In 2009, I completed the London Marathon and officially became addicted to running. Before I became pregnant, I was running 6-8miles per day and was working to build my speed up ready to kill this years Great North Run. I was feeling great about my training and   ,for once, great about my body image.

Up until three weeks ago, I was also happily training my way through pregnancy. I became friends with the cross-trainer and stepper again and was happy to mix up some shorter runs with various other types of exercise. All in all, I was content if I was moving my body and looked forward to pushing myself once again, after the baby arrived.

As of three weeks ago, I was told to stop work immediately, stop exercising….oh yeah and keep calm!! I nodded pessimistically to the doctor, knowing that with the stress of the situation, I was going to have to find some new ways of relaxing pretty smart-ish! I’ll be honest. I love to read, watch TV and paint but I can only do it for so long. I get fidgety and just don’t feel good about myself when I don’t partake in a decent physical activity schedule. These last few weeks, I’ve definitely had to “zone out” and switch off from reality a little bit. On one hand it has been easy to move minimally, in the knowledge that this is all for my baby. On the other, it has been very difficult to cope with some of the intense emotions and worry without being able to lace up my trainers and get outside to clear my head.

Anyway….I thought I’d write down a few little tips for exercise junkies who have have to cope with a period of inactivity for any reason.

1) Keep your eye on the big picture – I keep telling myself that this situation is temporary and that I’ll be back to it before I know it.

2) Do some yoga if you can – this is great if you’ve been cleared by your doctor to do some light stretching. I find that it helps to keep my brain on the right side of wrong too!

3) Read about your passions. Even though I can’t run, I still love to read about it. It makes me feel like I’ll be able to return to the game as a much more knowledgeable (and therefore better) runner.

4) Spend as much time as you can with your friends and family. Laughter really is the best cure for everything

Love this face

5) Eat a nutritious diet – whether you’re healing from an injury or going through a tough time mentally, keeping your nutrient levels topped up will help you get through it.

What non-exercise related ways do you use to relax?

Have you read any good books recently? I need suggestions!

Love to you all

xoxo