BOOTCAMP BLOG - MUMS ON THE RUN

BOOTCAMP BLOG…
MUMS on the RUN is dedicated to all of you who have pledged to run for charity this year or may be, like Forest Gump, you just woke up one day and decided to run. Whatever your motivation, whatever your target distance, Mums on Run is the definitive guide to successful Mummy running.

It was prompted by the lovely www.askamum.co.uk who on tweeting their resolve to ‘walk’ a charity run, I felt compelled to intervene! Why walk I say when you could run? Not only will it get you so much fitter. It will do wonderful things to your body. It will rid you of wobbly bits, give you more energy, flatten your tummy and put you on an exercise high.

If you want to achieve all this it's vital that you do it right. Us mums have concerns that others do not. From pelvic floor muscles, bouncing boobs and of course our very own particular emotional concerns (such as getting that 'arrrrrgh' feeling out on your run rather than your children). Only here will you get the answer to all your queries and be able to communicate about particular mummy, running issues.

Before we begin it's important to note that running may not be right for all of us. If you are pregnant and not used to running, now is not the time to start. For more info on exercising during pregnancy please see my antenatal DVD,Baby A-Wake Complete Antenatal Exercise and Wellbeing DVD. and think about coming back to this later, after the baby is born. If you have recently had a baby check with your GP before you start. Also get a copy of my postnatal DVD,Baby A-Wake Complete Postnatal Exercise and Wellbeing DVD. to ensure you are doing things right as a new mum.

Whether your last baby is 2 months or 20 years, weak pelvic floor muscles can be a big concern. We will tackle this here but if you think it's a major problem for you, it's worth getting it checked out before you start. If you also have other worries such as a back or knee injury, an existing health condition or perhaps you just haven’t done any exercise for a very long time, then you should again check with your GP or clinical practitioner before you start.

So let's get going! For your first week I want you to get your head around the fact that, from this day forward, you are going to dedicate at least 3 slots in your diary to getting out and plodding the streets, roads and local parks. Even if it's only a 15 minute slot after you’ve dropped the kids off at school or thrown the baby at your partner/baby sitter, make these time slots sacrosanct. Where you can, involve another person so that you can't wriggly worm your way out...Book a baby sitter, force your hubby home early from work or pledge your allegiance to MUMS on the RUN with a friend who can plod the same patch. This is a sure way of getting you to run successfully - significant others will not be happy if you start trying to cluck your way out. Best bit is, you don't even have to start running…well not just yet...Make these dedicated slots, open spaces in your diary this week, to fill as you choose - Go for a walk, meet with fellow runners or your partner so that you can outlay your plans. If such planning involves cups of coffee or even the odd glass of wine - Fabulous! This is MUMS on the RUN after all and not Crystal Palace Athletics Club.

There is also one more thing that you must do this week...Start to think of yourself as a runner. Forget pink jogging pants and slip on pumps. It's time to get yourself kitted out with some hardcore Nike Dry Fit or equivalent clothing that keeps you dry as you sweat. Most importantly get a decent pair of running shoes. Go to a dedicated running sports shop - just Google your area for specialists shops. You'll know if they are any good by the level of service they give you. A good shop will let you try the shoes out on a treadmill or even let you trot down the road in them. Even better ones will look at how you run and try to match the shoe to your stride.

So good luck and tell as many mums about this as you can, tweet it, face book it, email it and text it. Let's get MUMS on the RUN kicking some serious arse! Finally apologies for the fact that this blog doesn't sit as well on this page as it should. We are currently updating the site and will get it sorted soon. See ya for your first week of running next week and well done for making this first step, you won’t regret it, I promise. Jxx