The one lesson I’ve learned from life

Rebecca Adlington

One of britain’s most decorated female Olympians, Rebecca adlington Obe, 27, shot to fame as the first british swimmer in 100 years to win double gold, in the 2008 Olympics. She lives in London with her one-year-old daughter, Summer, after separating from her husband, fellow swimmer Harry needs, in March.

There’s no such thing as a perfect parent

There’s nothing like becoming a mother to teach you how much you don’t know! When you train as an athlete, you’re all about perfection, but you can’t be like that as a mother. Is she eating enough? Does she really need two naps? When is she going to start walking?

There are times when I just have to step away from the baby books and mummy blogs and trust I’ll get it right. Or get it right enough!

harry is a lot more relaxed around summer than I am. If we have her outside in the garden, I’ll be following her around, paranoid that she’ll eat something off the ground or saying ‘But what if she hurts herself…’ harry, though, is much more: ‘Let her explore!’

A year in, I’ve finally accepted that there are no gold medals in parenting! The good thing about accepting this is that then you stop trying to do everything.

since summer was born, I’ve got better at saying no. With work, for example, I’m only prepared to work three, or maybe four days a week. The exception to my rule will be rio. I’ll be covering the Olympics for the BBC in August so will be away from summer for two weeks — the longest we’ll have been apart.

she’ll be with harry so I know it will all be fine, but it won’t be easy being away from her. I’ve decided just not to worry about it — and there’s always Facetime!

The other thing I made a conscious decision not to worry about any more is body image. I go to the gym on the two days that summer is in nursery and that’s it. Yes, my body has changed shape. I’ve got a baby pouch, stretch marks and cellulite. My hips are wider but that’s because I’ve had a healthy baby and I’m proud of it. I genuinely don’t care what people say on social media about whether I have or haven’t lost my baby weight.

having said all that, the one physical thing I have got more obsessed with since summer was born is my health. I’ve started taking multivitamins, which I’ve never done before. I want to be as healthy as I can be — summer needs me around for as long as possible.