Lacrosse Star Alex Aust Shares Swimsuit Photo Throwback

Lacrosse champion Alex Aust is sharing throwback summer bikini pictures to herald the approach of the colder months. Aust, who is a Team USA gold medalist, posted a snap of herself wearing a tiny bikini while posing in the surf at the beach, looking fit and sunkissed. "When AA reminds you she creates magic," Aust commented about famed photographer Alex Ashman. So how does she do it? Here are 5 ways Aust stays fit, strong, and happy.

Aust is a big fan of HIIT workouts, and shares her routines online. "HIIT can help to decrease body fat, increase strength and endurance, and improve health outcomes, but it is not necessarily better than other exercise formats," say the experts at Harvard Health. "Its main appeal is that it can achieve similar fitness and health benefits in a shorter duration, and that it includes periods of rest." 

Aust refuses to weigh herself, instead focusing on her strength and energy. "As athletes, we don't have that stick-thin body type, but at the end of the day, our bodies are our vehicles," says Nicole Aust, Alex's sister and former Maryland Lacrosse teammate. "If Alex's body is skinny and small, it's not going to perform the way she wants it to on the field and she's learned to cherish that."

Aust developed at-home workout The Sweaat Life to continue working out during the pandemic lockdowns. "All of the things that I am involved with, I think back to my training at Maryland, hearing Cathy's [Reese] voice in the back of my head, telling me to believe in myself," she says. "That definitely is something that I constantly reflect back on when I do something or I put myself out there for another goal I am trying to reach."

Aust was emotional about her photoshoot for Sports Illustrated, as she worked incredibly hard to make it happen. "I felt every emotion I had in the past eight months," she says about seeing the pictures for the first time. "Working my butt off to be the best version of myself. I saw that in a moment. I never realized a photo of yourself could be that powerful."

Being a role model for young female athletes is something Aust takes seriously and is proud of. "What's more important than actually playing, though, is being able to reach these young female lacrosse fans," she says. "That's my biggest thing. To me, it's super important that we have the visibility of the WPLL and have it on ESPN3, so that the girls on my club team can watch us play and see these high level athletes and hopefully in 15 years see them on these teams, which would be really, really cool."