The Sky Sports presenter and mother of two,
36, just can’t live without exercise. We reveal the fitness regime that keeps
her looking and feeling great.
With a cup of tea – strong, dash of milk,
no sugar – in one hand and a toasted English muffin in the other, Kirsty
Gallacher relaxes onto the sofa to begin our interview. H&F has been
invited along to Kirsty’s first photoshoot with sportswear brand USA Pro
(sportsdirect.com/usa-pro), for which she is the new ambassador.
“It’s a wonderful brand to be working
with,” says Kirsty. “It means a lot to me to help with their relaunch, because
training is a big part of my life.” USA Pro’s new range of fitness basics
include bra tops, vest tops, T-shirts, shorts, leggings and Capri pants. Coral
and red feature heavily in the range – colours Kirsty previously rarely wore
when working out. “It’s all about comfort for me and usually dark colours,” she
says. “But [pointing to the USA Pro clothes] these bright colours definitely
perk me up! When you’re training you don’t want to wear something that’s
unflattering – I always wear capri pants because I think they flatter my legs
the most.
“I like tight-fitting fitness wear because
then I feel like everything is contained! Your clothes have to be supportive,
especially for the upper body. I have a bust, although it’s not as big as it
used to be. With a proper bra, your posture is better for exercising, too. So
that’s how Kirsty dresses for exercise, but how does she maintain the enviable
figure underneath?
Kirsty’s workout regime
“I aim to do three short exercise sessions
per week of, at the very least, half an hour each,” says Kirsty. “I go to the
gym to do interval training and circuit-based workouts. I’m in and out; I don’t
slog it out for hours. I make every exercise I do count. It’s quality, not
quantity.”
Kirsty’s fitness regime could be called the
20-20-20 workout. “I power hard and fast on the rower for 20 seconds then return
to a normal pace for 20 seconds before doing it again and again” she says. “I
do this for about 20 minutes. It’s great for cardio and strength.” Next Kirsty
hits a circuit of press-ups, weighted lunges and stomach exercises, doing 20
reps of each exercise before taking a rest for 20 seconds. “I keep doing this
until I fatigue. The whole workout takes about half an hour in total.” she
says.
As a mother of two young boys, Oscar, aged
five and Jude, aged two, Kirsty admits that she does have body insecurities,
despite being a svelte size 8 and weighing in at a healthy eight stone 10lbs.
“My skin has changed a lot since having children, it seems thinner and baggier,
especially on my stomach and my arms. When I’m standing up you don’t notice it,
but when I sit down it puckers up. It makes me feel old. Maybe I’ve just got
too much skin now!
Maintaining a good skincare routine and
putting in plenty of hard work at the gym is Kirsty’s way of boosting her
confidence and sense of wellbeing. “Exercise, or just being active in general,
keeps you in touch with your body. When I say “in touch” I mean in control,”
she says, “I like to think I’m controlling how my body looks and my own
perception of my body is better as a result”
I love feeling pain. When I’m sore after
a workout I actually think “Wow, yeah, I feel really good!”
Role models
An athletic body is Kirsty’s ideal. Working
with and interviewing female athletes (for Sky TV) on a daily basis has given
Kirsty a deeper appreciation of what the female body is capable of. “The ideal
body for me is one where every muscle is accounted for – but not in a
bodybuilder way!” she says. “That’s my dream, but I don’t have time to train
like an athlete. I’d love to set a couple of months aside to just train and
train. I love men and women to have strong bodies, not skinny bodies,”
Over the years Kirsty has been inspired by
a great number of sportswomen, but none more than Paula Radcliffe. “When I
interviewed her we were both about six months pregnant,” remembers Kirsty. “She
told me she intended to carry on running until she was seven months pregnant
and I sat there thinking, “Oh my God, you’re incredible!” I felt so huge next
to her, she didn’t look six months pregnant! Her doctors had said it was fine
because her body was used to it. That’s the key, I guess your body adapts to
any level of activity.”
Everything in moderation
Despite following a disciplined exercise
and diet regime, Kirsty allows herself one cheat day per week. “Curry is my
ultimate comfort food. I love really hot and spicy food. This is closely
followed by Italian food,” she says. On an average day Kirsty has a breakfast
of porridge made with water and a sprinkling of salt, upholding her Scottish
roots, topped with a dribble of semi-skimmed milk. At work, Kirsty orders a
vegetable soup with a wholemeal bagel for lunch. At home Kirsty joins her
children for dinner, cooked by her nanny, of spaghetti Bolognese, made from
scratch with quorn mince and lots of vegetables.
“Paul [Kirsty’s ex-rubgy player husband]
and I went vegetarian for a while,” reveals Kirsty.
“I only lasted seven months though because
I was getting horrendous headaches. I think I was lacking in vitamin B. I’d
rather not eat meat, but when I do I make sure it’s the best-quality organic
meat I can find.”
Not one to diet, Kirsty prefers to curb bad
habits occasionally to keep her weight under control. ‘Sometimes I might say to
myself, “Right, this week is a healthy week”. This just means I won’t have two
portions of dinner and I’ll say no to the biscuits being handed round at work.
I don’t cut out food groups, that’s crazy,’ she says.
Paula Radcliffe’s inspiring attitude
makes her Kirsty’s role model.
