It does so irk the Grit Doctor to read articles about women not looking good running. (See here). We should be doing everything in our power to encourage women to get into their tracksuits and outside pounding the streets, not making them feel even more self-conscious about doing so. What sort of message are we sending out to young girls and women when we say, ‘Hey, look how rough this celebrity looks when she is jogging!’ For goodness sake James Tozer, since when did exercise become yet another arena in which women are expected to look picture perfect?
I love Fiona Bruce, and now that I know she runs, I admire her all the more. I should have guessed with that whippet-thin figure and glowing complexion, and often did in fact wonder where she gets the energy from to do all the presenting she does with such grace and poise. Now I have my answer: she is, of course, a runner. And her attitude to the whole exercise thing is every bit as honest and refreshing as her television persona:
James Tozer includes in his article that Fiona Bruce once said that she regarded exercise as ‘a necessary evil to keep weight off’. Two words the Grit Doctor loves in that sentence: ‘necessary’ and ‘evil’. ‘Necessary’ because regular exercise is the only realistic and permanent way to remain trim; and ‘evil’ because exercise, and in particular, running, can feel pretty evil sometimes. In other words, it ISN’T FUN. No cheesy soundbites from Brucey about how much she luuuurves running. Oh no….she speaks the truth.
She added: ‘I think as I get older I want to stay reasonably fit and settled so that I can do the things I want to do.’ Other than maintaining her enviable figure, Brucey runs so that she can do stuff. This is the real reason to exercise, not to look good, but because it enables you to do all the other things in your life, and more of them. Plus, you can really enjoy food without any fear of weight gain – surely one of life’s greatest pleasures – along with the Antiques Roadshow on a Sunday. Fiona Bruce could be the GD’s pin-up. And for the record, far from being ‘barely recognisable’, Brucey looks every bit as hot out running sans makeup up as she does on the telly. Because there is something beautiful in seeing a woman, comfortable and confident enough in her own skin to go out and pound the pavements and not give a shit who sees.
