Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn is back in the saddle after getting knee surgery earlier this year. Vonn, 39, shared a video of herself working out. “Been putting the time in the gym… It’s how I clear my mind and keep my sanity… when life gets hard, I workout harder.,” she captioned it. Vonn turns 40 this year—here’s what her health and wellness regimen looks like.
Vonn can’t imagine a life without thrills. “Adrenaline is kind of like oxygen for me,” she told BBC’s Influential. “I need it. The hardest thing in this next chapter of life without ski racing is I’ve had to try to figure out a way to find that excitement and adventure without racing downhill. Adrenaline is something I feed off of; I need it. I love it. It’s what gets me going. I need a challenge, something to push me. Life without ski racing is pretty boring, to be honest.”
Vonn’s most important wellness tip is sleep. “I feel like sleep solves everything,” she told Well+Good. “If you’re sick, go take a nap, go to bed early. In any situation, I feel like sleep is the best solution. Usually it’s nine, plus an hour nap. My priority is making my body feel the best it possibly can, and that’s always what seems to make it feel better.”
Vonn is thankful social media wasn’t as prevalent when she was younger. “I think the mental pressure that athletes have is so much more challenging than the physical pressure,” she told BBC’s Influential. “As athletes, we’re always in great shape. I’d be hard- pressed to find an athlete that wasn’t in prime physical condition. But I think it’s the mental aspect that changes everything. Everyone has pressure. But I feel that pressure is a privilege. If you use pressure to your advantage, it can be a huge driving force. But it’s so easy to let it get to you. Especially now with social media: When I won Vancouver in 2010, Facebook was just hitting its prime, and I don’t think I was faced with as much criticism as athletes are now. The amount of pressure that athletes have is quite incredible.”
Vonn is justifiably proud of her career thus far. “When I was 17 going to Salt Lake City, it was right after 9/11,” she told BBC’s Influential. “It was this incredibly emotional and unifying moment for America – and for myself. I dreamed of being an Olympian since I met Picabo Street when I was nine years old, so to walk into the stadium during the opening ceremonies was so incredible. Outside of winning the gold in Vancouver [in 2010], it was the most emotional experience of my life.”
Vonn is ready for whatever’s next. “It’s figuring out ways to reinvent myself, not because there’s an expectation, but because I personally want to evolve as a businesswoman and as a woman in general,” she told Sharp Magazine. “That’s just how I am: always on the gas.”