Ex-Olympian Denise Lewis on a healthy body and mind
WORDS PRUDENCE WADE
is finding time for herself. “Me, Denise, and what I want... does get squashed,” she said. “It becomes very small. So I have to be very conscious of making sure I find that time.
“I have to highlight lockdown, because it was transformational for me. Having been that working mum and busy, [I started] really focusing back on exercise and what it really means to me. It reignited that passion and I realised actually, it’s more than just looking good. It is very much about that release and emptying the brain during that 30 or 45 minutes of exercise.”
Denise knows she needs to make time for herself, but she said: “I’m a work in progress, because – and I get this from my mum – I don’t like to sit down. I feel there’s always something to do. So I’ve had to force myself to have those moments of calm. Hence the walking, listening to a relaxation app or something like that where I feel calm.”
When she was an athlete, Denise was focused “on a winning mentality” whereas now, she describes exercising as “my heartbeat”.
She said: “I feel I’m honouring myself and my body and my mind in particular. I can’t stress it enough – that connection is so essential to who I am.
“I do some functional training, high-intensity workouts, I cycle – or spin – and I should say I stretch, but I don’t stretch as much as I ought to, I can’t lie. If I can get anything between two to four sessions in a week, I feel it’s a job well done, but what I won’t do is beat myself up.” For example, this week Denise hasn’t exercised as much as she might have liked – she’s “bunged up”, courtesy of a cold from her four-year-old. But she said: “I know that’s OK.” After turning 50, Denise is on the cusp of a new phase.
She said: “What I find at this glorious age, is to sit back and say, ‘Wow, you’ve done great, you’ve got to this age’. I’ve accomplished some amazing things.
“As a woman, you are entering another chapter – which is inescapable. Menopause – I’m glad it’s a talking point now. But it’s looking at ways I can start to deal with any symptoms. So far, I’m OK, some would argue I have a little bit of brain fog, but that’s OK, it feels manageable right now.
“But being open to new challenges, creating new experiences for yourself – it stops you being one-dimensional, it enriches you. From the things I’ve done, whether through sport or entertainment, it’s those experiences that really did me a boost.”
• Runtethered with Denise Lewis is available on Spotify, and you can buy the Google Pixel Watch in the Google Store.