Professional athletes are known for taking their licks and getting back at their sport — and Lindsey Vonn is no exception. The Vail-based downhill ski champion, who has had several serious injuries in her career, suffered another setback when she fell and broke the humerus in her right arm while training at Copper Mountain in November.
Just two months after the injury and surgery, and the intense rehab that followed, she’s itching to get back to competition. “Made progress every day this week while training at home in Vail,” she said on Facebook Sunday. “I finished the weekend with some really good super-g training! Because skiing is going well and my arm feels good, I’m heading to Europe! I’m still taking it day by day but hopefully I can race soon.”
Vonn details her tests and triumphs in “Strong is the New Beautiful: Embrace Your Natural Beauty, Eat Clean, and Harness Your Power” (Dey Street Books, October 2016), which she wrote with Sarah Toland.
She writes about everything from starting out as a slowpoke skier as a kid to being at the top of her game. In addition to the personal stories, she shares advice on diet, exercise and even her beauty routine, making the book much better than your average self-improvement tone.
Here are a few things we gleaned:
- She believes in her body and taking care of it. After nearly 30 years of skiing, she writes, “My body has survived horrific crashes, broken bones, torn ligaments, fractured body parts, debilitating pain, and two intense knee surgeries. I’ve also endured what so many other women have, too: breakups, relationship problems, and a divorce, along with all the insecurities about how my body looks to others and how it looks to me. But I’ve been fortunate to come through it all, and in the end, I owe everything to my body. My strong body.”
- She hates running. Vonn pursued a variety of different sports growing up. It took a while to find what she calls her “Fitness Me,” the exercise routine and sport that she was passionate about. Hers was skiing, of course, but she urges readers to experiment to find the fitness outlet that makes them want to work out. Among her suggestions: Revisit things you liked as a kid, try one new workout for at least 20 minutes every week and, if you like it, do it again.
- She has 65 favorite exercises. Most people – even those who enjoy working out – would be hard-pressed to come up with more than a dozen strength-building moves in the gym. Vonn details 65 that are rated like ski slopes – from beginner to expert – with photos and instructions.
- She cooks a big batch of quinoa each weekend. It’s part of her eating clean routine. After years of being on a variety of diets, ranging from carb-loading to paleo, she finally began feeling strong and healthy when she switched to meals focused on unprocessed proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains (like quinoa). She eats three meals and two snacks per day and shares ideas and recipes for 49 of them.
- She loves wearing makeup and is unapologetic about it. “While I rarely do so while I’m at home or out and about in Vail, I like to wear (makeup) when I race,” she writes. “It’s partly psychological for me, as if I’m literally putting on a game face to compete. I also like how I look when I wear makeup and I want to present what I feel is my best face to the world when I ski – it helps me feel more confident and powerful.”
