Dr. Elisabeth Ogbonmwan is a powerhouse—sports and exercise medicine doctor, triathlete, and new mum. Just nine weeks postpartum, she joins me on the Tough Girl Podcast to talk about the realities of balancing training with a busy career and family life.
Lis shares her journey into sports, from loving swimming as a child to discovering running in her late 20s and ultimately embracing triathlon. She opens up about training while pregnant, navigating body image changes, and how she’s approaching her return to sport after giving birth.
We also dive into her passion for female athlete health—why it’s so important for women to fuel properly, listen to their bodies, and have access to the right medical support. Plus, she shares practical advice for new mums who want to get back into movement without guilt.
This is an insightful and inspiring episode for anyone juggling sport, work, and family—don’t miss it! 🎙️💪🏽🏃🏽♀️
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Listen to Lis Now!
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Show notes
Who is Lis
Having her daughter 9 weeks ago
Being a busy mum, triathlete, doctor
Having a sporty childhood
Loving swimming from a young age
Balancing sport and studying
Travelling an hour to and from her 6th form
Not doing as much sport at university as she wanted
Getting into triathlons in 2020/2021
Finding running in her mid to late 20s
Starting to swim while rehabbing injuries
Swimmers who transition into running
The impact of running on ankle joints for swimmers
Volume of training to keep injuries at a minimum
Getting into strength and conditioning later on
Working as a General Practitioner (GP) and Sports Medicine Doctor
Going back into training again
Working with a variety of different people
Wanting to set up a paediatric sports medicine clinic in Manchester
Wanting to work with women who take part in exercise at any level
Wanting to encourage women to participate in sport
Training and doing sports medicine part time while working as a GP
Training and balancing it with work and children
Finding a coach that she trusted
Fitting in training and making it work for her life
Being use to having full and busy days
Planning in time for recovery and what that looked like
Not training to her menstrual cycle
The importance of fuelling and what worked well for her
Meal prepping and needing to up her protein
Having a recovery shake after every session
Using gels from Protein Rebel
Competition day and what race strategy looks like
Being on the start line of a race and what’s going through her head
Doing races for fun
Having a “process goal” - especially for triathlon races
Training throughout pregnancy and what that looked like
Feeling very tired during the first trimester and needing to reduce training volume down
Needing to let training take a back seat while studying and taking a consultancy exam
Loving her training while pregnant
Having a baby girl and wanting to show her what women are capable of
Pregnancy and body image
Being body conscious and having your body on show when you are an athlete
Feeling proud of her body and having a deep appreciation for what her body is capable of
Being a new mum on maternity leave
Getting back into training and racing but not knowing what that would look like at the start
Feeling guilt for leaving her baby
Knowing how important it was for her mental health to get that time for herself
Being a better mum and feeling more confident
Using her support network
Stomach and pelvic floor recovery
Wanting to encourage people to be more active and how women can get back to running and impact activity after having a baby
Barriers for entry for women to get back in exercise, sports and movement and how those barriers can increase after having a baby
How to connect with Lis online
Final words of advice and wisdom for other new mums
Don’t feel guilty
Social Media
Instagram @the_running_medic
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