Gabby Thomas in Workout Gear is “Counting Down The Days” To Olympics

Olympian track athlete Gabby Thomas cannot wait to hit the ground running at the Paris Olympics in July. Thomas, 27, shared pictures of herself sitting on the field in black shorts and a matching sports bra, taking a break from her intense training schedule. “Just counting down the days until I can race again,” she captioned the post. “You’re gonna kill it!” a fan commented. Thomas won bronze and silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics—here’s what her diet, exercise, and training routine looks like.

1. Running, Yoga, Pilates

Thomas—obviously—runs a lot, but also does strength training and Pilates. “A typical workout routine for me is about three hours of running, believe it or not, and then a lift,” she told The Healthy. “So we do a lot of sprinting, a lot of running around in circles on the track, and then we like to do some explosive things in the weight room. I like to dabble in fun little classes. So I will do a Pilates class every now and then, which is really hard. And sometimes I’ll do some yoga, which is also really hard. You’d be surprised by how many of those classes are really difficult for Olympic athletes.”

2. Air Fryer Recipes

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Thomas has made improvements in her diet thanks to the convenience of an air fryer. “I came from college where I was eating in the dining halls,” she told Runner’s World. “When I first got here [Austin], I was eating out a lot. I would say I was at a C-minus; now I’m probably at a B-plus. I’ve cut out processed foods, limited eating out, and I’m not living in the frozen food aisle. I don’t love cooking, especially for one person, but I bought an air fryer, and it’s been my best friend. My favorite thing to cook is salmon and asparagus, or chicken wings. My go-to salad is a kale salad—I love kale, so that’s a vegetable I can eat consistently.”

3. Sleep Routine

Rest and recovery is a crucial factor in Thomas’s performance. “As an Olympic medalist and a student, sleep is really important for me so I can ensure that I’m going to be my best self every day,” she told The Healthy. “I train at such a high level, every time I do something, it is 100%. Making sure that I am mentally and physically ready to take on the day is really crucial for me. My sleep routine is pretty long. It’s a slow wind-down, starting around 8PM. I start to turn off the TV, get really relaxed. I might start with making some tea, usually with magnesium in it to help with recovery.”

4. Meditation Before Meets

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Thomas meditates every day for stress relief. “I posted on Instagram about how running is an outlet to get away from the other stresses in my life. My college coach introduced me to meditating and it’s been very helpful,” she told Runner’s World. “The breathing part of it is what really makes a difference, even before a track meet—he reminds me to take 10 deep, slow breaths if I’m freaking out before a meet. Walking with my pug is also really therapeutic. And sometimes it’s just watching TV. This Is Us is my favorite show. I just started watching Sex and the City, which I’ve never seen. Friends is my go-to, and of course, Grey’s Anatomy.”

5. Sunscreen and Skincare

Thomas makes sure to protect her skin from the sun. “Sunscreen's really important just because as an Olympic athlete, we're outside for hours a day, which also makes you dehydrated really quickly,” she told Elite Daily. “Making sure that I'm protecting my skin and then hydrating after is very important. When I'm home, I have face creams, I have my Vitamin C serums, just making sure that I keep my skin super hydrated and fresh.”

Track and field star Parker Valby got through the Olympic trials and is thrilled to be heading to Paris to compete in the women’s 10,000 meters race. Valby, 21, shared pictures of the experience, including one of her wearing shorts and a blue Nike cropped jacket, blowing a kiss. “Can’t spell Paris without Parker🤌🏼🕺🏼💅🏼 (ok maybe you can without the k e r). Anyhoots it’s officially official I’m an Olympian😮 this past week has been quiteee a journey full of some of my highest highs and lowest lows.” Here’s how Valby trains and lives her best life.

1. Running 25-40 Miles a Week

Valby runs between 25-40 miles a week, depending on her training schedule. “It’s not like I’m jogging on those days [that I’m running] or that I’m cross training easily,” she told Citius. “I think people underestimate what I’m doing. When I cross-train, there are puddles of sweat on the floor...Workout days are quality miles. That’s where all the miles come in–workout days.”

2. Cross-Training All Week

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Valby does cross-training twice on Wednesdays and takes one day a week off for active recovery. “I’ll do a cross-train double on Monday,” she told Citius. “Tuesday is typically a track workout or a grass workout depending on whatever we have coming up. So that’ll be running on the ground that day. Thursday, some weeks we have workouts, some weeks we don’t depending on if we’re working out on Saturday. And then Friday will be a cross-train double. Sunday is cross-training.”

3. She’s a Graduate

Valby just graduated from the University of Florida, which is perfect timing for the Olympics. “Some graduate with honors, I’m honored to graduate 💅🏼 (all jokes guys I actually did graduate with honors). Thank you @uflorida and @gatorstf for the best 4 years 🥲 *swipe to see my mood abt leaving #gogators5ever 🤍,” she captioned an Instagram post.

4. Recovering From Injury

Valby knows what it’s like to recover from injury after fracturing her foot. The athlete was forced to try different methods of working out while her foot healed. “I learned how to cross-train for the first time and actually cross-trained really hard for three months while I was on crutches and in a boot, mostly in a pool. You’re still getting the aerobic fitness,” she told Track & Field News. “It’s just a little bit of a shock to the legs when you come back.”

5. Big Dreams

Valby still can’t believe how much her world is changing, and says she never planned on becoming an Olympian. “If you would have asked me two years ago, I wanted to be in business or an orthodontist,” she told Runner’s World. “For a while, I wanted to be a vet. I’ve been all over the place. I never once said I wanted to be an Olympic athlete.”

Olympic gymnast MyKayla Skinner welcomed her first baby in September 2023, and is working hard to be her healthiest postpartum self. Skinner, 27, shared a video of herself doing an intense cardio workout with friends, wearing brown leggings and a white sports bra. “Don’t worry we’re actually both trying our best 😂 @mykaylaskinner2016 is killing it 3 months postpartum 😮‍💨 ,” the Instagram caption reads. Here’s how Skinner stays fit and happy.

1. Trainer Sessions

Skinner was forced to take a step back after getting COVID and recovering from a bone spur in her foot. “I was out of the gym for a little over a month in total,” she previously told ELLE. “For a gymnast, that’s a lifetime. It has definitely set me back, which sucks. But it did give me extra time for my foot to heal. Right now I’m training in the gym for five and a half hours every day, with Wednesdays and Sundays off. I also go to a trainer twice a week, and physical therapy twice a week.”

2. Gymnastics Foundation

Skinner loves trying new sports and workout routines. “I feel like gymnastics really makes you good at any sport,” she told Bustle. It will be fun to try different things and see what else that I'm good at. In Arizona, pickleball has become a trend, so I'm excited to be done with gymnastics and really get into it. I would also love to explore and go hiking.”

3. Gluten on the Weekends

Skinner avoids caffeine and gluten. "[I'm] always trying my best to stay hydrated, but it never seems good enough,” she told Delish. “I drink my 32-ounce water bottle for gym time and sometimes a bit more. Whenever I go out to eat, I drink water. So, yeah, [I don't drink] that much. But I’m getting better since water helps with recovery… I used to eat whatever I wanted. I’m now gluten-free except for the weekends.”

4. Positive Mindset

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Skinner went through periods where she felt self-doubt, something that led to her changing her overall mindset for the better. “It's hard being a high-level athlete because there are so many times you get really down on yourself,” she previously told Bustle. “For me, if I'm not perfect, after a meet I'll text my husband and say, ‘I'm going to quit. I'm done. I suck.’ But then I'm like, wait a second—if I suck I wouldn't be here. Now I have a mental trainer that I talk to in order to change that mindset.”

5. Excited For the Future

Skinner is excited for the future, and showing her daughter what her mother once did. “"I'm so excited. I hope I can be that mom — that cool mom," she told PEOPLE. "Just to be able to compete at the Olympic Games and to hit four events, do the best that I did was something that will last for me forever. It'll just be cool to be able to tell my kids one day that I went to the Olympics."

Professional cheerleader Gabi Butler makes gymnastics look effortless—just take a look at her recent Instagram post. Butler, 26, shared a video of herself wearing shorts and a sports bra, performing an impressive backflip while being held up in the air. “Radio say speed it up, I just go slowaaaa,” she captioned the post. Butler has big dreams for her post-cheerleading future—here’s how the athlete stays fit, happy, and healthy.

1. Gym and Cheer Practice

Butler trains hard, both at the gym and at practice. “Right now my training regimen is basically just going to the gym,” she told Marie Claire. “Sometimes I'll go to the gym twice a day and I'll go for an hour and a half to two hours each time, so I'm in the gym a lot. I'm a workout fanatic. I also do stunts—anything cheer related. There's no better workout than a cheer workout because you cannot feel your body the next day.”

2. Coffee For Breakfast

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Butler starts her day with coffee. “I used to love breakfast, I was a super big breakfast person,” she told Marie Claire. “And now, I would say, I just drink coffee and that gets me together. And coffee—even though it's probably not healthy—it does get you full really easily, so I’m good for however long until I get hungry.”

3. Olympic Cheerleading

Butler wants people to understand how tough cheerleading can be. “I definitely hope that the series gave people the actual reality of how cheerleading truly is,” she told Cosmopolitan. “I honestly hope they make it an Olympic sport. I think it’s very, very hard. You’re doing a lot of acrobats, flips, tossing in the air, and spinning and controlling your body and all that stuff.”

4. Eyeliner Tricks

Butler has picked up a few makeup tricks on the way. “One of the coolest tricks I learned from one of my friends was to put tape underneath my lower eyelid to help keep my eyeliner straight and with a crisp edge,” she told Us Weekly. “Almost like how painters use tape to create a straight line. It works every time!”

5. What’s Next?

Butler has been thinking hard about her backup career. “ I'm not going to cheer forever and it's going to come to an end at some point,” she told Marie Claire. “But I would really love to still stay active. I've been thinking about becoming a dancer. Cheerleading, it is a lot on your body and it's very harsh, but I think dance—hip hop dancing, or just dancing in general—that would be a really good thing for me to get into because I do love dancing so much. When I feel in the mood to dance, I feel like I could be really good at it.”