Track and Field Star Angelica Moser in Two-Piece Workout Gear Goes for Gold

She Has Cystic Fibrosis

Sophie was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at four months old and was told she might not live past 16.“Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that affects your lungs and digestive system, inherited from birth - although I was actually diagnosed very late,” she told Women’s Health. She added to Strava that she ended up in the hospital at 19 and was told by doctors she "only had a couple of years to live,” she said. “I think this is where the power of naivety can sometimes kick in. I sat there in the hospital thinking ‘I don’t believe you. I don’t have time to die. There are all these things I want to do with my life.’”

Running "Saved My Life" She Says

“Running saved my life. If I hadn’t gone on my journey and decided to challenge myself through running in different ways, who knows whether or not I’d still be here today,” Sophie told Strava. “I believe fitness saved my life, because it’s given me experiences and memories, and it’s also shown me what I am capable of. My happiest times and my happiest memories have been the ones where I've been leaning into the most discomfort.”

Goal Setting

Sophie recently revealed that her goal for 2025 is to complete “12 challenges in 12 months,” she wrote in a post. “I thrive and love big challenges but next year is about being able to achieve smaller but just as significant goals throughout the year to fit into life and staying fit and strong simply say YES to anything. The main goal being I want to see how fast and strong of a runner I can become and add in some different types of adventure to take me back to the mountains, trying new things to push me out of my comfort zone and with few things set already and a dream race in place which I’ll talk about soon its turning into an incredible year. And Also the building blocks to get as strong as I can ready for the big challenge I want to do after…I love setting goals.”

Swimming

As part of her workout split, which she shared on Instagram, Sophie swims. “Weeks out from @newyorkcity_marathon,” she wrote. Why does she swim? “I swim for recovery and to reduce impact plus benefits for my engine and lungs for running,” she said in the post. She does two 30 minute swims per week. Swimming is a good way to get regular aerobic physical activity, according to the CDC. Just two and a half hours per week of aerobic physical activity, such as swimming, bicycling, or running, can decrease the risk of chronic illnesses. In addition to the many physical benefits, there are multiple studies supporting the mental health benefits of swimming as well.

Hiking

Sophie loves to hike and mountain climb. She even summited Mount Kilimanjaro in 2015, two years after she was told she had years to live. According to the National Parks Service, the physical benefits of hiking include:

• Building stronger muscles and bones
• Improving your sense of balance
• Improving your heart health
• Decreasing the risk of certain respiratory problems

Complex Carbs

Lee eats carbs, but the right kind: “Switch your diet from simple carbs to complex carbs, and eat more carbohydrates in the morning so that you have energy to fuel you throughout the day,” she tells OneFC about her diet advice.

Protein

Angela prioritizes protein, but tries to fuel up on whole foods versus powders and supplements. “Protein powder is a great nutritional supplement,” she tells OneFC. “But remember to include natural protein such as chicken breast, fish, beef, and tofu in your diet as well.”

Smoothies

Angela also enjoys smoothies. She packs hers with a lot of produce. “If you are not a big fan of eating vegetables, fruit and vegetable smoothies are a great way to get your greens in,” she says.

Eat Bigger Meals Earlier in the Day

Lee recommends eating bigger meals earlier in the day. “Just eat less at night. It is actually healthier to have a big breakfast, moderate lunch, and a small dinner. This method will help you shed those extra pounds and get rid of fat,” she claims.

Her Favorite Exercises

In another interview with OneFC Angela reveals a few of her favorite exercises, starting with air squats. “It is good to practice your form, and it is an effective, easy workout,” she states. “Also, you can change the range if you want to go deeper, or if you want to go ‘sumo squat’ style,” she says. She also loves push-ups, “great for everyone to do daily, because it builds your shoulder muscles and tightens your core, as well as many other benefits,” Lee says. “Also, there are a lot of different kinds of push-ups you can do, like speed push-ups and triangle pyramid push-ups. You can change it up. There are a lot of different options.” And, she also does burpees. “It is a full body range of motion, and a great way to get your heart-rate up pretty quick,” Lee says.

She Does Intense Workouts

Mayer keeps her workouts intense. She described them in an interview with Equinox. “I work out four hours a day, six days a week. I have a two-hour training session starting at 9 a.m. I start with a warm-up before running intervals. My pace has to be fast and explosive. I’ll do eight two-minute sprints. Sometimes I do suicides—I’ll run for 45 seconds with a minute rest between, and I’ll do it 15 times.”

She Eats A Lot Of Protein

Mayer revealed to Equinox that she eats a protein-rich diet. “I eat every two hours so I never feel low on energy. My diet emphasizes a lot of protein and vegetables, and I eat small portions. I have an iron deficiency so I eat red meat about three times a week. I’m not big on fish unless it’s raw. I love sushi and eat it once or twice a week. I also eat a lot of chicken breast.”

She Learns From Failures

Mayer doesn’t let her setbacks define her. She tells Men’s Journal that she likes to learn from them. “Going into my first Olympic year, making it to the finals and then losing, and then losing by only two points … that was rough. But I knew I had so much more to learn. I hadn’t hit my peak yet, and the dream was still alive. When you have a dream, you have a dream.”

She Recovers

Mayer makes sure to recover, and shared her process with Equinox. “There’s an amazing recovery room with massage, a cold plunge, a Jacuzzi, steam room and sauna at the Olympic Training Center. I usually go after my morning training session. I do dry needling once a week. It’s not the same as acupuncture. The needle goes deeper and is attached to electric stimulation so it pulsates. I do it for about five minutes, usually on my IT bands because they tighten up a lot. It’s aggressive and leaves a little bruising, but it works.”

She Does A Variety Of Workouts

I strength train, focusing on my core and shoulders with push-ups, pull-ups and Russian twists. I do a lot of I’s, T’s and Y’s using the TRX and also for push-ups so I engage my core more than I would normally. My second two-hour workout is a boxing session at 3 p.m. I start with a 15-minute warm-up, which includes a series of rotational movements because my coach is big on getting full extension out of my punches. Next is two to four rounds of shadowboxing drills. It’s a time for me to think about my combinations and technique and drill them into my subconscious. Sometimes I’ll circle around the ring, moving forward, backward and side-to-side. All of those angles are really important when you’re throwing punches. I’ll finish the session with sparring or mitt work. I spar three times a week, usually six three-minute rounds at a time. Sometimes it’s technical work, and if I do a bag session, it’s for 10 rounds.