Jessica Ennis-Hill has Launched an at-Home Workout Programme to Rival BBG
It’s the third time I’ve spoken to the legendary Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill in a matter of weeks. My chat, like the ones before, begins with ice-breakers about our morning routines – more to ease my nerves than hers. For the record, she welcomed the morning with 6AM hill sprints with a friend, while I hit snooze. Again.
As we get stuck into our phone call my mind momentarily wanders: for a woman idolised by Great Britain since 2012 – the year of that unforgettable Super Saturday – there’s still no ego. No sense of entitlement. No diva behaviour. Yes, she is worth a (rumoured) 5 mil and her time is in such demand that we have to squeeze an 8-hour shoot into four, but there’s no rushed answers or sense of I’m so busy I can’t even.
‘I used to moan and say, “I don’t have time to get my training done” and “I can’t have a nap today” and now I look back at those days think you were living the dream,’ she says reminiscing about life as an athlete.
Because, despite being the same affable Ennis, she has changed.
In the past seven years, since winning the world champs three times and that gold in the Heptathlon, Jess has had two children, Reggie, now five and Olivia, 19 months, and another bundle of joy is finally nearing it’s due date – namely Jennis, her new digital workout programme.
‘After I had my daughter, I thought about how I found both my pregnancies. Many of my friends were pregnant or had just had children so there were lots of conversations about what kind of training I was doing and I started slowly thinking about – it would be amazing to put something together in one space,’ she says.
While I’m all ears to hear about workouts designed by an Olympian (a new standard for home fitness), I’m also intrigued to understand how Jess made the transition from her body being her business to running one of her own. It’s no secret that the transition from elite athlete to retired athlete can be tough, seriously tough. In recent years, multiple Olympic swimming champion Ian Thorpe and double Olympic Champion Dame Kelly Holmes have both spoken out about how it hit their mental health. When I ask Jess about missing the track [after retirement] she laughs.‘I didn’t want to train, I just wanted to relax and just wanted to switch off and not have the pressure or stress or have deadlines or trying to meet anyone’s expectations.’
That said, it was only a matter of months before she felt compelled to crush some cardio again. ‘The inner drive started to come back and I wanted to focus on something new,’ she confesses. And so, Jennis was born.
Little over a year ago Jess puts the wheels in motion and began to create an app for women based on her post-natal training regime. The workouts, designed by Jess’ own physios and a yoga teacher from her career, are formulated for each trimester and are anything but intimidating – a just concern about working out at Olympic pace, I’m sure you’ll agree. I put this to Jess.
‘When I fell pregnant with Reggie, I had to change my training and not push myself to exhaustion,’ she explains. ‘And after I had him, I had to regain strength. My body worked in a completely different way.’
Jennis, an app and website, will join hundreds of thousands other health and fitness apps currently available for download. It makes me question if the world needs another home workout app – surely, there’s enough out there already. But my negatively is cut short as Jess talks with integrity about her current workout routine.
‘Snatching time for home workouts is what I do,’ she tells me firmly. And I believe her. With a husband out the door by 5.30am and two children to get to school, or nursery on two mornings a week, life isn’t calm in the Ennis-Hill household. Jess grabs fleeting moments of peace to work out when she can. It’s why, alongside the pre and post-natal training you’ll also find 20-minute sessions for women who want to work out smarter, not longer.
Keep reading for more from Jess on the launch of Jennis and why she no longer feels pressure to be in shape.
WH: Do you feel differently about exercise since retirement?
JEH: I feel completely different! Before my body was my tool. I needed to perform, perform, perform. It was about the end goal, peaking at the right times, getting the most out of my body and my performances. Today, I have no pressure or no expectation on my shoulders and training is like a treat.
WH: Does it make you feel differently towards your body?
JEH: I don’t have the pressure to get my body into a certain shape. Exercise for me now is for enjoyment because I love doing it. I love the feeling you get when you’ve exercised and I want to be happy and confident in the way I look.
WH: How hands on have you been in the design of Jennis?
JEH: I’ve had to be a part every little detail and process going from the very beginning to this point now where we’re about to launch. It’s been so full on, because you know I’ve got two kids and life is full on and trying to keep on top of everything that’s going on. It’s been a massive – thrown into a completely different world – but equally excited cause it’s something I’ve never been a part of before.
WH: Do you think you’re focussed former years [as an athlete] have translated well into becoming your own boss?
JEH: Probably. But a lot of it is down to who I am anyway – my internal, my nature. But having fallen into athletics at such a young age – it taught me discipline and patience and now I’m able to apply that across all aspects of my life really.
WH: Do you find that having a digital fitness business pulls you in different directions?
JEH: That’s the thing – now we [Jess and her husband] never switch off. We’re always looking at our phones and emails and everyone has questions and they need answers straight away. Sometimes I’ll have my screaming daughter and trying to pick up Reggie from school and I get emails coming through asking for feedback and I’m like eurgh, I haven’t even looked at that yet. I try to juggle everything. It's definitely been quite full on.
WH: How do you make sure it doesn’t impact your personal life?
JEH: Every day is so different. With all the app work, we’ve done quite a few days of filming and getting all the app stuff ready. Liv only goes to nursery two days a week so when she’s not at nursery I’m keeping her entertained and trying to fit in all the app stuff around her nap times. When she’s playing nicely, I can do emails and admin - it’s all about fitting it when I can and making it work.
WH: How do you make sure you fit in exercise?
JEH: Before, when I was training full time exercise did become a bit of a chore. It was non-stop training and your body is so broken and so tired and you’ve got to beat yourself again while your coach is telling you to improve your times – the weight and physical strain on your body is huge. Now I don’t have to feel like that – I go for like a hill run session with my friends in the morning for a catch up or do a home workout. Training is a treat.
WH: What tips would you give to WH readers who sign up Jennis?
JEH: Take it the way you’re comfortable. There are three levels you can dip in at – if you are someone who hasn’t exercised a lot then start at the beginners. Within each level, you can push yourself as hard as you want to. If you are struggling at beginners, decrease the reps you can do it in that time and you can build it up. You’ll notice your fitness pick up even if you do it once a week, your fitness will improve. Don’t be disheartened, keep working hard and know it’s a short burst of time - it’s 20 minutes and then you’re done and you’ll feel amazing so go for it.
Jess Ennis-Hill’s AM Routine:
‘No day is the same but this is what I try to do’.
6AM Wakeup
6-8AM Get Reggie and Liv ready for School and nursery
8-9AM Drop the children off
9AM Back home and 20-minute Jennis workout
9.30AM Emails or off to an app shoot
Jennis Fitness and Jennis Pregnancy & Postnatal launch on June 10th, available for £9.99 a month. Subscription includes monthly workout updates and community workout challenges and prizes.
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