Celebrity Health - Jenni Falconer

Jenni Falconer chats to Liz Parry about how she and her family keep fit and well

Image of Jenni Falconer © Craig Sugden

Early morning starts are simply par for the course for Jenni Falconer as the presenter for Smooth Radio’s morning breakfast show. Jenni, who is a mum-of-one, also hosts her highly successful running podcast, RunPod, which is celebrating its fifth anniversary this year. The 48-year-old TV and radio presenter is a keen runner, having completed nine London marathons, and her debut book, Runner’s High, was published this year.

Q How do you ensure that you stay fit and healthy?

Jenni: Exercise is what makes me feel good on a day-to-day basis, and it’s something that is a priority to me. It keeps me sane and fit and healthy, and I want to be able to maintain that as I go into older life. I’m 48 and although I’m not experiencing any major symptoms of the menopause, I do know that that time of my life is fast approaching, and I want to make sure that I’m doing everything I can to stay healthy. My husband James and I are becoming more aware of looking after ourselves as we’re getting older. We both work out daily, we try to eat well and we encourage our daughter to eat healthily with us. We have an ice bath in our garden which we both use. Our daughter thinks it’s hilarious! But ultimately, I want to make sure that I’m fit and healthy for as long as possible.

Q What do you tend to eat on a daily basis?

Jenni: I go to work quite early in the morning, so at work, I might have some porridge with honey and a banana. And that will give me the energy to then go and do my exercise or my run after work. Then when I get home, I might have a post-run recovery shake, which is usually a bit of vanilla protein, plus some blueberries, banana, maybe almond milk or coconut milk and a dollop of peanut butter. If I sit down to have a big meal at lunchtime, I can often feel quite sluggish. I try to avoid bread, because it does make me feel a bit tired. For dinner we’ll have salmon, vegetables and rice or a chicken stir fry. I do like healthy food, but it’s usually something very simple like chicken, salad, veg, salmon, or baked potatoes. For me, it’s about making sure that my daughter doesn’t just eat pasta and tomato sauce every single night, which is what she would do!

Q You are passionate about running – you host the podcast RunPod and your book Runner’s High came out recently. What do you enjoy so much about it?

Jenni: I never anticipated that running would become such a huge part of my life. I would say a lot of my work is now focused around running, which is so bizarre. When I first started, I did it to try to improve my fitness, to feel healthier and to feel a bit more like me. All I wanted to do was run around the park in Glasgow, but then I decided to see if I could run for 30 minutes, then to do 5K and 10K, and it just kept going from there. The mental and physical health benefits are just unbelievable.

Q You completed your ninth London Marathon this year. What is it that you love so much about it?

Jenni: There’s something very special about it. It’s like a lovely club and everyone’s so friendly. The crowd support is phenomenal. It’s a very convenient race for me because I live in London and I don’t have to travel very far to get there. You run past these great landmarks and through the city you live in. I love everything about it. I just wish the training was easier!

Q Do you do any other types of exercise?

Jenni: I do strength training. I aim for two days a week, but I would ideally like to be doing three or four sessions in the gym, with a mixture of weight training and core work. I also play golf and I try to play at least once a week during the summer. I wish I was better at it! I love Reformer Pilates too, but I just don’t have the time to go regularly.

Q You founded your own wellness brand, Kollo Health. Tell us about this.

Jenni: Initially it was designed to help runners and people doing fitness but now it’s become much more than that. I used to take a small dose of collagen to support my joint health and cartilage and help my recovery after exercise. But when I started creating my own liquid collagen brand I quickly realised that there are so many more amazing benefits. This little wonder product has benefits for skin, hair and nails as well as bones, cartilage and general health and wellbeing. Since then, we have gone from strength to strength and we’ve recently launched our second product, Meno Support. It’s a liquid menopause supplement which is packed with vitamins, nutrients and botanicals including lion’s mane, ashwagandha, sage and magnesium.

Q What tips do you have for anyone who would like to take up running?

Jenni: My recommendation is to say to yourself that for 20 minutes you are going to go out and run/walk. Or maybe just to the end of the road and back. Then, when you’ve done it, do it again two days later. See if you can go a little bit further, or if you can go without stopping. Then try to go a little bit faster. You will find that it gets easier and you will start to feel good. You might even start looking forward to these runs! The biggest mistake you can do is going out too often, setting yourself an impossible distance at an impossible speed. Just do something very much within your capabilities, and limit how long you’re out there for.

I always say, take a little selfie when you get back from your run. You might be all sweaty and not looking your best, but look how happy you are in that photo. Next time you’re struggling to find the energy to go out, just look at the photo and remember how good it felt.

Jenni is the co-founder of Kollo Health, the UK’s most awarded liquid marine collagen supplement, available at KolloHealth.com

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