World-Class Workout

Dame Jessica Ennis Hill tells H&F about her latest project – a new fitness app and website for busy women – and shares a speedy core-strength workout

- Emma Lewis

It’s a sunny spring morning when we catch up with Dame Jessica Ennis Hill to hear all about her latest project – an exciting new fitness app and website for busy women called Jennis. Last time we met Jessica, three years ago, the heptathlete was at an incredibly challenging time in her life: getting to grips with being a mum (her son Reggie was not quite two) while training for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Fast-forward three years and Jessica is 33. Having taken the difficult decision to retire from competition after Rio, where she narrowly missed out on a second Olympic heptathlon gold medal (to add to the one from London 2012), Jessica is now a mum of two (Reggie is soon to be five; Olivia is 19 months) and things have changed a lot from the days of being a professional athlete…

Q WHAT DID YOU DO AFTER YOU RETIRED?

‘I had some down time and didn’t want to go to the track or exercise. I just wanted to switch off and let my body step away from it. I chilled out a bit, but after two to three months, I started missing exercise and wanted to get fit again and get back into shape. I think I’ll always have that urge to exercise within me. I no longer had a clear training plan or a coach, so I’ve had to find my own way back, and it’s all down to me picking and choosing what I do and trying to find the time to do it. ‘I still do lots of the things I was doing when I was training, such as hill-run training, weights, and circuits, but I adapt them to fit into my life as it is now.’

Q WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING ON?