'I Just Want To Be Healthy, Fit & Happy With The Way I Look'

Need a get-fit challenge for 2017? H&F catches up with one of Britain’s greatest athletes, Jess Ennis-Hill, as she launches her new VitalityMove running events as part of her new life after retiring from heptathlon

- Sarah Ivory

Jess Ennis-Hill may have announced her retirement from athletics last October, but the former World and Olympic heptathlon champion is keeping busy. ‘I’ve always had structure in my life and I like to plan what I’m going to do,’ she says. ‘I go for a run at a particular time each week with my sister. I also run with one of my close friends once a week, plus do circuits with my husband Andy. Of course, I loved going to the track and training with my group, but it’s different now. I’ve got lots of time to do different things. Reggie [Jess’s two-year-old son] and I go out and do lots of things together. I can see a bit more of my sister and friends, plus I get to spend time with my husband.’

It’s crucial that sports training remains a regular part of Jess’s schedule, though, as she has just teamed up with Vitality, the health and life insurance company, to launch VitalityMove (vitalitymove.co.uk) – two running events, scheduled for July and September this year, which are set to attract tens of thousands of people. ‘That’s partly why I’m doing weekly runs – to get my mileage up,’ admits Jess. ‘It’s so different from what I was doing before. People are like “Ah, you could easily run a 10K” but I absolutely couldn’t because it uses a different energy system. It’s a challenge for me as well!’

LIFE AFTER RIO