“My name is Ruth, and I am an ambassador for This Girl Can and also a mum of two boys aged 4 and 8.

As I’m a mum of boys, I was keen to not be ‘left out’. My eldest loves riding bikes so as soon as he started to learn to ride bmx, so did I. Now we all race bmx and ride mountain bikes, an activity we can all do as a family. I also do CrossFit and run as much as I can, this helps with me socially and I can combine physical health with looking after my mental health.

My advice would be: Do active things as a family – going for walks, riding our bikes. Making exercise part of everyday life and a routine. The boys are central to our lives but that doesn’t mean they dominate it. Also, if I have a bad day with the children, or they need me for a particular reason, then if I miss a run, or CrossFit class, it’s not the end of the world. 

After having my children, I had become incredibly inactive, so I decided to start running and I set myself some goals of half marathons. The training had an impact on the time I had for my family. So along came BMX. My eldest started at the age of 5 and I thought it would be fun to try, since then we can all get out on our bikes together. 3 out of 4 of us race at our local club and 2 of us race at regional and national level. It’s great fun and a fantastic way to be together.

As a mum it’s so easy to slip into a ‘mum role’ but sometimes making life fit around what you want is more important than following social ‘norms. I’ve met so many other mums through the sports that I do, and our children have also made friends through the sports.”