I love my exercise I really do – as you may have guessed. For the first 12 weeks I managed – around bouts of morning sickness – to fit in a fairly respectable regime.

This included 5km cycles  on the static bike, or 15 minutes on the spinning bike followed by weights,  or  20 minute runs on the treadmill (with a minimum 3% incline as anything else is cheating) or some circuits around the park. I even fitted in my pregnancy yoga DVD (Shiva Rea) and some pilates classes.

Nothing like my pre-pregnancy regime of 2x spinning class, 3/4 x30 minutes of yoga, 2 runs (including a 10k most weeks) but still I was feeling proud of myself, I was doing best for baby and me.

I’d wanted to keep up the spinning but all the teachers have effectively banned me, claiming that even if I kept the resistance low and didn’t do any of the more fancy moves (such as riding out of the seat) a mild spot of spinning still involved a lot of pelvis bumping, which was not good for the baby. As most of the teachers have had babies themselves- I took their advice more seriously than I might some of the male teachers – who also advised against by the way.

Then I read about Nell McAndrew, doing a minimum of a 10k run every day. Phew! Lucky lady. At  first I’ll admit I felt jealous, then a bit guilty (I am a Catholic after all) then I realised that I’d downsized my regime (which I’ve been told is almost athletic standard) for a reason – I was pregnant!

I know Nell is very fit and runs marathons, but I still couldn’t help but compare myself with her.  Had I’d become a lazy, pregnant lady?

The answer was obviously ‘no’ and I found out as much when I went for the first scan, the 12 week job.

I was weighed just before the scan and to my surprise,  I’d only managed to put on 2lbs, or less than  a kilo,  in the first three months of my pregnancy.

The baby was fine, after all it takes everything first but my body was obviously working overtime. So over the following fews days I kept dragging myself to the gym nonetheless.

Then we had our first baby scare, a blood test had shown I had above average levels  of HCG ( the pregnancy hormone that makes that blue line appear on the pregnancy test). No only did it explain my morning sickness it also  indicated there may be a problem with the baby.

Within days we’d been booked to have a private CVS test at a hospital in London.  The test involved having a needle inserted into my tummy in order to extract some of the placenta, which would be tested for various genetic abnomalities.

The test was clear as we found out just two days later, but having a  CVS increases the risk of miscarriage for up to two to three weeks afterwards. Three weeks during which the only exercise I will be doing is lifting food to my mouth, if I can manage to keep it down that is.

I’ve had my reality check, exercise is great for maintaining or at the very least keeping up a modicum of my previous fitness, so I can benefit from all those years of training my pregnancy. But that’s why I kept fit, to have a healthy baby, and doing 10k runs every day – for me – is probably a fitness regime too far.

That’s not to say I’m going to sit on the sofa and scoff myself  either, I’m going to be going to body balance and yoga.

I’ll have to avoid reading about ladies who do marathons while pregnant and stick to what is best for me, and that means trying to stay pregnant and healthy.

Oh and buying a maternity bra, which is what I’m probably going to be blogging about next.

Ageing eh? The alternative, as we all know is far worse, but that doesn’t stop us from trying every potion/lotion/unctures with an ‘anti ageing’ promise on its label.

I didn’t use to fall for such products but in the last year has, I have, to put it nicely, started to look a little tired. Not old, not haggard, just tired. That for me was the deal breaker. My lovely creams and gallons of water were simply not enough, so I’ve embarked upon a quest to make myself myself look more refreshed.

So in the interests of investigative journalism I give you my definitive (well for now anyway) anti-ageing or how to look less tired guide.

(By the way that picture is of me – with no make up and post gym scraped back hair!)

The gadget

I was lucky enough to be invited to test the Slendertone face. This device uses electrical pulses to tighten the facial muscles, a bit like a Power Plate but for the cheekbones. While it didn’t actually make my skin any better, it did give me 20 minutes a day when I was forced to sit down and relax. A few times I even fell asleep. You can choose three different settings, I often went for the revitalising setting, which made me look like I’d had eight hours sleep – when I hadn’t. The only drawback of this one, is the price – £250. For results you need to give this little gadget – which looks like upside down headphones, at least 12 weeks, although I saw results within a week.

Exercise

I’m convinced that regular yoga practice, which is aerobic but not impact heavy, makes my skin look great. But I also like exercising in the fresh air. There’s nothing like a run along the beach to make my skin glow. Luckily I managed to go on a press trip somewhere hot (don’t worry – you’ll read about this another time). During my eight day stay I managed six beach-side runs, combined with some resistance work and yoga stretches in the resort’s fitness centre.  I’m not convinced this made me look younger but it did make sure I slept well even through jet lag. Outdoor exercise  rocks!

Botox/fillers

Just to be clear, I didn’t/haven’t had botox, but I was curious. I visited Ruth Eaton. She’s probably the only person I would trust to insert a needle in my face; she’s a nurse who specialises in aesthetic medicine. One of my bugbears – which has only appeared since I started to look tired, is a line on my forehead (which I get from frowning). She assured me that I didn’t need fillers and my skin,  which is very good apparently, would not benefit from non-surgical treatments such as micro dermabrasion.  A small amount of botox would lift my brow and eliminate my ‘tired’ line for about six months. She did warn me that I would look different and to expect the slightly raised eyebrow look which is sported by an alarming amount of women in the public eye.

The facialist

I had my skin mapped at Dermalogica’s store at the One New Change shopping centre in the city. All the products I’m currently using are good, but I was recommended to try a product called map 15 which you add to your daily moisteriser. I took a sample away to test and I did see a slight difference. I also tried Boots No7 famous Protect and Perfect serum. This was just as good, but at a third of the price.

Sleep

This is the killer – lack of sleep makes you look terrible. For the last week and half I’ve had at least seven hours a night. Managing this has meant going to bed at 9.30 and getting up at 5.30/6 which has reprogrammed my body nicely. Long may this continue as I no longer have dark shadows, yay!

Sun

Everything in moderation and for that includes some sun exposure. Having spent all summer plastering my daughter in cream (well when the sun came out) I deicded to work on my own tan while on my trip abroad. The sun cream of choice was Ultrasun. I used the factor 50 on my body, factor 30 on my face and factor 15 lip balm. Not only did the stuff work it smelt good, not perfumed but not too bland either. I didn’t burn, despite spending a large amount of time ooutside, and we were on the equator where the sun is at its strongest. The result is a light tan which was not achieved by sunbathing for hours but my simply being in the sun doing other things. I hate to admit but  light tan on my face makes me look better than a week in a spa ever could. And you can get this effect just by doing the gardening!

The verdict

All these things together have conspired to make me look, but the crunch probably is the tan I’m now sporting is my favourite anti ageing trick. I have to admit that I’ve also overhauled my diet, and opted for more water and regular meal times – not more or less food – just making sure I eat breakfast lunch and dinner. The rest – as they say – is in the hands of God.

Regular readers of Ella Mag may notice that our blogzine hasn’t been updated much in the last few days. Well there’s a very good reason why – our editor Samantha Downes is in the Maldives  living the dream quite literally; she’s working there for a week, sort of…

Yep it’s true I’m in the Maldives, on Baa Atoll to be exact, staying at the Dusit Thani resort. I can’t tell you too much about my time here – you’ll have to wait until my article has been published but I can say that having an office with a view of the Indian Ocean doesn’t really compare with my little office in Stansted, Essex!

This trip has not been without it’s issues for me, okay it sounds like a dream trip but leaving my daughter for eight days was not easy to do. Leaving Andrew and his 5 hour (round trip) daily commute also made me feel incredibly guilty. But that is what happens when you become a parent. This is my first trip abroad since we went to New York (on a press trip admittedly) four and a half years ago. At the time I didn’t realise it but I was pregnant, nor did I realise that we wouldn’t be able to afford to go away for at least another four years – thanks to the recession and parenthood.

The best thing about being here – being able to sleep eight hours, and being able to fit in a workout before breakfast. There’s also a few other things I’ve been doing (which again you’ll have to wait to find out about). The worst thing, missing Immy’s smiley face and wonderous laugh and Andrew’s cooking and cuddles.

Still there’s the turquoise sea, my fabulous journalist companions and the sunshine to distract me.

Wish you were all here.

Sam

Has watching a TV diet of sport, sport and more sport inspired you to get out of your armchair and exercise? Thought not! But never fear, even the most exercise-phobic can be inspired to get fitter, you might not win a gold medal, but you’ll most certainly feel better for it. I should know because I’ve managed to keep up a fitness regime, as in 4/5 times a week of sporting-level activity,  for the last 15 years; more if you count my five years age 19-23 hitting the uni and college gyms.

I won’t lie, it’s not been easy. Staying motivated when you’re not a professional athlete with a livelihood at stake can be almost impossible. But I think I’ve cracked it, and anyone reading this who knows me will testify.

I was originally inspired to exercise after watching Madonna live in her Who’s That Girl tour when I was 17. I was impressed with then 30 year-old’s slim but strong physique. She’d apparently embarked on her intensive exercise routine after feeling so unfit during her first tour, and had vowed to be able to carry a set and keep up with her dancers and never feel breathless half way through a song again.

For about three years I exercised 3 times a week in the college gym or doing aerobics and step classes, a new thing then, up until I was 23. Then my career  and the long hours of a trainee journalist and later financial reporter saw my routine slide. It wasn’t till I was 29, and had broken up with my boyfriend, that I made a promise to get fit again. It was sort of a millenium resolution. I joined a gym and my skinny 8.5 stone body got bigger and bigger until 2 years later I was weighing in at 11stone.

At 5′7″ and a small frame I was actually slightly overweight, despite going to the gym and doing yoga four to five times a week. How had that happened?

I discovered just how when I decided to change my routine – I’d been doing the same thing for two years – and go to a spin class. It was sooo hard but I realised that I simply had not been challenging myself enough and my body and my mind were bored. The gym membership which I’d been about to ditch was renewed and I regularly saw a personal trainer and used the advice of a gym instructor to keep my routine fresh.

I’ve never looked back, apart from the three months of pregnancy when I decided I really did need a break, and even now I actually regret that.

So how do and did I stay motivated? Remember to ask a GP before you embark on any exercise routine, and remember that although I am fit, I’m not a fitness expert.

1) Have a goal. At the moment I’m using my gym’s Olympic challenge of cycling 60k (not in one go I might add). Having a distance to go means you stop looking at the clock and concentrate on what you have to do, and – because no one wants to spend all day at the gym – you end up doing it quicker! Another example 1km on a rower, or 100 floors on the step machine.

Other goals could be – to finish a Race for Life 10k, or cycle London to Brighton.

2) Have an achievable goal. If you’ve never exercised before start small that way you won’t feel disappointed and you won’t give up so quickly. 500 metres could be a marathon if you’ve never run before.

3) Mix it up. Don’t just run or cycle, do weights (get an instructor to give you a routine and change it every six weeks) do a class.

4) Do stretching/flexible stuff. Exercise isn’t just about burning calories or losing weight it’s about being able to be lithe and enter old age able to touch your toes. Doing yoga, pilates or body balance means your muscles get the stretching they need – for me it’s about de-stressing and making sure my tight hip flexors don’t affect my ability to exercise.

5) Get a fitness buddy or fitness muse. Okay mine was Madonna, and when she started doing yoga so did I. Now I use an app which can track my progress so I can be inspired by myself.

6) Don’t watch what you eat. Okay I’m blessed here, as I’m one of those people who can’t sit still but everything in moderation and if you are exercising you’ll get to know your body and it’s needs (yoga is great for this). I eat everything (apart from meat) and I love my occasional chocolate treat. But I also love the feeling I get when I drink enough water and eat healthily.

7) Don’t fall for fads. the only thing that really works is good old fashioned aerobic exercise, i.e getting off the sofa and getting sweaty.

Make time. When I have weeks I can’t get to the gym I aim to do a DVD (Tracey Anderson’s dance cardio is great – but tricky) or – as I did one week – put weights on my ankles and used my walk to and from the station and tube stations as my aerobic exercise session. I’ve also got resistance bands and a kettle ball (currently a door stop) which I also use when gym deprived.I’ve also been known to go running at 5.30am (before Andrew leaves for work).

And don’t forget to reward yourself, it can be food, a facial, a new book or face cream.

If all this sounds too much, remember once you get that energy, you will want it forever.

When I compete it’s generally against myself.  At work I always ask myself – can I better my last exclusive/write cleaner copy etc? In the gym I try to use heavier weights/stay a bit longer on the cycle/treadmill than during my last visit.  I try not to get competitive with friends – that’s asking for trouble and with family – well why would I?

I ran my first 10k in ages this last weekend. Now this time last year I managed to run 4 10km runs over 4 weekends. Quite a feat – for anyone. Especially someone who was warned (at age 16) that long distance running would damage my legs.

So I was quite shocked when half way through this run – at the 5km point – I slowed down to the extent that I wanted to quit. Like really, really wanted to quit.  I’ve never felt quite so like giving up – in a race – as I did at that point.

I knew I’d not done enough training, so had anticipated it would be tough, but I could not have anticipated exactly how tough it would be.

I talked myself out of it, reminding myself that if my grandmothers had chosen to ‘quit’ during the Blitz I – and my parents – wouldn’t be here today.

It seemed to work, and I even managed to make up a bit of time, although not enough to beat my fastest time of 55 minutes (which I did during my first ever 10k run).

Running’s not the best sport if you are in need of motivation – there’s no teamwork involved – as there is when putting a website/newspaper/magazine together

I could really have done with a friend – a running buddy on this race.  But although my time was rubbish, it was actually the best race I’ve run.

And next week I’ll be doing it again with my sister at the Race for Life in Harlow. While I know I’ll probably never be able to run a marathon, I know I’m not a quitter, and that’s just as good.

What do you do when you’ve too much to do and not enough time in which to do it? But if you don’t do any of it, nothing ends up getting done at all.

This is the dilemma freelance journalists such as myself face. Meeting up with contacts – whether or not they are friends – is essential if you are to get story ideas or even good old-fashioned exclusives. But time away from the office (or the typeface) means time away from writing up the stories you have got.

But it’s a little bit less of a dilemma when meeting up with contacts allows you the luxury of having some pampering at the same time.

I very nearly cancelled my meeting with one PR this week, I was stuck in case-study hell, when sourcing someone to illustrate my story on a certain financial product ended up being way more difficult than it should have been.

But rather than cancel I opted for multi-tasking, so while the PR and I chatted, we both had a pedicure and at the same time I managed to source a case study and file my story.

It was stressful but I got three things done, made a contact, filed a story and ended up with pretty feet (in Jessica’s gothic black shade) courtesy of the Sanctuary in Covent Garden, oh and thanks to an understanding PR and pedicurists who have probably seen it all, and worse, before.

This type of networking is nothing new by the way, a few years back I used to do spin classes with contacts.

As an aside, I’ve been sent a pair of Hi Tech V-Lite Infinity running shoes to test.  I’m wearing them as we speak.

They may nearly supplant my Adidas Stella McCartney running shoes, which also look very funky (and glow in the dark), as my wear-anywhere trainer.

In fact they are so comfy I might not even swap into my normal shoes today..

Read more on Ella Mag:

Win a pair of wellies

Total and utter result! The wedding dress is sorted. Bar a serious amounts of weight loss/gain I really shall go to the ball in a totally gorgeous dress that cost under £100.

We found the dress at Clarks Village, a factory outlet shopping centre in Street, Somerset, it’s the home of shoe-maker Clarks. It does have a large Clarks shop, which is brilliant for finding childrens shoes, at half price or even less but there are plenty of other shops in which to dent your bank balance.

For me, the trip to Street had been a detour on the way to nearby Glastonbury. Andrew, Immy and I were taking Andrew’s and my mum out for a pre-Easter shopping expedition.

Andrew’ mum steered us in the direction of Monsoon, not a shop I usually frequent, but the discounts at this one can be rather good. Well as you or may not know Monsoon stocks bridal dresses. I’ll admit I had looked online but had not been that impressed with the selection. However on the peg where we could see them the selection didn’t look too bad, and most of the dresses were half price or less – from £75 through to £150 compared to £250/£300.

Many of them looked a bit grubby though, but a little bit of rifling around (thanks Jean!) produced two candidates. Both were in need of a bit of dry clean but I totally fell in love with one of them. Even better it was reduced, I won’t tell you the exact price – as a bride has got to have some secrets – but it was a price for sore eyes.

It was also a size smaller than I usually take, and I’m now on strict instructions not to lose any more weight. Now, where’s that chocolate!

Ella Mag’s Samantha and Katie have entered the 10k Race for Life this summer.

It’s Katie’s first ever 10k and she’s feeling nervous while  Samantha, who managed four 10ks over four consecutive weekends last May,  hasn’t run any distance races for a while (since last May in fact).

Each week they will be charting their fitness progress and sharing their tips with you. You can sponsor them – or even better join them at a Race for Life near you.

We ought to warn you that before attempting any form of exercise you should get yourself checked out by your GP. We’re not saying you’re unfit, just that it’s better to be safe – lecture over!

Week one

Chris at our local Nuffield gym gave us this basic programme, which you can build up depending on how fitter you get. You can also adapt it if you’d rather exercise outdoors, by doing timed jobs combined with walking, and as you get fitter jogs punctuated with sprints; you’ll need to find a park where you can mark your circuits (timing them means having to faff around with a watch)

If you have access to a gym you’ll need a treadmill.

Start with a three minute warm up, you need a gradient of at least 2 (0 just doesn’t cut it sorry) at around 6-6.5km.

After three minutes increase your speed to 7.5km, aim to do this for two minutes, then you can go back down to the slower speed.  If you are new to exercise you may just want to aim for ten minutes.

As you get fitter you can  increase the top speed to 9km which you should aim to do for a minute. You’ll also need to turn the gradient up. Go back down to 7.5km as your’ rest’. Start with one round and aim to do at least three times a week. Each week increase the number of rounds you do.

And chill!

Having flexibility is great for overall health, Samantha and Katie are winding down each training session with a few downward dogs. If you know the basics you can round off your training with a few sun salutations. If not get thee to a yoga class.  The British Wheel of Yoga has a great website where you can find your nearest qualified yoga teacher

If this article has inspired you, you might want to read  Jeff Prestridge’s 10 marathons in 10 days  (yep you’ve read that right) challenge this May. He’s blogging about it, and you can donate here.

Like this. Read more here.

Ella Mag’s editor Samantha Downes is getting married this summer and she’s doing it on a budget. However her bridal preparations have hit a bit of a snag.

With no budget for anything, aside the cost of the church and the hire of the church hall (my mum and dad are helping with the cost of the food and drink) there’s not much Andrew and I can actually do this week but wait for our guests to RSVP .

We gave a deadline of 31 March, and my ultra-organised Andrew even set up a website where guests could go online and RVSP and even  select their menu options for the wedding breakfast.

I’ve looked at wedding dresses but with such a minimal budget we are waiting till the last minute to kit ourselves and our bridesmaids out.

Oh and not only have I broken my Lenten promise not to eat chocolate I also gave in to the call of caffeine on Friday when I had not one, not two but three deadlines, all before 9am.

Now I wasn’t going to give up alcohol however two things have made me change my mind.  One: the last two Saturdays I’ve knocked back units in three nights than the previous six months and I realise how rubbish alcohol makes me feel, even in moderation.

And two: I met a former work colleague last week who doesn’t drink. She’s at least six years older than me has two children and although shes in her mid 40s she could pass for at least 15 years younger.

These things have convinced me that my bootcamp will now involve no booze, no caffeine and no chocolate. It sounds boring but I’ve actually not missed these things as much as I thought I would.

Now my gym programme is one thing that is going to plan. My weekly run hours runs with my new BFF Julia (who is also a part-qualified personal trainer) are coming on well. And I’m managing to fit in spin classes, weight training and yoga.

The only down side to this is the 5.30am starts. Well, how else did you think I was going to fit it all in?

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My mission to be a buff bride

The summer bridal bootcamp starts here

Ella Mag’s editor is a woman with a mission, you’ve already ready about her bridal boot camp (aka bride on a budget) now she’s on a mission to be as healthy as possible for her big day.

Like a lot of full time (paid) working mums I’m nearly always in a rush, and nearly always operate with what I call a base-line level of stress.

That’s just enough stress to keep the adrenalin going but not so much that I’m constantly feeling – well stressed. But with a wedding to prepare for, as well as working full time on a website launch site and with a freelance journalist career to keep going, not to mention my biggest roles of all that of loving partner and mum, I’m in need of a little bit of TLC.

So I asked the Activia bunch (who are sponsoring my favourite health event The Vitality Show) for some fitness and diet tips that do not involve spending any cash.

Don’t rush

Nutritionist Juliette Kellow reckons we need to take time out to eat, even if it’s only 10 minutes. ‘Rushing meals or eating while racing around can mean you end up swallowing extra air, which ends up in your digestive system, potentially leaving you feeling windy and bloated.

‘Believe it or not, when we chew food, it’s mixed with saliva which actually begins the digestive process. So make sure you give your food a good chew before you do so. If you gulp it  down without really tasting it, you’ll miss out this first important step of digestion – and that doesn’t help your digestive system.’

Drink up

Juliette says we should be drinking six to eight glasses of water a day. ‘As well as helping to fill you up, drinking plenty of water keeps you hydrated, helps the normal functioning of your digestive system and gives your skin the moisture it needs. If you don’t like plain water, try livening it up with a squeeze of fresh lemon, lime or orange juice. Or add a splash of fruit juice.’

Use the stairs

When it comes to fitness the only way is up, says personal trainer Nicki Waterman.

A workout need not involve the gym.  She says: ‘ Run up a flight of stairs (a minimum of 16 steps), making sure your feet are planted squarely in the centre of each step to protect your knees. Keep your abdominals contracted and your back straight. Pump your arms as you climb the stairs. Once you reach the top stair, turn around and walk down again. Please note: Only progress to the next level when you can accomplish all activities in your level with ease.’

‘Beginners should begin with this level if you haven’t done any kind of training for three months or if you are new to stair climbing. How to do it: Run the stairs for 2 minutes, taking one or two stairs at a time.’

Pump iron

Apparently ironing is great for the shoulders, arms and buttock muscles – who knew?

Nikki says: ‘While ironing, squeeze your buttock cheeks together hard for 10 seconds. Do this 10 times every couple of minutes. You’ll soon notice a difference in tone. This is because the muscles in the bottom will hold in a semi-flexed position for up to 20 minutes after working the muscle.

‘Finish off with a five to 10-minute cool-down, stretching as you reach to put away the dishes or make the beds.’

Get down and dirty

Bending down to wash the skirting boards is a calorie burner too. She says: ‘Step up and down on a sturdy chair to clean the doors and bend down to reach the skirting boards. It involves a lot of stretching and the use of your arms and leg muscles. Finish off with a five to 10-minute cool-down, stretching as you reach to put away the dishes or make the beds.

And clean up

Housework can also help tone your legs bum and thighs. ”Put on your favourite music and start with some light housework, such as straightening and picking things up, or dusting for three to five minutes. You know you’ve warmed up enough when your joints feel looser and your muscles are flexible but you’re not breaking a sweat.

‘Slowly squat when picking up dirty laundry. Keep your back straight and your heels on the floor. Don’t let your upper back tilt forward. Include one squat for every piece of laundry you put into the basket. Finish off with a five to 10-minute cool-down, stretching as you reach to put away the dishes.’

And to your tummy

Your abs are one of the easiest muscle groups to train at anytime in your own home says Nikki.’  Besides looking great, a toned midsection is the core foundation of a healthy back, because strong abdominals will help give your torso the stability and support necessary to protect your back from injury.  Target: This exercise forces you to keep your lower abs contracted so your back doesn’t arch.

Technique: Lie down on the floor. Bend your knees and let them fall to the sides. Keep your feet together. Next, hold your head with your hands and lift your chin away from your chest. Contract your stomach and slowly lift both shoulders off the floor.

Rock your hips forward, pause at the top and lower back to start. Nicki’s Tip: To get the best isolation, always keep your lower back pressed into the floor.’