Olympian Ali Aguilar Shares Swimsuit Photo of "Pre-Season Adventure"

Ali Aguilar enjoyed a fun-filled vacation in Costa Rica over the summer, because even when she's on holiday she's staying active. Aguilar, 28, shared pictures of her trip, including one of her posing in a green and blue bikini, perched over a waterfall while holding onto a rope. "Little pre-season adventure never hurt nobody!" she captioned the post. "Ahhhh so fun!!" commented fellow Olympian Monica Abbott. How does Aguilar stay fit and healthy, while competing but also in her down time? Here are 5 ways she takes care of her health and happiness.

Aguilar's perspective as a player has changed since coaching younger players. "As a player, I'm very much a perfectionist," she says. "I analyze every little thing, whether it's part of my swing or the way I'm fielding. Even if I got a hit or fielded the ball, I'm thinking about if I did something wrong or if I sequenced it wrong. I know I'm like that, but it feels normal to me. When I'm on the outside as a coach, I see players who are just like me. And I want to be like 'It was fine. It was great. Nothing is wrong with that, you don't need to pick it apart or get down on yourself.'"

Aguilar loves skiing and snowboarding in her down time. "Past few months ➡️ gave most of my $ to Tahoe ski resorts, spent QT with loved ones, visited my old stomping grounds, trained for @wprofastpitch season, started Japanese courses, shared my softball experience with young studs, moved to LA, got a @grlswirl and [per usual] reflected on life," she captioned an Instagram post of herself sitting in the snow with a snowboard. 

Aguilar enjoys golfing with friends, which is a great way to get exercise, spend time with friends, and be outdoors. "The physiological response to being outside in nature is real, and it's measurable," says Michelle Kondo, a research social scientist with the USDA Forest Service's Northern Research Station. "There are many physical and psychological benefits of nature that scientists have observed, which can better help us understand how nature supports wellness in the body, mind and community."

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Aguilar has learned to be philosophical about not winning. "If you strike out or if something doesn't go your way, you just treat it as a fluke," she says. "Be super confident and don't take your failures so heavily. Because for me, I analyze things a lot. And in hitting, a lot of people overthink things. Whenever something would go wrong [my coach would] be like 'It's a fluke. Don't worry about it. Go out there and play defense.' Challenge yourself to get better. I think people get challenged and then they retreat but take the challenges. They're an opportunity to learn and grow. And just work hard, do everything you can. Don't retreat just because it doesn't work out always. Continue to find a way to make it work."

Aguilar loved her time in Japan so much she is taking language lessons. "I honestly feel comfortable in Japan now," she says. "If there's another country I could go to and feel confident navigating around it, it would be Japan. I never thought I'd be able to say that. What I missed most about Japan was the people. It's really cool to me that even though we speak different languages, we can understand and love one another through our actions. It's truly a special place."