Jessica Ennis discusses her training plan, diet and penchant for chocolate
Friday 21 December 2012
After winning the heptathlon on Saturday night, Jessica Ennis has become the darling of the Olympic games – and rightly so! Everywhere we turn women and men alike are gushing about the 26-year old athlete.
We met Jess last year to discuss her training programme, penchant for chocolate and why she would never compete without eye make up.
There's no question that heptathlete Jess is fighting fit. And while she works hard to keep in shape – the heptathlete trains six days a week in her bid to win gold in next year’s Olympic Games – she’s just like the rest of us when it comes to one thing.
“I have a sweet tooth so every day I always have a pudding like chocolate brownies, a chocolate éclair or something chocolatey. I just love chocolate!” she laughs.
And with her size 8 figure, rippling muscles and six pack stomach, you’d assume Jess, 26, is keen to flaunt her figure but she admits that even she’s prone to the odd body hang-up from time to time.
“Yes, there are things I want to change about my body but if I say what they are everyone will start looking at them!
“But being an athlete I probably look at my body in a different way to most girls,” admits Jess.
“I like showing off my legs in short dresses when I go out, yet fundamentally they are my tools.”
Jess may be muscly and toned to perfection but she’s still very much a girlie girl and loved having her hair styled and makeup professionally done for our shoot.
And she admits: “I want to look nice all the time so I always wear foundation, and eye make up when I’m competing - I wouldn’t go out without it!
“Some of the other athletes are really glamorous and even wear false eyelashes and nails to compete!”
“And because my Lycra outfit of knickers and a cropped bra top is so skimpy – it’s like wearing a bikini to work - I have regular leg waxes as I want to be streamlined and comfortable.”
Gearing up for the Games, Jess revealed to Closer how she plans to be in the best shape of her life by this time next year.
She practices two or three events in the morning then a different two in the afternoon.
In between sessions she fits in running, weights and circuit training in the gym, as well as daily power naps, massage and physio sessions.
“With seven disciplines I never get bored as every day is different. I spend more time on the long jump, shotput and javelin as I have changed my style since suffering a stress fracture in my ankle (which forced her to pull out of just days before the Beijing Olympics)” she says.
Training with such intensity, Jessica doesn’t need to calorie count and if anything she needs to boost her food intake to ensure her weight stays at around 8st 9lbs and her energy levels remain steady.
“Around competition time I’ll lose a couple of pounds but I need to make sure I am light enough to make me quick around the track or for the high jump but still strong,” she explains.
Her day starts with a breakfast of toast or cereal with apple or orange juice.
She then does a morning training session, snacking on a cereal bar and sports drink or protein shake to help her muscles recover, then lunch is soup or a chicken sandwich before her afternoon training session.
In the evening she cooks a balanced meal of meat and carbs such as chicken and rice or spaghetti Bolognese followed by some chocolate, of course.
Jess was discovered aged ten when her parents sent her to an Aviva Startrack athletics summer camp in the school holidays, and she came first in every race.
Afterwards she took up athletics and started competing as a teenager.
And she didn’t let her psychology degree get in the way, later winning the title of European Junior champion and becoming a bronze medallist at the Commonwealth Games in 2006 before she shot to fame when she was crowned IAAF World Champion in 2009.
And down-to-earth Jess still trains in her hometown of Sheffield where she lives with her childhood sweetheart Andy Hill, who proposed last Christmas Eve.
Jess with fiancee Andy Hlll
But Andy will have to wait a while to see her walk down the aisle as Jess reveals: “The Olympics come first so we won’t be getting married until 2013 as I want to focus on organizing a wedding without any distractions.”
In the precious time off she does get, Jess loves eating out, indulging in the odd glass of wine or cocktail with friends and hitting the shops.
“I love clothes and designer labels but I also love high street like Reiss or French Connection and mixing it all up,” she says.
And speaking of her dreams of taking the gold, she admits that sometimes she battles with lazy days – just like the rest of us.
“I’m used to the sweat, pain and hard work of training although some days when my body is tired and sore I don’t want to get out of bed,” she confesses.
“But the motivation is that gold medal. I was so disappointed to miss out on the Beijing Olympics so having the Olympics here in the UK is a huge privilege.
“I want to be the best in the world and I want to win that gold medal,”
“I’ve got this once in a lifetime chance to compete in front of a home crowd. I just want to enjoy every single moment,”.
Vital Stats
Age: 26
Height: 5ft 4
Weight: 8st 9lb
Dress size: 8-10
Quick fire questions!
Chinese or Indian?
I love Indian takeaways and always order a lamb dish as I adore lamb
High heels or flats?
I love wearing heels when I get dressed up for a do but they cant be too high as I can’t risk getting injured.
R&B or dance music?
R&B. I often have Rihanna and Jay-Z on my iPod. But I also listen to Busta Rhymes - I have different playlists depending on my training schedule.
Jessica Ennis is an ambassador for Aviva, who have has been supporting British athletes since 1999. Follow Jessica and the Aviva GB Team at aviva.co.uk/athletics
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