Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn went on an unforgettable trip to Lake Como, Italy, in October. Vonn, 39, stayed at the luxury boutique Passalacqua hotel right on the lake, and shared highlights from the vacation on her social media. The athlete posted pictures of herself posing next to a swimming pool in a gray bikini, her hair tied back in a low bun. “Looking back,” she captioned the post. Vonn’s training and diet have changed since she retired from skiing—here’s what she does now.
1. New Training, New Physique
Vonn does a mixture of cardio and strength training three times a week with celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson. She now has a body fat percentage of 15%, in comparison to 19% when she was skiing competitively. “I’m a lot leaner,” she says. “I used to do things that were so sport specific, so I had to be bigger. But everyone is like, ‘Oh my God, you’re in the best shape of your life.’ It’s like — yes and no. I’m not training for my sport anymore, I am training to be lean and fit.”
2. Training Diet
Shutterstock
Vonn ate a clean, light diet when she was training and competing. “One thing that I don't eat before my races is meat,” she says. “No steaks, no burgers. Your body is spending a lot of energy trying to digest it instead of using your energy to recover and rest and get ready for the race… In the morning usually I'd try to eat eggs and oatmeal, or in Europe they'd have muesli. When we'd go up on the mountain I'd always have some sort of snack like a protein bar, but I'd always get nervous so I never ate a lot when I was on the hill. Twenty minutes before the race I'd have a Red Bull, I always needed that extra energy. When I finished the race I'd have a banana and protein shake to replenish and refuel—it was usually a couple hours before I'd get back to the hotel, so I would eat what I could find. By the time I got back to the hotel, it would be dinnertime so I'd try to have protein, carbs, and veggies: My ideal meal was salmon, rice, and veggies.”
3. Retirement Diet
Shutterstock
Vonn’s diet has changed since her retirement. “My eating doesn't look anything like it used to,” she says. “I still try to eat healthy but I definitely let myself indulge a bit more, especially after dinner. It's pretty simple in the morning: eggs, avocado. Lunch is usually chicken and kale or a chicken salad, I try not to have too many carbs because I'm not working out that hard so I don't really need a ton of carbs. For dinner, I either do a beyond meat burger or a bolognese but the noodles are zucchini. And then dessert is almost always ice cream—I can't help myself, it's like, OK, I'm not competing any more so I get to treat myself.”
4. Ice Cream Lover
Shutterstock
Ice cream is Vonn’s favorite indulgence. “I would say preferably froyo, I really like it with Reese's pieces combined with Reese's cups—but crumbled,” she says. “If you're really going for it you can add some brownie bites in there. But if you can't get froyo, Ben & Jerry's always hits the spot.”
5. Looking Forward
Vonn is looking ahead to exciting new projects, including the documentary she made about her first mentor. “We have a great relationship, and I am able to showcase everything she meant to me. We did some interviews already, and there was crying. It was very emotional,” she says. “Honestly, right now, these have been some of the scariest times, because I don’t know what is ahead. As an athlete, you try to control as many variables as you can. And I can’t control any variables right now. I am just trying to stay in the moment and spend time with people I care about.”
John Phillips/Getty Images
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Vanessa Hudgens/Instagram
@evalongoria / Instagram
Shutterstock
