Claire Gleave and her family enjoy daily fitness. To them ‘it’s like eating 3 meals a day’ (Picture: Supplied)
You’re reading How I Parent, where Metro.co.uk gets a glimpse into how the nation is raising their kids.
We all know that having a vigorous workout can have plenty of physical and mental benefits, but would your kids want to work out seven days a week?
More to think of it, would you want to work out seven days a week?
Meet Claire Gleave, 44 from Broadstairs, who does just that with her husband, Oliver, 44, and three children, Alfie 12, Sebastian 10, and Max 8.
The family enjoy daily energetic activities come rain or shine, including football, running, Pilates, weight training, swimming and climbing.
‘To some people what we do in a week would seem extreme if they looked at our schedule. But to us, it’s very normal,’ she tells Metro.co.uk.
‘Every day our family do a mixture of football, climbing, tempo training, running and Pilates, and on Saturdays, my husband Oliver will do park run while my other children are at football.
‘Often my children will have football and climbing on a typical day and while they are there, I’ll go for a run and do my tempo training.
‘Sometimes I’ll mix it up with seeing my personal trainer and I’ve also started a running club with another mum.’
Not by design, but a lot of the Gleave’s friends are also into fitness (Picture: Supplied)
If people think the Gleave family’s schedule is extreme, Claire says that doing exercise has proven great for the family’s health and the children do have time to enjoy screen time too.
‘For us, exercise is as normal as eating three meals a day and I couldn’t imagine not being that way,’ she explains.
‘I am equally as shocked by people that say they do no exercise at all. I just cannot comprehend that for my physical or mental wellbeing!
‘When someone tells me they don’t do any exercise, I cannot fathom that, as I couldn’t imagine living my life with no fitness.’
Football, running, pilates, weight training, swimming and climbing are the norm for the Gleave family (Picture: Supplied)
Claire is well-acquainted with the world of fitness having run 13 marathons, 10 London marathons, and three of them while pregnant.
‘I ran through all of my pregnancies, stopping at various times with each one but with my youngest I ran to about 37 weeks,’ she recalls.
‘I got a lot of funny comments and looks when I was running pregnant, because it wasn’t so much the done thing then, even eight years ago. If I put anything on social media there would be slightly passive-aggressive comments, such as, “I didn’t know you were still allowed to run in pregnancy?”
‘But I also got plenty of whoops and cheers from the American tourists that frequently visit the Cotswolds, which was really nice.’
Claire notes that it is perfectly fine to run in pregnancy (if you speak to your midwife first and have no complications) and in one of her marathons it was actually the clue that gave her a hint that she was expecting.
‘I found out I was pregnant with my second son, Sebastian, when I did a 15-mile race and as I crossed the finish line I felt really dizzy,’ she says.
‘I’d been running well but I thought I was going to pass out. My friend said “oh, you’re not pregnant again, are you?” and so I went to check and it was confirmed.’
She adds: ‘It made me realize that even in early pregnancy you do notice a difference in your body and breathing.’
‘The trick is to not view exercise as exercise’ says Claire (Picture: Supplied)
Weekends involve the aforementioned Park Runs and football training, before family swimming altogether on a Sunday.
If the schedule gets too hectic then her in-laws will often help with drop-offs and pick-ups to ensure everyone gets to their designated workouts.
‘My family often see my social media posts and my sister will message me saying she’s still in bed!’ Claie laughs.
‘While we may have a busy schedule, I don’t tend to watch my children playing matches or training and it’s something I refuse to feel guilty for.’
Apparently, there are no grumbles from the kids about their routines, as it’s as normal for them as it is for Mum and Dad.
‘While we encourage the kids to do exercise we never force them to do something they don’t want to,’ says Claire. ‘My eldest loves climbing, whereas my middle one stopped gymnastics after a year, and that’s fine too.’
At home, Claire keeps the momentum going by taking an active approach to sitting at her desk while working on her activewear brand, NatalActive.
‘I rarely sit, which can give my neck and back problems, but instead, I have a treadmill at my desk so I can walk and type at the same time,’ she tells Metro.co.uk.
‘I probably do a good two or three hours on my treadmill every day. It gives me a lot more energy and I don’t get the afternoon slump. It definitely makes me more hungry though!’
Claire says it’s all about finding what activity works for you (Photo: Own)
Does the family have a break and slob around while they’re on holiday? While they do have relaxing pool days, a lot of holiday fun is made up of different fitness activities.
‘We were recently in Spain and I would run on the beach most mornings, use the gym, and my husband took my eldest out rock climbing,’ Claire recalls.
‘We were all out paddleboarding, kayaking, and plenty of swimming as well.’
Claire says she didn’t come from a particularly sporty family and it was only at university that she began to take fitness more seriously.
‘When I went to watch my husband, who was my then boyfriend, run the London marathon in 2003 it was so inspiring,’ she says.
‘You see people of all abilities and shapes, sizes and ages take on this challenge. So after a few drinks one night, I said I’m going to do the marathon next year! I then got the bug.’
After giving birth Claire began exercising at 8 weeks post-partum (Photo: Own)
There is a social aspect to fitness, says Claire, but for her children, it can also help in other areas of their lives.
‘Sport can really help with confidence and I think is fantastic for teaching them about winning and losing,’ she says.
‘Alfie has found his feet with climbing, and my other two do a lot of team sports. When they lose a match and they’re feeling unhappy they learn how you can still be gracious about that.
‘Maybe have a little cry when you get home, but learn how to do it better next time. I think it’s so important to teach resilience to kids.’
The family fitness routine is very much about enjoyment, she adds. They ‘don’t ever sit there on the scales’ or worry about weight and enjoy a varied diet.
‘While the kids can be a little fussy, often meals will include spaghetti bolognaise, lasagne, chicken and rice and curry and mange tout,’ she adds.
Holidays are always filled with fitness activities (Photo: Own)
The NHS recommends at least 75 minutes a week of vigorous exercise per week, but personal trainers, classes and activities can come with a high financial cost, as well as fitting exercise in around a hectic work schedule.
But Claire says there are many ways for others to start fitness without breaking the bank.
‘The trick is to not view exercise as exercise, it’s just about finding something that you enjoy,’ she says.
‘You don’t want to feel that you’ve got to go to the gym so if you can build something in your day because you enjoy it, you can go from there.’
For new mums, Claire says that while she went back to exercise at eight weeks post-partum, taking advantage of an equipped gym that had a creche on site,don’t pressure yourself.
‘Even if you do nothing at all, but walk the dog, that’s a great starting point,’ she says. ‘It’s just about moving your body in the right direction.’
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‘I am equally as shocked by people that say they do no exercise at all. I just cannot comprehend that.’