Make time to train

"The expression 'If you want a job done, ask a busy person', is probably pretty true for me, and I suspect for most other women. I find that the busier I am, the more I can achieve.

Training twice a day as an Olympic hopeful for the 800m, studying a degree in Exercise Physiology and coaching a girls cross country team, means I have to be time efficient and train smart.

Related: Meet Nike Master Trainer Kirsty Godso

Here are my top 5 tips to "find your fast " when you don't have a lot of time to spare:

1. Consistency is key
Being consistent is the most effective way to achieve results. So make your program realistic and stick to it! Try to fit in 3-4, 30-40 minute sessions a week. If you can commit to this every week, your progression will be greater than if you do longer sessions that you are more likely to miss due to time constraints .

To be consistent, you must be well organised, so have a program ready to go and be specific! Once you've mastered a work out, you can challenge yourself, for example, by increasing number of reps or duration, or aiming to complete a set faster. You don't want to change too much too quickly so you remain uninjured. The idea is to train smart not hard.

2. Gym circuit
An example of a really time efficient session I do that gets the heart rate up is something we like to call BRS. It's pretty basic; 1 minute effort on the bike, 1 minute on the rower, 1 minute on the elliptical.

Try to work your way up to doing 10 sets of this continuously without rest. I can guarantee this is great way of getting fitter and faster in an exercise that is non-weight bearing. Start off with minimal sets and try to increase each week, or increase duration of effort to two minutes.

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3. Hill running
Hills are great for building strength that will get you moving fast, and you don't have to do a lot for it to be beneficial. If you haven't done hills before, it's probably best to start on a gradual slope, and grass is always best. Preferably the hill should be about 50-100m or 30 seconds long.

As a guide, somewhere to start could include a session of three sets of 3x80m hills (ie 9 hills in total) with roughly four minutes rest between sets and walk back in between reps.

You can then aim to increase the length of the hill or the gradient of the hill slope or, decrease the rest between each set as you improve. This session is sure to exercise all the right muscles to get you moving fast.

Related: Get the most from an online workout

4. Track set
Track sessions are naturally my favourite exercise and I love the sets where I really get to push hard and "find my fast". One of the sessions I enjoy the most is a set of 150m, you can really smash it out in a short amount of time, and know in the end you've competed something worthwhile.

Related: Here's what not to do before a workout

5. Adequate recovery and nutrition
Recovery is vital if you are to remain uninjured and get the most out of subsequent sessions. Adequate cool downs and hydration, compression pants, even standing in a cold pool or ocean for 10 mins is beneficial. Making sure you get enough sleep is just as important, allowing your body to recover and re-energise for the next day.

It's much harder to stay focused and motivated if you're tired. Nutrition is key to staying well, having plenty of energy to power through your workouts, keeping body fat at an optimum level and building muscle strength. These are just as essential as the right training program, but the most likely to be undervalued and overlooked."

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