Lolo Jones in Workout Gear Dances and Says "Progress, Not Perfection"

Hurdler and bobsledding champion Lolo Jones is philosophical about the reality of competing as an athlete—namely, you don't always perform at your best. Jones, 41, shared a video of herself wearing black leggings and an orange tank top, dancing her disappointment away. "When you get love bombed by Track 😭😭😭😭Progress and disappointment at the same time. only a runner will know the pain of having run your fastest time of the season but still coming short. Giving me mixed signals like a man who is avoidant attachment. Are we good? Nah we not good? Ok we are def good, 😂😫Keep chipping away. #last #progressnotperfection," she captioned the post. Here's how Jones stays fit, strong, and ready to run. 

Jones put on weight after switching from bobsledding to running, and worked hard to torch the fat. "It was tough. I had to lose the 30 pounds I had put on for bobsledding," she told Stack. "For the first time in my life, I could relate to the struggle to lose weight. I stopped consuming 3,000-calorie weight gainers and dropped 10 pounds in a week. I lost the next 10 pounds by cutting my portions and eating healthier meals, like chicken or fish. No more double-cheeseburgers! The last 10 pounds were the hardest."

Jones' workout is based on cycles, depending on how fast or slow she is running. "We build up to hard workouts within three weeks and then take a rest week," she told Stack. "Also, if you increase your volume, you need to decrease your rest. For example, if I'm running for longer and slower, then I get less rest time. But if my run time is faster and shorter, I get a longer time to recover so that I can run at a higher velocity next round. Rest is really important."

Jones always wore polish during bobsledding training to protect her nails. "You have to keep your nails painted at all times because it protects them from getting beat up against the ice," she told Cosmopolitan. "But I like getting Shellac [by CND] the best, because we work with acetone so much to clean the runners (aka blades) that it takes my nail polish right off—with a gel mani it stays on forever."

Jones emphasized her eye makeup during bobsledding competitions. "Even though everyone knows I'm a woman, when I'm racing I wear dramatic eyeshadow, mascara, and liner to make my eyes standout," she told Cosmopolitan. "Especially since it's the only part of my face that you can see with my helmet on!"

Jones constantly reminds herself to set goals to stay on track. "After the Winter Olympics, I was physically fit and really strong from pushing the bobsled. But it was tough to get my energy up again," she told Stack. "Competing in an Olympics can really drain you mentally and physically. One thing I've learned throughout my career is that whenever you lack motivation, you lack goals. So I had to re-focus and redefine my goals, like win a certain number of races this season."