While pregnancy brings talk of the patter of tiny feet, it's mum's plates o' meat that really need the attention, according to biomechanics expert Dr Charlotte Hawkins. 'Pregnancy - and its associated weight gain - changes your centre of gravity, causing unnatural postural alignment and exerting tremendous force on the joints,' she says. 'One pregnant woman in two suffers from lower back pain as a result.' This is what inspired Hawkins - a mother of two - to design Mothersteps, a shoe insert that would realign posture from the feet up and alleviate nagging lower back, hip, leg and foot pain. The patter of tiny feet is inaudible in my own life, so I passed my Mothersteps to a friend who is pregnant with her second child. She found them 'barely-there' comfortable, but being the one woman in two who doesn't suffer from back pain during pregnancy, she wasn't able to be any more specific. However, the British Journal of Midwifery praises them highly - and, at £27, they're cheaper than a single physiotherapy session. Available in sizes 3-11 (08700 427024, mothersteps.com).

Three into one

I've always loved the idea of doing a triathlon, but the prospect is daunting, especially the scary open water swim ... Maybe I should go to Triathlon Training Camp, where you can hone your skills under the sun, with the expert guidance of top coaches. The week-long camp in the Epirus region of mainland Greece is run jointly by Neilson and Adidas Eyewear. The trip caters for non-iron men and women, with sailing, windsurfing, kayaking, yoga and tennis. Families are welcome and childcare is included in the price. The camp begins on May 7 and costs £819 for triathletes and £579 for lounge lizards (0870 333 3356, neilson.co.uk). In the meantime, get in the mood at the Triathlon, Cycling and Running Exhibition at Sandown Park next weekend (0845 408 4633, swimcyclerun.co.uk).

Hi-tech, no sweat

Damn! Just when I was going to tell you how cool the new sportswear range from Venice Beach was, Jordan goes and poses for a load of photos wearing the stuff head to foot. But it would be a shame to let that put you off, because the sportswear for ladies who lunch (Lady Isabella Hervey being a fan) has gone all hi-tech with its new collection. Perhaps you'll be tempted by the 'MagicShaper' microcapsules that are embedded within the fabric - they contain vitamins and aromatherapy oils such as lavender, to ease stress, and squalane, to reduce the appearance of cellulite. The microcapsules are activated through body heat and friction, but luckily all that sweating won't make you whiffy because sweat is locked in by 'Cyclofresh nano-particles' (I'm not making this up). Still not impressed? Well, the gear does look rather nice, if that helps. For stockists, call 020-7907 1642.