Serena Williams is showing that even world-class athletes sometimes struggle with some weight gain. Williams, 42, posted a video of herself trying to wriggle into a jean skirt, testing to see if her figure has changed after weeks of working out. “It’s almost there,” she says in the video, laughing after the skirt won’t budge any higher. “Ok everyone ! I have been working my 🍑off! Let’s see what happens with my jean skirt. Can I fit it yet? Check it out!” she captioned the post. Williams may be retired but she’s busier than ever—here’s what her wellness routine looks like.
Williams sticks to a mostly plant-based diet. “I started trying [plant-based foods] years ago,” she told Essence. “The reason I started was because my sister, Venus, was diagnosed with Sjögren’s, and when we lived together, she changed her diet. I remember thinking, ‘I can’t bring all this bad food into the house,’ so I changed my diet as well. I realized that I didn’t feel weaker, I didn’t feel like [my body] was missing something, and I actually had a lot of energy.”
Williams started her own beauty brand Wyn after years of interest in skincare and makeup. “I remember early on when I wore makeup—not even on the court but just around in the tennis arena—people would look twice,” she told Vanity Fair. “They’d be like, ‘Why is she wearing makeup?” And I was like, “Well, this is me and this is what I like to do.’ When I started wearing makeup on the court, whether it was eyeliner or lip stains that would last a really long time, it was definitely not normal. No one did that up until that time.”
Williams wants to do her part for the environment. “I’m not 100% plant-based, but I’ve watched a lot of these documentaries, and they talk about how if everyone cuts back a day or a week, or maybe two days a week, what a difference it can make,” she told Essence. “And that really spoke to me in terms of how we can do better for the environment.”
For Williams, self-care and wellbeing means enforcing boundaries. “A lot of people say you have to put yourself first, but I think you have to take breaks and understand the word ‘no’ sometimes. It’s very powerful,” she told Essence. “Take breaks; whether it’s going to get a facial, foot massage, pedicure, or going to look at nature. Whatever that break is, it’s important to let go, heal, and recharge.”
Being active means something different for Williams these days, who says she retired to focus on growing her family. “You can win in it and you can be active all day, like I have been,” she said to Vanity Fair about her makeup line. “I can go do grocery runs; I can do toy runs if I want to. I can go pick up my daughter from school, and I have my face on. It’s an everyday look, but it still has full coverage. It still has longevity and it’s clean. That’s what I mean by active. You don’t have to be a world-class tennis player. I mean, you can be, by the way. [Laughs.] But everyday lives of everyday people are so active.”