4 Olympians Share Their Best Tips For Fitness
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If you need fitness and health advice, who better to turn to than an Olympic athlete? These individuals have made a career of specializing in fitness and health! Get their best tips for how you can be healthy too here!
Yahoo Health shares…
Maybe you’ll never be in the Olympics—hey, sometimes just making it to the gym is a gold-medal-worthy feat!—but you can still get a gold-medal body, determination and, yes, motivation. We asked six incredible Olympic hopefuls to share their innermost secrets, so we can be a little stronger, faster and slimmer this summer.
HOPE SOLO
Dynamo Solo helped the U.S. women’s soccer team take gold in 2008, and now the all-star—who grabbed the Golden Glove award for best goalkeeper in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup—is ready to defend the goal and the team title.
WHAT CARDIO DO YOU LOVE TO DO? ”I go old-school and jump rope; it’s the best workout. Try starting with 10 minutes of straight jumping, and work your way up from there. It builds endurance and strengthens and shapes the legs.”
HOW WOULD YOU REWARD A WIN? ”I remodeled my bathroom last time. I might buy a whole new home!”
DO YOU FOLLOW AN EATING PLAN? ”I’ve found that
when I stick to my workouts, I crave bad foods less. For me, it’s the secret to not having to watch everything I eat.”
FAVORITE PSYCH-UP SONG? ”Ragged Mile,” John Butler Trio “When I block a shot, I feel like a beast.”
SHALANE FLANAGAN
The 26.2 miles Flanagan will run in London will be her third marathon. As in, ever. After taking bronze in the 10,000 meters in Beijing, Flanagan decided it was time to push herself even harder. This past January, she raced the Olympics marathon qualifier and finished first, setting the event record. “My lack of experience is kind of nerve-racking, but the race is so exciting, too,” she says. “Each time I run one, it feels like Christmas.” This year, Christmas comes on August 5, when the gun goes off.
WHAT DO YOU TELL YOURSELF TO PUSH HARDER? ”I’ve trained for this moment. This is when I get to unveil my hard work and show everyone what I’ve been doing when no one was looking. Also, I like beating people! That’s motivation.”
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR NEWBIE RUNNERS? ”Grab a partner to help keep you accountable. Training with my group, I get in tons of miles without even realizing it because I’m giggling and talking.”
WHAT’S YOUR POSTRACE TREAT? ”A burger and a beer!”
FAVORITE PSYCH-UP SONG? ”Empire State of Mind,” Jay-Z (featuring Alicia Keys)“When I run, I feel at peace.”
LOLO JONES
At the 2008 Olympics, Jones was a favorite in the 100-meter hurdles. She was on pace to win gold—until she tripped over the penultimate hurdle. Devastated but not defeated, she fought her way back to break the American record in the indoor 60-meter hurdles in 2010. This could be the year of Lolo’s revenge. “Bad things can be good,” she says, “if you use them as motivation.”
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO YOURSELF WHEN YOU’RE WINNING? ”‘Keep things tight.’ Because the moment you get lazy or think, Oh, I’m in the lead! is when everyone will pass you.”
WHAT’S YOUR GO-TO SNACK? “I travel with dark chocolate to relax me, and Goldfish crackers, which don’t have a lot of calories.”
HOW DO YOU STAY FOCUSED? “I zero in on the track. It’s my place of peace, where I’m most at ease, and my home. At the last Olympics, I don’t even remember hearing anyone in the stands, but I can tell you what the grains on the starting line looked like.”
FAVORITE PSYCH-UP SONG? ”Bad Girls,” M.I.A. “When I run, I feel in the zone.”
MISSY FRANKLIN
Though she hasn’t even graduated from high school, Missy “The Missile” hopes to make a big splash at this year’s Games, where, if she makes the team, she could compete in multiple events. This last year alone, the 6-foot-1 soon-to-be-senior broke the world record in the 200-meter backstroke and nabbed three golds, a silver and a bronze in the 2011 FINA World Championships. Watch for her in the Olympic trials, going on now—if you can see her streak by. She got her nickname for a reason!
HOW DO YOU STAY CALM WHEN THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING? ”Having a strong mental attitude before a big event is so important. It helps me know that I have done everything I possibly can to be ready for that moment, so all that’s left is to have fun and do what I love!”
DO YOU FOLLOW AN EATING PLAN? ”I have small meals six times a day to keep up my energy, and after every workout, I drink chocolate milk. The ratio of carbs to protein helps speed muscle recovery.”
WHAT’S ALWAYS IN YOUR GYM BAG? ”CeraVe moisturizer [$13; CeraVe.com] is an absolute must-have! All the chlorine from the pool can dry out my skin, but this lotion always works well for me.”
FAVORITE PSYCH-UP SONG? ”Just Dance,” Lady Gaga ”When I swim, I feel in my element.”
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