Jog On: How Running Saved My Life

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And the very calm assertion that these things 'don't leave' you 'don't get over them' was well done. Now six years later I run 20-25 miles every week without fail and I don’t know where I’d be without it.

In Jog On , Bella explains with hilarious and unfiltered honesty how she used running to battle crippling anxiety and depression, without having to sacrifice her main loves: booze, cigarettes and ice cream. I especially appreciated her focus on the barriers women are faced with when getting into exercising. but to my relief, she simply focuses on the benefits of running; whether you're jogging for five minutes, or heading out for a four-hour slog. Packed with insights from athletes and psychologists and step-by-step achievable goals, The Jog On Journal has everything you need to get you up and running. Since then I’ve written an accompanying journal to encourage others to try exercise more for their minds than their bodies.

This funny, moving and motivational book will encourage you to say ‘jog on’ to your problems and get your life back on track – no matter how small those first steps may be. There are some good tips in here though, and I found it motivating for me particularly at the moment for my 10K training. Although running is a very personal activity, I saw many of the reasons I choose to run, the challenges, the highs/lows etc. Bella’s brilliant love letter to running turns into an extraordinarily brave and frank account of her battle with anxiety.

The book is split into ten chapters (1k, 2k and so on) as well as tips on getting started and helpful resources. Unfortunately the writing just didn’t hold up to the ideas and messages with many passages being almost direct repetitions from previous chapters. At first it’s a painful experience, but eventually she finds beauty and joy in the process and is subsequently able to cope with her surroundings and emotions a little bit better. I found the honesty about mental health really refreshing and learned a lot about other forms of anxiety.I’ll admit, the past few years have been mentally tough for me, with a serious health problem, the heightened stresses of work, the insecurity I’ve felt around my position at work and not to mention the pressure of lockdown, both as a parent and as a worker. It also felt like it could have been condensed into a shorter book as essentially her advice is to run and the other people she asked agreed too.

A brilliant, compassionate insight into both mental illness and exercise , Bella Mackie’s Jog On will act as a comfort – and a spur – to so many. I would love to give Jog On a higher rating, but the writing was repetitive and a bit too statistic-heavy for my liking. It explains really well how that particular form of exercise can help you to detach from your problems (for a while); how it almost becomes a form of mindfulness and a welcome break from all the things that are dragging you down.A heartfelt and joyous ode to the strange, wonderful pull of a pair of ugly trainers, tight fitting Polyester, the rainy, windy open road and the peace and clarity it brings. I went into this book expecting a focus on running for newbies and its benefits to mental health that the author experienced. Most people think of running as something which is good for the physical body in terms of weight management, toning and generally looking good.