Sophie Grace Holmes is getting her sweat on in the morning – in her workout gear. In a new social media post the marathon runner shows off her svelte figure wearing a sports bra and leggings in a mirror selfie. “Gym session this morning,” she wrote across the Instagram Stories image. How does she approach diet, fitness, and self-care? Here is everything you need to know about her lifestyle habits.
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
Sophia Grace Holmes /Instagram
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
