(Interview conducted by Jess Callan)
Gabby Logan shared her tips on work/life balance for the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. To join the conversation, use the hashtag #notes4life on Wednesday 19th November.
TV presenter Gabby Logan speaks out about women who wait until later in life to have children, the extreme home exercise challenge she is undertaking with husband and former rugby union player Kenny and her work/life balance secrets.
Gabby on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 study that the age we're most stressed is 35
I can resonate with that having come through to my 40s now. It's age where you are just experiencing family life. There's not a lot more when you can add to the mix to increase your stress levels.People with teenagers always go, 'you think you've got it hard now, wait til they're 15 and don't come in.' Hopefully by then you'll be more sanguine and not forgotten your own teenage years in too much of a hurry. That should help!
On whether life is easier for her now she's 41
It's definitely not calmer but I think you just get a bit more experience and hopefully a little bit wiser so you cope with things in a different way and don't get as stressed about things. Also you've learnt to balance time and prioritise and say no to things that are not important. Your circle becomes larger as when your kids go to school, you get to know more people. But the time you spend with real friends becomes very precious and you don't just say yes to everything socially as you want to make sure those are valuable times. You want to ensure you're not giving away your time too cheaply.
On how she juggles her work and looking after her eight-year-old twins Lois and Reuben
You can work and juggle and manage your time and have a really supportive partner but it's never going to be plain sailing. It's always going to be a juggle and finding time to make sure everybody is happy and taken care of. Quite a lot of the time the responsibility does fall down to the female in that relationship.
When my husband and I were organising one of my trips away and working out where we needed extra help, he said: 'we didn't do any of this when I went to Australia last year for the Lions' and I said I know, funny that!
On the debate about women who are leaving motherhood to later in life and depending on IVF to help them conceive
I was 28 when I started trying to get pregnant and 31 when I started IVF. But from the point of view of somebody thinking about starting a family, I would say whatever your fertility state or whether you need help or not, energy levels just aren't the same when you get older.
From a personal point of view obviously your body is healthier when you are younger. In a fertility sense it's more ripe. Also your energy levels are going to be better which is a factor you need to consider as you're getting older as it's going to be a bit harder on you.
I take my hat off to people who go for it first time in their 40s because by definition, the older you get the more selfish you get and it's much harder then to change your lifestyle. So hats off to people who can.
We found it difficult in our very early 30s having that gear change. Suddenly going from thinking about just yourself to thinking about your whole family, it doesn't matter who you are that is a big change in your life. The older you get, that's going to be more difficult, although some might say actually I'm ready for it and it's easier for me as I feel like I've done everything I want to do.It's such a personal thing.
Fertility issues are much more talked about now. People are aware it is a clock that ticks. It's not something that stays open forever. At the same time you can't decide when you want to be to be having a family.
On companies like Facebook and Apple who are offering female employees the change to have their eggs frozen as a perk of the job
It's making quite a judgement call for your female employees. I wouldn't feel particularly comfortable about that if I was working for a company who saw that as a perk.
On her favourite type of exercise and how she keeps in shape
Kenny and I are doing Insanity. We're about three and a half weeks into the 60-day DVD programme. We do it at home but you can do it anywhere. All you need is a tiny floor space. You don't need anything other than your body. There is no excuse!
It is very high intensity and pushes your fitness levels as it's about constant movement. There is no equipment at all. It's just your own body weight. It's the exercise which has induced the most sweat so it's very cleansing in that respect. You feel very detoxified at the end of it. The programme is six days a week. My cardiovascular fitness has definitely increased.
Matt Baker from The One Show got me into it. It's one of those pay if forward things. He was so evangelical about it and did it in his lunch break at The One show.
Kenny's really into it. It's quite an endorphin booster which is nice at this time of year.
I have also got into yoga in the past year.
On the Samsung study which found we're growing happier rather than grumpier as we age
I think it's about getting your life in order. It takes a bit of time to get that balance. It's the key to everything. If you feel you're working too much or you feel like you're not giving enough time to your relationship, all those things can set you off balance. So it's about working out what's best for you and your family and then trying to achieve that. That's another stressful process. You might recognize what you need but it's about how you get there.
On how she makes time for herself
If I exercise I'm pretty much better at everything. The time I spend with the kids is better quality, I find at work I'm more focused. It's about recognising what works for you and then not judging yourself against anybody else.
That's a dangerous thing. Somebody else's balance is different to ours and you're not going to necessarily be happier by following what they do. It's being aware of your family needs and make changes. As kids grown older they need different things.
Where once routine was the savour of everything, as they grow older, you can't have that some control over routine. It's being able to be able to go with the flow a little bit. Some people are born lucky and are able to go with the flow.
When I was single, I could control everything. I could control my time what I was doing when I was doing it. But once you start adding in a boyfriend/husband/children you have got to get used to spreading your time around.
That doesn't always happen overnight.
On advice for women who don't have the time to get into the gym
I don't go to a gym. I work out at home and I have to fit in it. When I have to stay in hotels for work, I take a yoga mat with me so I can do yoga in the room.
If you're making excuses about not being able to fit it into your life, you have to recognise that you are making excuses. Be honest with yourself and ask if you are procrastinating about it. Whatever it is you enjoy, you can always make time for it.
Whether it's cutting out a journey by car and walking instead or going for a swim. We make the choices about what we do with our life. We make the choice about what we do with our time. That's part of getting older. Prioritising the things which make you feel good.
On whether fitness is more important to her now she's in her 40s
I've been training since I was nine so it's not something that has become more important, it's just always been important.
Hopefully I can always make time for it.
When you first have children your body amazes you because of all the things it's gone through. Then you go through stages of seeing your body in different ways. Once you get yourself into a routine when you have small children and try to juggle doing exercise, you realise you have a certain level of energy. It's important to keep up exercise as perversely it keeps your energy levels up.
It's not so much about looking good in a bikini but keeping fit and healthy so you are able to do all the things you want to do and go on bike rides with your kids. Kenny and I have similar interests and we both like to do things that are quite physical and I want to keep doing those things as opposed to doing photo shoots in bikinis.
On how planning helps her work/life balance
It sounds so boring but spending ten minutes on your diary can help save hours and make everything run smoother. If I have a week with two TV shows and two charity dinners for example, I spend half an hour on a Sunday night planning my outfits for the week. It saves so much time because then I can run in and be ready in 20 minutes instead of going, 'oh no I took that dress to the dry cleaner and didn't pick that up.'
All those kind of little things come through partly from necessity. You have to be a bit more organized.
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