andy, along with son Reggie, six, and daughter Olivia, three, found an upside to the lockdowns for their wellbeing.
“We got to spend a lot more time together as a family and do things we probably wouldn’t have been able to do,” Jess explains. “We had a little bit more flexibility.
“I found that I had more time to go on a long run or fit in a circuit somewhere where I normally would struggle to fit it in.
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“I feel like we got into a good rhythm of exercising. I went on 5k runs with Reggie at the beginning of lockdown, which we probably wouldn’t have done otherwise.
“I set up little obstacle courses for the children in the garden.
“We’re really lucky that we have a gym set-up in the garage, and I’d get them in there and I’d do circuits and they’d join in.
“It’s about finding ways of exercising that’s fun for them and doesn’t feel like a chore.”
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Jessica says her own fitness regime is very different now compared to her glory days on the track.
She says: “When I was competing, it was very rigid and focused, and I would train twice a day, but now more than anything I have that flexibility about how I work out. I don’t have that pressure and expectation of trying to beat my personal best and constantly improving.
“I probably exercise three or four times a week. I do lots of HIIT circuits and I enjoy running a bit further than I ever needed to when I was an athlete.
“When I retired, I didn’t want to have any exercise targets. But one thing I started to enjoy was going on longer runs. When I was a competing athlete everything I did was quite speedy and explosive.
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“I could never imagine running a 10k, whereas now I have been slowly increasing how far I go.”
So what tips does she have for us mere mortals? Jessica advises trying something new, but having realistic goals.
“It’s the hardest thing to change your routine, but once it becomes a habit, it’s much easier to stick to it. Don’t change too much too quickly.
“People think that just because I was an athlete I’m always motivated but that’s definitely not the case. Don’t be too hard on yourself. If you don’t feel up to that run, do a gentle yoga or stretch session instead.
“I feel so good after I’ve done a workout, whether it’s a really short workout or going on a 20k run. I just love that endorphin release and that feeling that it gives you when you’ve finished, and all the benefits you get with exercising.”
Jess, now ambassador for fruit producer Driscoll’s, is using what she learned as an athlete to help make sure her family eats well too.
“I was really lucky because I had people around me who understood nutrition from a young age, which not everyone has,” she says. “I’ve been able to pass that on to my kids as well. It has become second nature to me.
“My kids see what we’re eating and that influences their relationship with food and nutrition, so it’s about having that awareness and understanding that balance with food is one of the most important things.
“In the morning we have porridge with strawberries and blueberries. I’ll have a coffee, granola and yogurt.
“Lunchtime, it varies. My son’s quite adventurous and he’ll eat pretty much anything. My daughter is a little bit more challenging. Most lunchtimes she wants a cheese sandwich so we’ve got to find a way of introducing different things to her. I’ll make soup to get lots of nutrition in there without them realising, and I try and get them to eat different types of salad. It’s about trying to create colour on their plate.
“And then in the evening I’ll make homemade spaghetti bolognese or fish goujons with sweet potato chips. I’ll try not to give them biscuits and sweets every day. They see strawberries as a treat.
“I probably ate more sweets and sugary treats when I was competing because I was burning calories constantly, so it was fine. I still have a really sweet tooth for chocolatey desserts and crumbles.”
Jess says she’s very happily retired, adding: “I can’t imagine competing now – the pressures and sacrifices that it brings are huge.
“But I do sometimes miss that buzz when you are at the start line because I know how great that feels when you’re at the peak of your career, injury-free and ready to go.
“It is a unique feeling. But I’m pretty happy. I feel like I’ve had my time of competing in the limelight.”
- Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill is an ambassador for Driscoll’s Zara strawberries, Victoria blackberries and Maravilla raspberries