Goooooood morning!
I saw this interview with Olympic athlete, Julia Mancuso, in Health (January/February 2014) the other day, and I thought it would make a fun blog survey, do here are my responses below. Feel free to play along, too!
What do you do regularly to feel good about your body?
CrossFit. I know, I know”¦ you’re sick of me raving about it, but I can be having the worst day ever and feel totally blah about my body, but then I go to CrossFit, get a good workout, and afterward everything is right with the world.
Have you ever taken part in a fad diet or workout?
Not so much fad workouts, but, yes, a few fad diets, actually!
The fall after I graduated from college, I did the Atkins diet for almost two weeks. I had gained a good 20 pounds after graduation, so I really wanted to lose the weight, and I thought Atkins would be a quick and easy way to do it. Well, after eating ground turkey, blocks of cheese, and raw veggies for days and days (I didn’t really know how to cook back then), I did not feel good about myself. I actually don’t think I lost any weight at all, so that was the end of that diet.
I also tried the Paleo diet last winter during a “Paleo Challenge” with my CrossFit box, which was actually kind of fun. Mal did it with me too. It was neat to experiment with new foods and try new recipes. Ultimately, I decided the Paleo diet wasn’t for me, but I took away a lot of awesome ideas and healthy recipes from it. I still think it’s a great starting point for someone who wants to eat healthy but doesn’t know how.
Oh, yea, how could I forget”¦ I also did the RepairVite diet this past summer, which wasn’t really a fad diet in the traditional sense. I was trying to get better and heal my body, but even still, it didn’t work and was the worst 3.5 months of my life. Ok, that was a bit dramatic, but it was not a happy time in my life. I don’t do well on diets.
Do you use fitness apps?
I use DailyMile to keep track of the miles I run, and I recently started using MyFitnessPal to track my eats and workouts.
What’s a go-to race-day meal?
Peanut butter and banana on an English muffin or toast and a small iced coffee. It never fails me.
Do you listen to music to get pumped up before races?
I love dance and pop music for working out. I typically use Pandora or Songza on my iPhone to listen.
Any good luck charms or pre-race rituals?
I used to have a lucky sports bra, but I needed to retire it after its stink would not come out. So sad. Now, fun headbands are my good luck charm. (My favorites are JUNK bands and BIC Bands.) My only pre-race ritual is making sure I get out all of my “nervous pees” before the start. Half the time I don’t even need to go, but I always hit up the porta-potties just in case.
When do you feel sexiest?
After CrossFit. Well, after I shower.
Questions of the Day
Your turn! Pick a question from above and answer it in the comment section!
And what’s your favorite Olympic winter sport to watch?