18 Amazing Bodies of Women in Adventure Sports

As adventurers and athletes, the remarkable women in this collection have accomplished things we here in front of our desktop computers can only dream of. Jessica Watson solo-sailed across the world at 16; Arunima Sinha climbed Mount Everest as the first female amputee. They and many more make it look easy, although we know it's anything but. Read on to see how they stay so fit.

1. Jessica Watson

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Jessica Watson sailed the world when she was 16. She also likes to run in marathons for charity. In September, Watson shared this video on Instagram of a charity race she will be participating in. She captioned the post, “Looking for an excuse to get active? I couldn’t imagine a better one than supporting the @strokefdn to prevent stroke and support recovery by signing up for Stride4Stroke this November (link in bio).”

2. Krystle Wright

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Krystle Wright photographs many impressive things. She’s known for taking photos of extreme sports. Wright shared this post on Instagram of herself kayaking down the river of the Grand Canyon. She captioned it, “If you are lucky enough to be invited to the Grand Canyon, I encourage you to make the time.”

3. Diana Nyad

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Diana Nyad notably swam from Cuba to Florida. She opened up about her diet in an interview with Parade. “I'm not prone to chase every new food thing that pops up—from a focus on antibiotics, to gluten-free everything, to zero carbs. Common sense is my guide, at least when I’m not training intensely, when huge numbers of calories are necessary. I eat small portions all day long: some protein, some grains, some fruits, vegetables, some complex carbs.....and some gelato! One cardinal rule is not eating within four hours of bedtime.”

4. Lynn Hill

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Rock climber Lynn Hill was the first person to free-climb The Nose on El Capitan in Yosemite. She shared the importance of being independent to UKClimbing.com. “When you're really sticking your neck out, you must be fully responsible for yourself and if you make a mistake there's nobody to save you. You learn to take those risks, when it feels right and when it doesn't. I don't actually remember backing off of any climb, I just did whatever necessary to do climbs that I thought I could do. I was willing to be adventurous and I think that's something that's a little bit lost in the sport climbing scene just now. I think that sport climbers and boulderers are pretty bold sometimes too, but people don't pride themselves in that style of climbing as much anymore.”

5. Jill Heinerth

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Jill Heinerth is an underwater diver. She talked about diving in an interview with NPR. “The best way for me to describe it is to think of the planet as a body, and I am swimming through the veins of Mother Earth. I've been cave diving all over the planet in underwater caves in, you know, Florida, the Bahamas, underneath the Ural Mountains in Siberia, inside lava tubes in volcanoes and even inside icebergs.”

6. Arunima Sinha

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Arunima Sinha was the first female amputee to climb Mount Everest. She talked about the trek in an interview with India Today. "I felt really bad at that time but I knew I couldn't go back. I told the sherpa I wouldn't, and even tried reasoning with him. When he refused to listen to me, I told him, 'Fine, if you want to come then come. Otherwise, I'll go on my own.' The moment I said those words, and placed a foot ahead, I found that my sherpa was right behind me. After that, he never left my side. Two hours later, we were at the peak.”

7. Ann Bancroft

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Ann Bancroft is known for her expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic. She talked about her motivations and mental strength to Forbes. “Failure scares me. But I’ve had enough to know it only strengthens you, if you are willing to examine it. The day-to-day mostly doesn’t scare me because we prepare for so much more than the expeditions themselves. Of course, there are moments. Maybe you suddenly see a polar bear, or fall into a crevasse or the Arctic Ocean opens as you sleep in your tent. But then again, your training kicks in, and you deal.”

8. Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner

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Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner is the first woman to climb all fourteen eight-thousanders without supplemental oxygen. She talked about her wellness secrets in an interview with ISPO. “I have been eating a purely plant-based diet for many years. At home we only buy and eat purely organic products, as far as possible fresh, seasonal and regional. We also make sure not to waste any food. I also use the train whenever possible, for example to travel to my lectures. At home, I use the bicycle whenever possible for shopping and avoid elevators and escalators in everyday life. Laundry and dishes are only washed in energy-saving mode. There are many ways to act mindfully here.”

9. Sarah Marquis

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Sarah Marquis walked solo from Siberia to Australia. She opened up about why she loves walking in an interview with WBUR. “Yeah, this is what I do," Marquis says. "Walking is human speed. We’re not meant to go faster. We’re not meant to be in a pushbike or in a car. We are actually built to actually walk. The story starts a long, long time ago when I was a little girl. And I grow up in the northern part of Switzerland in an area where there was green, rolling hills. With my two brother, we were wandering all the time in the woods, foraging for mushrooms and amazing bird and little insects."

10. Vanessa O’Brien

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Vanessa O’Brien has climbed the highest peaks on each continent. She shared her climbing tips in an interview with Thomson Treks. “You can’t go too high too fast. You have to respect a mountain that’s 19,341 feet tall. You’ll learn to take calculated risks, whether it’s in your job, a relationship, or anything else. And the best part is, the skills you learn throughout the process are always yours to keep.”

11. Tori James

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Tori James was the first Welsh woman to climb Mount Everest. She likes to run to stay in shape. James shared this video on Instagram of herself training. She captioned the post, “I run for fun. I run for fitness. I run for the sights, the sounds, the smells (not all of them)! I run for resilience: mental & physical 💪Looking forward to the Preseli Beast race in #Pembrokeshire in a few weeks time with @cazthehat and the amazing volunteers from Maenchlochog & beyond. Mountains and cake await yum.”

12. Lizzie Carr

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Lizzie Carr is the first woman to paddleboard across the English Channel. She is also an environmental activist, and talked about this to SELF. “The Hudson River is iconic, but it’s the same as the Thames in London. When you tell people what you’re doing, they say, ‘Ew, why would you do that? It’s filthy, it’s disgusting. Why would you go near it?’ Locals just don’t feel connected to their waterways, they think it’s disgusting. It shouldn’t be like that. They should be able to enjoy it, not telling people to avoid it.”

13. Felicity Aston

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Felicity Aston was the first person to ski alone across Antarctica. She talked about this to Discover Silversea. “By the time I made that journey alone across Antarctica, I had been putting together, leading and taking part in expeditions for well over a decade. It certainly was a gradual progression. I paid my apprenticeship in the old-fashioned way: I started small, fought for my opportunities and grabbed hold of them enthusiastically whenever they came my way. That adage about making your own luck … when you look back on your life, everything seems like an orderly course to get to where I am now. But, of course, when you’re traveling through your late teens, your 20s and early 30s, you don’t know that it’s all going to work out in a positive way.”

14. Catherine Destivelle

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Catherine Destivelle is a rock climber who is known for climbing solo. She talked about the difference between rock and alpine climbing to UK Climbing. “I was fit so I just went out climbing. Jeff Lowe was a good teacher and we climbed together. Whereas rock climbing is more technical and your body has to move differently, climbing on ice is quite simple. The movements are all almost the same. The problem is the structure. I did not know the structure of ice or snow very well. Ice climbing mainly requires the knowledge of the structure of the ice and confidence in the structure and in your tools. It's an affair of the mind because these formations can be quite dangerous. Sometimes you have to play delicately with the ice.”

15. Laura DekkerLaura Dekker

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Laura Dekker is the youngest person to sail the globe. She talked about why she loves sailing in an interview with Coastal Seekers. “Like appreciating what you have, how magical and beautiful our world is, and of course, how much fun it is to use only nature’s power to move a heavy ship anywhere you want to go. For me, living on the ocean is so normal. I never even thought of people that didn’t know what it was like. I enjoy sailing alone, but in a way some of the really nice moments are even better when shared with friends, which I found to be a great joy in seeing people find a love for the ocean and sailing as I did.”

16. Nouria Newman

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Nouria Newman is a professional kayaker. She shared her tips for being a good kayaker with Red Bull. “If you need your arms to pull hard on your paddle, but you also need a good core to move your kayak. As you pull on your paddle, you have to be able to transfer the forces through your core all the way to your feet, with which you push on your footrest – that's what helps your boat move forward. To move your boat around when you want to turn, but also every time you edge, you need good core muscles. There are hundreds of good core exercises, switch them up to keep it entertaining.”

17. Melissa Arnot

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Melissa Arnot has climbed Mount Everest multiple times. She shared how she trains to climb in an interview with Outside Online. “Downhill hikes are one of the most important things I do. Three days a week I hike in my crampons and climbing boots, with 50 pounds of weight in my bag, 3,000 feet up at Sun Valley. Then I hike right back down. A lot of people think it’s bad for their knees, so they ski down or take the lift. But you’re working totally different muscles.”

18. Sophia Danenberg

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Sophia Danenberg is the first black woman to climb Mount Everest. She talked about being a role model for climbers of color to Melanin Base Camp. “There are a lack of role models for people of color in the climbing community. I also think that climbing is an indicator of lagging social economic issues, in our country. People who climb big mountains are all the same: well educated, work at an engineering company, from upper middle class families. Climbing is time consuming and costly, no matter what anyone says about the metaphysical part of climbing it’s a selfish, non productive activity. It’s hobby that takes a lot of time, it’s a selfish hobby, it’s a hobby that I love. Some people don’t have the privilege of not being productive.”

Some of the most prolific athletes in action sports are female. From Chloe Kim, Julia Marino, and Jamie Anderson killing it in the snowboarding world. To Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso being some of the greatest skiers of all time. To Carissa Moore, Tia Blanco, and Alana Blanchard riding the waves as surfers. These women have broken barriers, won medals, and became household names. How do they stay so fit? Read on to see.

1. Chloe Kim

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Chloe Kim has won medals at the two most recent Winter Olympics for snowboarding. Kim shared her self-care practices with Allure. "I love taking a good bath…but just having conversations has been really nice: I'm talking to my parents and friends on the phone, going over the day with my coach, and meeting with my physical therapist. Being more open about how I'm feeling has been great for me, just so that everyone knows how they could support me best."

2. Lindsey Vonn

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Lindsey Vonn is a former ski racer. She shared her diet secrets in an interview with Women’s Health. Vonn says that in order to eat healthy, she sought help from a nutritionist. “If left to my own devices, I’d probably have mac and cheese and pasta and cereal. I need everything to be laid out for me, otherwise I divert quickly.”

3. Misty Copeland

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Misty Copeland is a ballerina who works with the American Ballet Theater. She opened up about her diet in her book, Ballerina Body. "Nuts have become my go-to snack. I keep a baggie or a small container of them in my purse and my locker at ABT's rehearsal studio because I've found that they satisfy my hunger and give me a quick spike of energy.”

4. Ronda Rousey

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Ronda Rousey is a very successful MMA fighter. She opened up about staying motivated to Train Magazine. “It's all about putting in the work and motivation. You have to stay motivated – force yourself to be motivated. To be the best for more than a day or a week, you have to be really driven to sustain that level and that’s difficult. Honestly, you have to make yourself get up and go train, even when you have every reason and excuse in the world not to. To reach your goals you’ve got to put in the hard work required to get there. That sounds simple, but it’s not. You have to be persistent and you have to keep that simple idea in mind at all times.”

5. Paige VanZant

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Paige VanZant is an MMA fighter. She shared her workout secrets in an interview with Vogue. “Every day is different,” she says. “It depends on what day of the week it is. We have lots of classes, wrestling, jujitsu. I do a lot of Pilates, yoga, CrossFit as well. I also try to include one relaxing workout through the week like hiking.”

6. Simone Biles

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https://celebwell.com/wp-admin/Simone Biles is one of the greatest gymnasts in history. She talked about living in the public eye with POPSugar. “Whenever I'm performing, or just on a daily basis, I try to block everything out. I also don't look at comments or anything just because I'm grateful and I love everything about myself, and I'm proud of who I am inside and out. That's definitely helped me not think about it."

7. Tia Blanco

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Tia Blanco is a successful surfer. She is open about being a vegan. Blanco talked about why she adopted this lifestyle to LiveKindly. “I think that surfing, health, and yoga all go hand in hand and help me to be the best person I can be mentally and physically. I definitely would say eating a plant-based diet benefits my practice as a yogi and a surfer because I always seem to have a lot of energy throughout my workouts.”

8. Stephanie Gilmore

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Stephanie Gilmore is one of the most successful female surfers of all time. She makes sure to do a variety of workouts. Gilmore shared her favorites in an interview with the Irish News. “Core strength is important, and the best way I’ve found to activate and develop that is Pilates. Upper-body strength is also important for paddling.”

9. Carissa Moore

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Carissa Moore is a surfer. She shared why she believes in a balanced diet with Red Bull. “I like the way that healthy food makes me feel. But I do like a nice muffin or some chocolate. It’s about moderation. My nutritionist has helped me find things that are light and also taste good. Growing up in Hawaii, food is such a beautiful social thing. It’s a big part of our culture to enjoy what you’re eating. It’s also a big part of traveling and experiencing a new place. On comp days, bananas, trail mix and GoMacro MacroBars—the banana and almond butter flavor is my favorite—are my go-to meals.”

10. Serena Williams

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Serena Williams is considered the greatest female tennis player of all time. She’s won the US Open six times. Williams opened up about her fitness routine in an interview with Vogue. “I do the cardio exercises on Tonal, which is really helpful for me just to get my body back and used to calisthenics. I don't necessarily want a trainer in my room or in the gym with me, so just having the Tonal trainers is a relief. It's just something different from what I've been doing for the past 20-plus years, and it's refreshing. But I definitely listen to my body. My favorite type of cardio is running, but my body has to be fit to be able to run or else my knees will hurt.”

11. Venus Williams

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Venus Williams has won the US Open twice. She is a vegan, and shared her favorite meals with The Beet. “I'm not a big eater in the morning. I don't usually have a ton of time to make something because I'm rushing to practice or meetings. Sometimes I'll make a quick smoothie with fresh berries and a scoop of my Happy Viking protein powder, (probably the strawberry flavor, it's my favorite) and drink this on the go. If I'm craving something sweeter, I'll add two or three dates to the smoothie. I like to take it easy in the morning and don't want to feel rushed.”

12. Jamie Anderson

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Jamie Anderson is a snowboarder. She loves to cook a lot of her own meals. Anderson shared her favorites in an interview with Us Weekly. “I make my own gee, I’ll do like a lot of golden milk in the evening,” she said. “You use like turmeric and ginger and gee with organic milk and it’s a really healing erratic Ayurvedic supplement. And yeah, I like all kinds of random food. I love cooking so when I’m home, I’m into like stir-fries, and like today I learned all different types of Korean recipes, so I’m actually stoked to go make some more delicious food.”

13. Tyler Wright

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Tyler Wright is a professional surfer, and she wants to be an advocate for others. She talked about this to ESPN. “Surfing needs people who are going to get into boardrooms and have hard conversations. I'm asking for equality for women, equality for the LGBTQ+ community, equality for Black and brown and indigenous people. I honestly don't care about winning more world titles. But I know what gets me in the room."

14. Alana Blanchard

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Alana Blanchard is a surfer. She shared her fitness routine in an interview with Grind TV. Blanchard likes to do a lot of different things to stay in shape. “I try to change it up as much as I can. It just depends on where I am. Sometimes even jumping rope and doing some lunges or doing a workout on the beach can be fun and hard."

15. Anna Gasser

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Anna Gasser is a successful snowboarder. She trains with Clemens Millauer, and he talked about working with her to Red Bull. “Whenever we train together, Anna always knows before the start of the session exactly what she wants to work on,” says Millauer. “She can get really obsessive. Sometimes it might be just a tiny detail like finding the right tenth of a second for a grab. She won’t stop until she's nailed it.”

16. Julia Marino

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Julia Marino is a successful snowboarder. She shared with Outside Online that she loves to make fruit smoothies. “It’s not too heavy. When I’m done working out and pretty warm, I’m craving something light and colder that’s easily digestible.”

17. Rachel Atherton

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Rachel Atherton is a mountain biker. She shared her typical diet in an interview with GQ. “When it comes to training, we don’t fix a rigid schedule for the week (eg do X on Monday etc) as the programme is so fluid (for example, good weather equals time on the bike). My trainer, Nick Grantham, gives me a menu – there are some non-negotiables but everything else is adaptable.”

18. Vicki Golden

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Vicki Golden is a motocross rider who has won medals in the X-Games. She shared her training routine in an interview with Women Fitness. “I normally start my day off with 30 min on a spin bike to get my body warmed up. After so many broken bones its tough to get moving in mornings. Haha. Hop off the bike and drink 16 – 24 ounces of celery juice. Then I normally have a few slices of avocado toast and some turkey sausage. Load up my dirt bike and have some fruit on my way to go ride.”

19. Julia Mancuso

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Julia Mancuso is an alpine ski racer. She talked about what she loves about skiing in an interview with SELF. "I could beat most of the boys when I was 10 years old," she said. "It's just one of those sports you get into by having a good time. It's a fast sport, and it's really about making the smoothest turn, the fastest time out of the gate.”

20. Elena Hight

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Elena Hight is a very successful snowboarder. She shared how she trains for competitions in an interview with Strong Fitness Magazine. “I worked with a trainer and took up running for endurance. It definitely helped me become stronger than I had ever been, and taught me how much health and conditioning can make a difference in your performance.”

For most professional athletes, diet, and exercise are part of the job. Performing well on the court, course, field, or in the gym, poo, or ring, requires a dedication to healthy living, discipline, and nutrition. Even after their professional careers are over, female athletes keep doing the things they love to stay in shape. Here are 20 amazing bodies of female athletes over 40 and all of their top health, wellness, and diet secrets.

1. Serena Williams

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Serena Williams is one of the most body-confident athletes. "My philosophy is eat to live. Don't live to eat,” Serena William revealed to Women's Health. "You need it to survive. And [that's] very hard to live by, cause I definitely love to snack, but this is what I want. These are my goals."

2. Venus Williams

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Venus Williams is all about a plant-based lifestyle and even launched her own vegan protein brand, Happy Viking, in 2020. "I need to refuel and provide protein to my muscles quickly after I work out for recovery and to maintain muscle," she told Insider in 2021. "So Happy Viking was created to fuel your inner fighter, your inner Viking, while feeling happy and satisfied about what you put in your body."

3. Danica Patrick

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Danica, 41, doesn’t pick and choose when she is going to be healthy. "What I'm hoping is that people realize that this is a lifestyle," she said during an appearance on Good Morning America. "I want them to develop a good relationship with food and exercise to not be a reward or punishment but a way of life and something that makes you feel good and something that makes you a better you every single day." One of her health habits is eating paleo, she revealed on her website. "Paleo is based on the idea that you only eat foods that were available to ancient man before the invention of agriculture. So no grains, no dairy, no beans or legumes, no added sugars or preservatives. Instead, you focus on naturally raised meats, vegetables, fruits, and nuts," she said. "My intention was to only do it for a week or two to reset my body with less sugar and more veggies. Well . . . I felt so good, and saw such amazing results, that I never quit."

4. Torrie Wilson

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Former WWE star Torrie Wilson is all about the 80/20 method of eating. “I go for the 80% rule of healthy. I’m now more focused on eating whole, natural foods that have a lot of nutrients to help me feel good from the inside out. I’m anti-strict eating because of competing and being anorexic,” she said.

5. Gabrielle Reece

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Gabrielle Reece revealed to Parade that she bounces between high intensity interval workouts (HIIT) and underwater circuits. “I try to create a little bit of structure. Monday, Wednesday and Friday I typically will do some kind of HIIT, high intensity mixed bag of exercises that I change each time. It's about 60 minutes of work, a little bit less. I write the workouts, a mix of resistance, strength and dumbbells,” she said. “After I workout, I try to do a breathing routine that's about 15 to 20 minutes, to start the recovery process and down-regulating. It’s really important that even if we're sitting at our desk or driving in our car, that we're nose breathing as often as we possibly can. That's a really important health idea. So my routine involves a lot of nose breathing and oxygenating the tissues and the cells. That’s Monday, Wednesday, Friday if the schedule permits in a perfect world.”

6. Dara Torres

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Dara Torres suffered from an eating disorder in college that left her with a “fear” of foods. “And so my philosophy is to eat healthy, but if you have a craving for something, don't deprive yourself; just have a little bit of it to help with the craving that you have. My philosophy is that if you are keeping yourself from eating certain things and not having what you want, you're gonna want it more than you should. So that's the biggest thing with me with diet. I try to eat my proteins every day and my fruits and vegetables. But I do have a sweet tooth. I can't deny that. For some reason it gets worse when I travel. I'm out to dinner and I see someone having chocolate cake, I’ll ask for a piece, take a couple of bites, and then let everyone else have it. I just can't cut out certain foods completely and be that restrictive after what I went through in college. I try to eat little meals throughout the entire day. So I always make sure that if I get hungry or need snacks, I will have macadamia nuts or avocados. I just try to eat healthy stuff but I’m not a saint. That's for sure!” she told Parade.

7. Summer Sanders

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Summer Sanders maintains that eating a healthy breakfast every morning is her healthiest habit “I never miss breakfast. As a busy mom, there will be days when I'm cruisin' along and I'll look at the clock and I haven't eaten lunch. And I'll run downstairs and I'll start shovelin' stuff down the pie hole, and I'll think, "That was no lunch at all." But breakfast has sort of turned into the new dinner, where you can sit down with your family and have a conversation. And my kids talk at breakfast. We talk about our dreams, talk about our nights' sleep, talk about what we wanna do today and be positive,” she told Self.

8. Kristin Armstrong

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Kristin Armstrong is still a runner. “I probably run five days a week; I go to the gym for strength training twice a week; and I try to do yoga twice a week. How far I run depends on what I'm training for. If I'm doing marathon training, then my long runs on Saturdays will escalate depending on what part of my program I'm at. During a regular week, I run 3 to 10 miles per day, and I bump it up on the weekends,” she told Self.

9. Jo Pavey

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Jo Pavey fuels her body with food. "When you're running you need to make sure you are getting a decent amount of carbohydrate in order to fuel yourself. I do give myself a cheat day - I mean pizza is a great carbohydrate and you can always put healthy toppings on it. It's all about balance and just generally I've found having that balance in life does me a lot of good,” she told The Sun.

10. Zara Phillips

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Zara Phillips avoids two things. “I don’t diet but I try to eat well and not to eat too many carbohydrates or sugary things. Lunch is quick and simple, like soup and a sandwich or eggs and toast," she told the Sunday Times Magazine.

11. Oksana Chusovitina

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At 41, Oksana Chusovitina was the oldest gymnast to compete at the Olympics. When asked what motivated her to return to elite competition after having a child, she didn’t hesitate to respond. "There was no motivation. I stepped into the gym to work out a little bit, to get my body back in shape."

12. Lisa Leslie

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Lisa Leslie revealed to ESPNW that hse has a daily toothbrush workout routine which includes squats and leg lifts. “My favorite workout involves an electric toothbrush and whole lot of squats. If you get an electric toothbrush it usually runs for two minutes [and] you do four quadrants of your mouth. While at the same time, you can do your squats. So I do my squats probably for a minute, which gets me about 50 squats in a minute and then I do leg lifts and raises for the other minute. That pretty much gets my teeth cleaned and my butt toned,” she said.

13. Chemmy Alcott

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In an interview with Hello! magazine, former Olympic skier Chemmy Alcott was inspired to lose weigh after having children. "I looked in the mirror and I wasn’t comfortable with who I was," she said. "I didn’t know who was looking back at me. I had been a professional athlete for 20 years, then I became a mum and I lost who I was. I wanted to find myself again and be confident in myself as a woman and mother." She added that she hired a personal trainer, her friend Sarah Lindsay and embarked on a 12-week body program.

14. Annika Sorenstam

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Annika Sorenstam maintains a health diet. She drinks water and tea, stays away from fried food, and rarely has juice. “We eat three meals a day, in reasonable portions, and we live active lifestyles. In the evening, we’ll grill a simple chicken or fish, steam broccoli to go with it, maybe sauté some mushrooms. We don’t buy any of it ready-made because you don’t know what salt and preservatives are in those foods,” she told Edible Orlando. “I don’t believe in light diet foods,” she says. “My husband and I enjoy food very much. Often he’ll hang out while I cook, we’ll share a bottle of wine and dine at home. It’s more comfortable than going to a restaurant.”

15. Anna Kournikova

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Anna Kournikova has a no-frills approach to exercise. "I grew up in the Soviet Union in the eighties and nineties. We didn't have gyms, let alone a treadmill. We worked with what we had; you can too. All you need are sneakers and a sports bra to go running. Or try jumping rope for 10 minutes—it's a great workout!" she told Glamour. "Exercise gives us energy and confidence, so why cut corners? It's easier to incorporate it into your life and feel good now, rather than put it off and feel guilty about it a year from now."

16. Steffi Graff

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Steffi Graff stays active. “I am generally a very energetic person. I like to be in motion, I like to act. I still try to start the day with a 45-minute workout – running, yoga, exercise – because after it my head seems to clear up, I feel not only physical vigor, but also amazing mental clarity. I’m ready for a new day. Daily challenges are very important. And not only in terms of sports,” she said in an interview.

17. Lindsay Davenport

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Lindsay Davenport has spent up to 10 to 15 hours doing hitting and stroke drills, plus three hours of free weights, the occasional Pilates class ("depending on how stiff I am"), and two sessions of footwork and plyometrics (high-impact drills), she revealed to Marie Claire.

18. Natalya Neidhart

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Natalya is all about workout buddies. “I’m guilty as anyone of procrastinating when I don’t have a set schedule to follow. For me, I need accountability, which is why I grab a partner. My mom, sister, friends, my husband, heck even my cat have all joined me for some pretty awesome workouts! When you have a partner and your sweat session is like an appointment you have to ‘show up for,’ you won’t miss a workout! These are tools I use to keep me on track, when life sometimes life feels ‘out of our hands,’” she told Calgary Sun.

19. Marion Reneau

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UFC fighter Marion Reneau wakes up early, eats breakfast and does a morning one-on-one session with her coach. Then she spends an hour with her strength and conditioning coach, and drives home for lunch and takes a two hour break. Then, she goes on a three-mile run, followed by Jiu-Jitsu, grappling and wrestling, with her husband. "I'm still active," she told Visalia Times Delta.

20. Natalie Gulbis

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Natalie Gulbis consumes a high protein diet. “My diet six days a week consists of protein shakes with whey protein, healthy fats, greens and probiotics for breakfast and lunch. I have protein bars as snacks in between. For dinner I usually have fish or steak with steamed veggies. When I am home and not on tour I sit down for lunch. Usually chicken with salad dressing on the side. I allow myself 200-300 calories of a treat a day. A Michelob ultra, glass of wine, chocolate etc. On Sundays after the tournament I have a cheat meal and eat whatever I may have been craving. I like consistency and protein keeps my energy up and my body feeling good,” she told Women Fitness.

In the world of figure skating, these remarkable women not only astound us with their grace on the ice but also inspire us with their dedication, resilience, and unique stories. From Olympic champions to rising stars, each skater possesses a captivating narrative that goes beyond the rink. Join us as we delve into the lives and experiences of these extraordinary athletes, discovering their training routines, personal struggles, and insights into maintaining their well-being. These are the incredible women who embody the spirit of figure skating, captivating audiences worldwide with their artistry and athleticism.

1. Evgenia Medvedeva

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Evgenia Medvedeva talked about the support she’s had in her career to Olympics.com. “Everybody in this life has to believe in themselves, [but] we’re not always in the power to do this,” she said. “So we have to have people around us who will believe in us even more than we are believing in ourselves. Sometimes you are in situations [where], I mean, really hands down, you don't know what to do. You just have to have at least one person who will sit in front of you and say, 'Look, you're loved; you're great. Yeah, it's hard time, but we will go through this and you will be amazing.’ So that's it.”

2. Elizaveta Tuktamysheva

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Elizaveta Tuktamysheva talked about her training process in an interview with RSport. “Skaters usually have a break for two or three weeks. Therefore, if it is possible to somehow train your vestibular apparatus on a spinner, for example, or to somehow spin at home, there will not be such a problem when an athlete will be back on the ice. At least, there will be some muscle memory left. It's not the same as if you are back on the ice after an illness or after 6 months long recovery from a surgery. During this period we all train at homes and understand that will be back on the ice pretty soon, our brain is already focusing on the fact that we can’t relax, we will need to return to a competitive shape rather soon. We already haven’t practiced for a very long time, and the brain understands that you can’t completely relax - you watch performances, watch figure skating - and it works. Well, of course, there will be a new season, everything will start from scratch.”

3. Mariah BellMariah Bell shared her workout secrets in and interview with NBC Olympics. “I train from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with several breaks throughout. I wake up at 7:30 a.m. I am training on ice until 3 and then off ice until 4 or 5. Besides being on the ice, I enjoy either riding bikes or just going for walks.”Gracie GoldGracie Gold notably spoke out about her mental health struggles. She talked about this decision at the International Athlete Forum. “At first I didn’t want to come out about (mental health) because of the stigma, which made me feel like I was the only one who wasn’t strong enough. But I got hundreds and hundreds of responses from athletes at all levels and in all sports, saying ‘me too.’”Karen ChenKaren Chen shared her go-to workouts with Women Fitness. “My strength and conditioning coach is in charge of giving me a workout card to follow and allowing me to make tweaks that I feel like would benefit me more. Most of the exercises involve just body weight or bands and usually target the core. As for my day off, I like to do some fun dance workouts and blogilates (Cassey Ho) videos on YouTube.”Mai MiharaMai Mihara notably did not qualify for the 2022 Winter Olympics. However, she said in an interview that she’s not letting it get her down. “This was a big blow for me. Perhaps I wanted to go there too much and could not cope with my nerves. Of course, now my main goal is to get to the next Olympics; my dream is Milan 2026. But I try not to make that mistake again and not to think much about it. Now I go slowly, step by step, year after year.”Bradie TennellBradie Tennell shared her skincare secrets with Women Fitness. “I have super sensitive skin, so I have to be really careful with what I put on it. I really love Shaklee’s acne clarifying complex for stubborn breakouts. I just dab a bit of it on the blemish, and by the next morning it’s usually gone. As for my hair, I always have it in a bun for training because it is very thick. I try to find hair products that are paraben free and my absolute favourite ones are from Shaklee. It leaves my hair feeling so soft and shiny.”Mirai NagasuIn an essay for TODAY, Mirai Nagasu talked about her approach to wellness. “I’ve found that healthy route. I know I have to go to the gym a couple times a week to stay fit and be healthy so that I feel good about myself. I do have to watch what I eat because of my sport but also because of my health. But everybody's different. Everybody deserves a cheat day and sometimes I take that more often than necessary! At the end of the day, it’s all about loving who you are and our message to young people out there is: The sooner you learn to love yourself and the skin you’ve been given, the better life will become.”Tara LipinskiTara Lipinski shared her diet secrets in an interview with People. ​​“Since exercise and diet have been a part of my life since I was young, I know balance and moderation are key,” she said. “One of the biggest lessons I learned from my athletic career is that I must listen to my body to stay at peak performance levels. But when I need to splurge, I splurge. And then when I need to bring it back to greens and fruit, I do.”Michelle KwanMichelle Kwan shared her fitness secrets in an interview with Repeller. “I exercise in the morning at least five or six days a week, sometimes seven. It’s instilled in me and I love it. It makes me feel energized. I can’t wait until the evening to exercise or I get too tired, plus I don’t like having it hang over me throughout day. I usually rotate between pilates on the reformer or hot yoga or core power. When I’m traveling, I do my own routine — a combination of yoga, skating moves I can do on the floor, plyometrics, planks and stretching.”Kristi YamaguchiKristi Yamaguchi shared her workout secrets in an interview with Women Fitness. “I like to do 30 minutes of cardio a few times a week. Either the elliptical or walking or riding stationary bike. Then some exercises that incorporate my own body weight or very light free weights, as well as some pilates inspired moves.”Amber GlennIn 2019, Amber Glenn came out as bisexual, and talked about this in an interview with D Magazine. “It was a world of difference,” Glenn says. “I no longer felt like I was trying to convey myself as something I wasn’t. I felt like people were finally seeing me for who I was, both off the ice and on.” Nancy KerriganIn an interview with Yahoo Life, Nancy Kerrigan says that she makes sure to exercise on a regular basis. "It's definitely a challenge for me to face reality that I'm not 25 and I can't stretch as far as I used to and I can't move as easily," she says. "But if I stop moving, which I've done — I take time off and I don't do anything — I feel worse. I feel it's harder to move. Everything's a little more challenging. So it's important to keep going."Nica DigernessNica Digerness doesn’t just like to figure skate in the winter. She also likes to ski. Digerness shared this photo on Instagram of herself and her friends on a ski trip together. She captioned the post, “Fun ski day celebrating Mark's birthday!”Ashley WagnerAshley Wagner shared one of her favorite recipes with Us Weekly. She says that she likes to make quinoa bowls with broccoli and chicken. “It’s really customizable. That makes it fun for me. I can mix it up without getting bored of the recipe. You can trade out the quinoa for rice, or the broccoli for kale. It has all the nutrients I need as an athlete.”Danielle HarrisonIn addition to skating, Danielle Harrison likes to swim to stay in shape. She shares a lot of posts on Instagram of herself in the water. Harrison posted this photo of herself wading in a pool, captioning it, “Pool days & good vibes yes pls.” She also shared this photo of herself swimming in Mexico. Brooklee HanIn an interview with Edges of Glory, Brooklee Han shared how she recovered from her achilles surgery. “My recovery from my Achilles tendon rupture is still ongoing. I have more or less recovered my range of motion and stability, but I am still working on regaining my strength in that ankle. That being said, I am so shocked at how quickly I have recovered from this and am so grateful for everyone’s support during this incredibly challenging time.”Kaori SakomotoIn an interview, Kaori Sakomoto talked about her hopes for the figure skating community. "I think figure skating can be perceived differently by each viewer," Sakamoto stated. "So, I would be happy if each person who watches my performances can feel something in their own way. Whether it's positive or negative feedback, how they interpret it is up to them. In the midst of that, I believe it would be wonderful if the audience could empathize with and understand the feelings and messages I wanted to convey through my performances and programs."Rachael FlattIn an interview with Figure Skaters Online, Rachael Flatt talked about her decision to step away from the sport. “I left skating when I was emotionally ready and injury-free for the first time in almost eight years. Even though it wasn’t anywhere near my best, it was the right time for me. That made the transition to focus solely on my last year at school more manageable, and I am still proud of the decision I made.”Loena HendrickxIn an interview with Figure Skaters Online, Loena Hendrickx talked about how she prepared for the competitive season. “I really felt that the post-Olympic season training was much harder than training the year before, where everything was like easy. Last season, I struggled a lot mentally. I really had to train harder and it was harder for my body as well. So that’s also the thing that I’m most proud of because at Worlds, the mental part was there again. But it was there [at Worlds] that I enjoyed skating again. Before Worlds, it was just like, ‘I have to compete, I have to train’, and the love of the sport was disappearing a bit. And then I was talking with my mental coach [Eline Berings], and she said, like, ‘Why are you doing this? Because you love this, right?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, sure. I do love this.’ But I lost the feeling of it. And because of her [Eline], I got the feeling back. And at Worlds, that was the first competition that I really enjoyed because I was there and I was proud of myself. I didn’t want to have any pressure on me. There were a lot of expectations (on me) and that was just something different that I had to learn to adjust to.”

Female competitive skiers live by the saying “a winter athlete is made in summer.” Champions such as Lindsay Vonn, Mikaela Shiffrin, and Wendy Holdener swear by the importance of their off-season training routines and diets, and many of these impressive women also focus on mental health. That’s not to say they don’t know when to have fun, too. “You’ll drive yourself insane if you only eat what you’re supposed to eat every single day for the whole summer, so after a heavy workout I’ll splurge sometimes,” Vonn says. Competitive skiing is not for the faint of heart—so how exactly do these athletes train and eat? Here’s how 20 female skiers stay fighting fit and competition-ready.

1. Mikaela Shiffrin

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Mikaela Shiffrin, 28, eats roughly 3000 calories a day and never skips carbohydrates. "Pasta is my superfood!" she says. "Balance and moderation are the basis for my diet, though, so I also make sure to incorporate plenty of protein, fruits, and veggies throughout the day. They're essential in providing the energy I need, especially on race days that can last 12 hours. I wouldn't eat a 1,000-calorie bowl of spaghetti for dinner, but I've always loved pasta and think it's a good addition to any meal and a great base for pretty much any vegetable. It's also great when I have a nervous stomach before race day."

2. Lindsey Vonn

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Lindsey Vonn, 38, enjoys plenty of healthy fats as part of her diet and likes to work out in a fasted state. “I’m training probably nine months out of the year,” she says. “I eat foods that I like, but they’re more portioned, and the carb-to-protein-to-fat ratio is calculated in each meal. Now I’m eating like 50-50 protein-to-carbs at breakfast. Lunch is maybe 60-40, and dinner is usually no carbs. I eat a lot of fat in my diet—avocado, almond butter, olive oil, even bacon.”

3. Lara Gut-Behrami

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Lara Gut-Behrami, 32, is careful about her macros. “It’s not about controlling the amount of everything I eat or to measure it, count calories,” she says. “It’s about taking care of myself and my body; if I eat vegetables, proteins and good carbohydrates my body becomes healthy energy, I will feel fitter and my performances will improve. I eat chocolate, but very rarely a cake or ice-cream.”

4. Sofia Goggia

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Sofia Goggia, 30, loves no-skiing activities for exercise. “When training in Verona I always do a twenty minute warm-up session before breakfast, and then I train from 8 to 11.30 a.m,” she says. “For the second training of the day I focus on quality and rest. So from 4.30 to 7 p.m., I do activity that is ancillary to that which we train in the gym, namely strength, power and agility. I usually choose between skating, roller skiing and cycling. Secondary activities that are a good workout but that also allow you to switch off and have some fun.”

5. Wendy Holdener

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Wendy Holdener, 30, enjoys swimming and hiking. “When I’m not skiing, you’ll often find me doing other sports,” she says. “Ski racers benefit from being all-rounders on the sport front. I like to work on my own body. I really enjoy going swimming, either in the lake or in the sea. I’ve always loved sport, loved skiing, ever since I was a child. Becoming a ski racer has always been a dream of mine. I appreciate being able to spend a lot of time in the countryside, in the mountains. We get to see beautiful sunrises really often during our training sessions.”

6. Petra Vlhova

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Petra Vlhova, 28, enjoys motocross when she’s not skiing. "A lot of people think I'm just going for a ride,” she says. “It is not true. I practice balance, coordination, I strengthen my stomach, legs and arms, and of course, it's also about courage. It's a good workout and I'm glad I can do something I enjoy in preparation. I'm not the only one. Austrian Marcel Hirscher and Henrik Kristoffersen also ride. Some may argue that it is dangerous, but I can also break my leg by stumbling. At least that's how I see it."

7. Tessa Worley

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Tessa Worley, 33, says an athlete’s team is crucial to their success. “You also need to be surrounded by good, kind people; by people who can take the best out of you. I also think that you need to be happy with your own life,” she says. “That’s going to help you become a calmer athlete. No doubt, you need to have a strong team around. You know, being an athlete can be difficult sometimes. You need people around you, you also need to be able to overcome those tough moments, to stand up again and become a better athlete.”

8. Frida Hansdotter

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Frida Hansdotter, 37, tries not to overthink when she is competing. “My strength is that I don't think too much, it's the whole thing that counts,” she says. “However, this can also become my weakness. I can go really fast at times and I can end up in situations where I can't keep up. But if I minimize the mistakes, it usually results in a very fast time.”

9. Michelle Gisin

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Michelle Gisin, 29, loves golfing in the summer in Engelberg, Switzerland. “Engelberg is my home,” she says. “The mountains are just magical. The Erika slope in the stand is something very special. I often train here between competitions and get the finishing touches, for example, before my first slalom World Cup victory in December 2020. Since the course is completely covered with snow, the conditions are often almost like in the World Cup. When it's snowing so deep, there's no more beautiful place in the world. When I come home from my training sessions and competitions, I feel safe here; I can recharge my batteries.”

10. Ilka Štuhec

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Ilka Štuhec, 32, swears by certain items and exercises for working out while on the road. “Foam roller, elastics and good training shoes,” she says. “Hmm, while traveling… Wall sits, plank, hamstring work out (with elastics or Swiss (yoga) ball), sit up, push up. After that it’s all about improvisation and combinations.”

11. Ragnhild Mowinckel

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Ragnhild Mowinckel, 30, is open about the mental aspects of being a competitive athlete. “It really doesn’t matter how many hours I’ve spent in the gym or how many GS turns I’ve done before I get to the start of a race,” she says. “It’s all about that day, that run and that moment you push out of the startgate. For me as well as others; it’s all about having faith in yourself and your capability to ski. To trust your skills and forget about the rest.”

12. Federica Brignone

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Federica Brignone, 33, never skips a hearty breakfast. “That’s very important, breakfast is my favorite meal and if I don’t do it right I can be really nervous all day and without energy,” she says. “In my menu I start with a big cup of hot water with squeezed lemon, followed by a bowl with seasonal fruits, greek yogurt, seeds, whole grain, almonds and goji berries; all with a big cup of green tea and 1 espresso! I can also have eggs with plain bread sometimes. During the day, both if I train or if I have some free time, I enjoy having a Noberasco Bio Break to get some energy between meals.”

13. Ester Ledecká

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Ester Ledecká, 28, goes to bed at 8pm when she’s training. “We go to train on the glacier, and to catch the good snow, it’s still frozen in the morning, we have to get up at half past three in the morning and go up the hill,” she says. “And I’m not a big getter, so it’s a pain for me. The evening snow is already so slushy and the coaches don’t like it.”

14. Viktoria Rebensburg

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Viktoria Rebensburg, 33, works hard to be the best. “I try to get better at my sport every day, to surpass myself, to get even more out of myself,” she says. “That's what motivates me. I like competition in my sport, and I have had it since I was a child: in some situations I had to convince my parents that I could race. Of course, in my sport I also love the environment, the mountains and the snow. There's nothing quite like standing on the mountain - whether it's home, Canada or Argentina - and experiencing the vastness. For me that is freedom.”

15. Katharina Liensberger

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Katharina Liensberger, 26, believes winter athletes are made in the summer. “That’s true, summer time is a big chapter for me as a winter athlete because it‘s the time when I prepare myself for the upcoming season,” she says. “While I‘m presently finishing my customs training and education, my work-out training for physical conditioning has already started. Usually the ski training starts overseas in August and continues with training on the nearby glaciers as soon as there is enough snow there.”

16. Breezy Johnson

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Breezy Johnson, 27, enjoys the adrenaline rush from competing. “I always say that alpine speed skiing is about hearing that little instinctual voice tell you to slow down and then going faster anyway,” she says. “It’s so thrilling to see how far you can push the limits. And every time you decide not to listen to your instincts and you go faster, you feel a little bit like you’re defying death itself.”

17. Marta Bassino

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Marta Bassino, 27, emphasizes the importance of mental health in sports. “It doesn't surprise me, I've always said that between mind and body it's the former that makes the difference,” she says. “You can feel good physically and technically strong but if things don’t come together and you’re not mentally well, you won’t go anywhere. Personally, I have meditated for some years now and it helps me deal with the different situations life throws at you.”

18. Marie-Michele Gagnon

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Marie-Michele Gagnon, 34, practices yoga and learns from the competition. "They're doing a lot of ski-specific movements, more agility and movements utilizing body weight, whereas we're just lifting [weights] and getting super strong,” she says. “Once you get that strength, you need to keep it and refine details, and that's where I was seeking more ski-specific movements in our training."

19. Stephanie Venier

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Stephanie Venier, 29, doesn’t diet like most athletes. “Many people always think, we are winter athletes and we only go skiing in winter or on the glaciers in summer. But we have to work out all summer, indoor and outdoor,” she says. “I train at the Olympic Center Innsbruck/ Tirol. Whether mountain biking, cycling, running, strength training, intervals – all this is in the summer. I’m a untypical sportswoman. I don’t like fruits and vegetables that much, since I was a baby. My favorite food I enjoy anytime is beef/steak, rice, eggs, potatoes and a lot of chocolate.”

20. Kajsa Vickhoff

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Kajsa Vickhoff, 25, likes to workout before her ski training every day. “I try to wake up 1.5 hours before we leave for the hill, bike for 10 minutes and then mobility and stretching for another 10 minutes,” she says. “Then, breakfast, back to the room, brush teeth etc., put on the gear, drive with my service team to the hill, take out all of the skis, unstrap them, inspect the course, then warm up at the start with the other women and discuss the course.”