Rio 2016: Eloise Wellings balances motherhood and training for the Olympics

Eloise Wellings is a mother first, and an Olympian second, and she talks exclusively with Swoop about juggling her family and training commitments.

Eloise Wellings says she hopes she will be a role model for her daughter India. Picture: Tara Croser.

My best tip for any mum, or dad, out there who wants to do competitive sport and still be a parent would be to choose a sport that you love.

That’s the simplest tip: choose a sport or fitness activity that you really love and that fits into your lifestyle, find friends who will train with you to encourage one another, and get some advice from a coach (who understands your time restraints) and set a plan at the beginning of each week of what you want to achieve in training for that week in order to be ready for race or comp day.

Going to an Olympic Games is obviously really special, and so balancing motherhood/family life and training for the Olympics is a delicate balance.

Wellings says balance is everything. Picture: Tara Croser.

For us, life is pretty busy at the moment but we are loving it.

My husband Jony and I are a really good team, but we’re the first to admit we still don’t have it all worked out.

Navigating family life and full time work is a challenge in most households but prioritising what is important, being organised and also communicating well is super important for us to get through the week unscathed.

We also prioritise sleep, health and nutrition.

We eat well and take vitamins like magnesium and Ubiquinol to help us get the most out of the energy we eat in food.

We are also really conscious to schedule in regular rest days (this is most Sundays) where we are just relaxing at home together.

A day in the life of Eloise Wellings

• 6-9am running training
• 9-12 hanging out with Indi/housework
• 12-2 lunch, put Indi down for nap, gym session, LoveMercy emails/work
• 2-4 hanging out with Indi, organise dinner
• 4-6 running training 
• 7pm dinner and relax
• 1030pm bed

.

I’m definitely of the opinion that being an Olympian does not mean you can’t be an amazing mum, and my favourite part about being a mum is watching our little girl learn or try something new.

Eloise Wellings.

My jaw was sore from smiling too hard after her first swimming lesson ... She just loved it and I loved watching her.

I hope she’ll always have the courage to try new things and to step out of her comfort zone, that zone looks different for everyone but I hope I can be a good role model for that.

MEET ELOISE

● Eloise Wellings first qualified for the Olympics as a 16 year-old ahead of Sydney 2000.

● She was a prospective member for Sydney, Athens and Beijing but missed all due to injury.

● Her first Olympics was London 2012 and Rio will be her second Games and fifth campaign.

● She is mother to India and is co-founder of the Love Mercy Foundation, which raises money for rural communities in north Uganda.

● She overcame 10 stress fractures and an eating disorder in her teenage years.

● She has had very successful half-marathon races and will try marathon running later in her career (perhaps for 2018 Commonwealth Games or Tokyo 2020).

Wellings wins the Zatopek Women's 10,000m race at Lakeside Stadium. Picture: Stephen Harman

Originally published as Rio 2016: Eloise Wellings balances motherhood and training for the Olympics