The MOTHER’S GUIDE to RUNNING

AS A MUM WHO RUNS, YOU WILL LIKELY ENCOUNTER OBSTACLES, NOT LEAST SLEEP DEPRIVATION, TIME PRESSURE AND A HEAP OF GUILT. BUT THE REWARDS ARE WORTH IT. CLAIRE CHAMBERLAIN REVEALS WHY YOU SHOULD MAKE THE EFFORT…AND HOW TO MAKE IT HAPPEN

Everything changes when you become a mother for the first time, but it needn’t stop you from running!

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The MOTHER’S GUIDE to RUNNING

AS A MUM WHO RUNS, YOU WILL LIKELY ENCOUNTER OBSTACLES, NOT LEAST SLEEP DEPRIVATION, TIME PRESSURE AND A HEAP OF GUILT. BUT THE REWARDS ARE WORTH IT. CLAIRE CHAMBERLAIN REVEALS WHY YOU SHOULD MAKE THE EFFORT…AND HOW TO MAKE IT HAPPEN

As soon as you become a mum, it quickly becomes clear that running just got that bit more challenging. While donning your trainers might be the furthest thing from your mind as you get to grips with feeding, nappies, crying and making a sandwich/ cuppa one-handed (because your newborn WILL NOT be put down), there will come a time when you are yearning to shut the door behind you and run. And then come the allimportant questions: how do you make time? How do you find the energy? How will you squeeze your (possibly lactating) boobs back into a sports bra? It might seem impossible, but with a little planning, it is perfectly manageable. What’s more, it is totally worth the effort and actually one of the most selfless things you can do as a mother.

“Running after having a baby is not easy and I don’t for a second think this should be underestimated,” says Bernadette Dancy, senior lecturer in health and physical activity at St Mary’s University, London. “But it is not impossible, it does get easier and it is so rewarding. The amazing thing about the human body is it adapts and responds to demands by getting stronger and fitter.”

TIME PRESSURE

Mel Bound, founder of This Mum Runs (thismumruns.co.uk), a growing women’s running movement on a mission to empower mums to feel happier and healthier, agrees that there are many obstacles to returning to running after becoming a mother.

“Sometimes I feel that squeezing in a solo trip to the loo is a luxury, let alone making time to get out of the door on my own to exercise!” she says. “The things I used to do, such as four running club sessions a week, simply don’t fit my life any more, as they are bang in the middle of the kids’ bedtime. Then there’s the tiredness battle – interrupted sleep followed by nonstop, hectic days mean mums often get to the evening and just want to crash on the sofa with a glass of wine. Add in competitive tiredness with your other half and trying to negotiate free time to fit around theirs, and it can feel easier to just not bother with that once-a-week run.”