You may not believe me, but writers arse is an actual real thing! I don’t think it’s necessarily specific to writers, in fact, I’m sure it’s common to anyone with a desk job. But the fact is when deadlines come around, healthy eating will, most likely, go out of the window.

The first deadline I had caught me unawares. I wasn’t prepared for the crazy deadline-induced stress and that meant my normal routine of workouts and decent family meals went by the wayside. Trying to be a mum and be there for my kids, and keep the house in order, as well as working every second I got kicked me off track. Weekends became precious and as such I didn’t want to be clamped to the stove cooking family friendly dinners. I wanted to steal a few hours here and there to unwind and enjoy being with my family.

However, I’m now paying the price. All my jeans fit a little bit tighter and are verging towards uncomfortable and, what’s worse is, I feel unhealthy. I haven’t eaten well and my body feels sluggish and constantly full.

On the plus side though, because of this I have discovered two solutions. Firstly, I need to plan ahead and that means having a freezer stocked full of healthy family friendly meals that I can throw in the slow cooker, or pull out and shove in the oven whenever I need them. And, I know for sure I need to exercise.

I normally workout three to four times per week anyway but that’s not always possible when I’m so completely spent by the end of the day. I love bodycombat since I shot my knees and will throw in a bit of yoga here and there to challenge me in a different way.

As my husband works in London I need to workout at home but to be honest, I prefer it. No one can see me make a tit of myself or judge me when I fall out of a yoga pose, and when I’m bright pink and hyperventilating no one worries I’m going to die except for me!

Better yet, it helps me to clear my head. A day spent inside my mind trying to inhabit my characters while simultaneously keeping enough of a distance that I can write them well is a big challenge. Working out at the end of the day helps me see clearly as well as stretching out those desk bound muscles.

So why am I sharing all this? The answer is simple. We all know we need to burn off what we put in in order to maintain our weight, more so if we want to lose weight, but exercise is also vital for our mental health and general wellbeing. It doesn’t mean you have to join the gym and go into beast-mode every five minutes, it’s about finding something you enjoy, sticking with it and enjoying the benefits.

Just the act of working out makes me a little kinder to myself and feel a little more in control. I’ll never be one of those Instagram-fitspo type people, but I’m doing my bit for me and that has benefits in every other part of my life.