I run not to lose weight but to align my feel-good hormones.
When your muscles are activated, you release antidepressant hormones. For me, running is a no-brainer because it requires little effort, little concentration, and the plodding rhythm plus the music I listen to lifts me and takes me back to good times – it’s so beneficial for my cognition.
Also, I’m worried that I might lose my mind as I get older, so my mantra now is to use it or lose it! That applies to physical and mental health. So running is my mental health strategy. I never regret a run, except perhaps when I’ve rolled my ankle going off-road, so I’m sticking to the roads now!
I’ve done the London Marathon twice and I did one during lockdown at home! London was cancelled so I just did it on my treadmill and raised about £30,000 for the NHS. It was so nice because people were following me live and sending in messages and we listened to ’90s house music and everyone was like, “I love this tune!” It was really uplifting.
With marathon season generally around April, it means you have to train
