Gabrielle Reece is sharing some inspirational words with her many fans and followers. The former professional volleyball player shared a stunning picture of herself posing in black Nike athletic bottoms and a matching sports bra, holding a giant volleyball above her head. “We all feel like we have the weight of the world on our shoulders from time to time. Know that you are strong enough to handle it and do all the things you can to support that strength,” she captioned the post. Here’s what Reece’s health, wellness, and training regimen looks like at 54.
Reece does land training on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. “I don’t want to do the same things each time because that’s boring,” she told Lipstick On the Rim With Molly Sims. “The goal of these workouts is to have worked some cardio, strength training, and balance improvement. Women say ‘I’m afraid I get too big,’ but do not be afraid of a dumbbell. Time under tension, muscle is your best friend. I don’t think you need to work out for an hour. I think you need to be consistent. I think if you sort of really were serious with yourself and said, ‘I busted my [butt] for 30 to 45 minutes, four or five days a week,’ that’s a pretty good start.”
Reece gives herself six weeks to adapt to any new healthy habits. “I call it a ‘window of faith,’ ” she told AARP. “Commit to something — whether it’s walking every day, doing resistance training weekly, getting to bed earlier — then just ride it out for four to six weeks, with no expectations. It will remind you just how adaptable your body is when you just stay the course.”
Reece starts her day with coffee and coconut oil. “I drink coffee with a bunch of fat in it,” she told Lipstick On the Rim With Molly Sims. “I use the Laird Superfood creamers and I use real coconut oil because the MCT upsets my stomach since it’s a derivative. That will get me through until lunch. Then, my diet is just plants and animals. I don’t snack a ton. I know this is hard, but I try to eat dinner three hours away from when I’m going to bed… The food you consume and getting to bed are everything. Get to bed, because you only really recover at night. If you’re eating pretty well, stretching, and walking, that’s already pretty good.”
Reece says wellness is not something you just do. “It just has to be part of your life and your practice,” she told The Chalkboard Mag. It doesn’t mean you can’t eat ice cream, it just means that it can’t be so separate. Everybody makes it a separate practice. But it’s like loving a family member or yourself, it’s just something that you do as well. And the more people can find practices that are an authentic reflection of them in their likes, not only will you do it more, but it will have a richer role in your life and not be separate.
Reece says breathing is incredibly important for athletes. “It’s number one, and I would be irresponsible if I didn’t bring it up, because most of us, including myself, don’t breathe well, especially when we’re in an athletic event,” she told Lipstick On the Rim With Molly Sims. “If you can consciously be breathing, unless you’re sprinting, keep your mouth closed. Do not breathe through your mouth. If you’re mouth breathing, it’s usually just going into your chest. It’s short and quick, which means you’re stressing yourself out.”