Jennis Fitness

Has being in lockdown affected your exercise motivation? Then here's how you can get it going again with a little help from Jessica Ennis-Hill...

When your house is your gym/creche/cinema/date destination/office, it's easy for your exercise mojo to go walkies. But, there's never been a more important time to keep your activity levels up - more for your brain than anything else. The good news is that a few simple mind tricks can help you get back on the fitness waggon, as Jessica Ennis-Hill explains...

Remind yourself that it’s okay to step back

If you're struggling with motivation, remember that sometimes the best thing you can do is step back from it and take the pressure off yourself. Taking some time away from your training can make you come back fresher and stronger. If that's how you're feeling right now, enjoy the break and use the time to psyche yourself up to get back into it. If you do that, I promise that you'll come back to it rejuvenated.

Rest is training

This is often quite hard to get your head around, but rest days are super-important and are actually key to physical recovery. With this in mind, tell yourself that it’s all part of the big plan – and DO NOT beat yourself up about them.

Do a Zoom workout with a mate

The more you can make your fitness time fun, the more you’ll turn it into a habit, so if you are having a bit of a wobble, invite a mate to do a virtual Jennis workout with you over Zoom . If you invite a friend or partner to train with you, you are much more likely to stick to the session, train harder and burn more calories. 

Win or learn

You will always have setbacks – no matter how strong or driven you are. And learning how to deal with them is really important. The key is to look at them as a way to learn and get mentally tougher, then make sure that a positive pathway back to fitness is always in your sights.

Then, when you are ready to get back into it, start small - more on this below. A lot of people expect to come back to fitness after a break and hit the same levels, then get disappointed when they can't. Because of this, it's best to start small and build up gradually. If you get back into it this way, you'll be more likely to stick to it.

Small but mighty

When you have lockdown fatigue, you might not feel like going for a run or doing a full 30-minute circuit. At the same time, you may think there’s no point just doing 5 minutes. However, even if you can squeeze in just 5 minutes of activity, it’s better than nothing at all – and, according to scientists, it can have a huge impact on your body and brain. Importantly, you'll probably find that you'll end up doing more than you planned.