A Bite-Size Read for Your Health and Waistline
Summer’s here, and I found myself thinking back to this time last year during the Olympics. I heard from clients and podcast listeners about how fired up they felt watching those incredible athletes. Honestly, same. Every time the Games are on, I go into my workouts with a little extra motivation. There’s something about watching someone push their limits and perform at that level that gives my own fitness a serious boost.
So, I started thinking about what it really means to train like an Olympian. And more importantly, what parts of their athletic training can actually apply to us as regular people who want to be consistent with our wellness routine? Whether you already consider yourself active or you’re just starting to build healthy habits, there’s a lot we can learn from the way Olympic athletes approach their days.
Now let’s be honest. Olympians are in a league of their own. They often dedicate their entire lives to their sport. For many, it’s literally their full-time job. They have coaches, medical teams, recovery specialists, and nutrition experts guiding every step. Genetics also plays a role. Just think of Michael Phelps! His body is practically made for the water. Some athletes even have naturally bigger hearts or a faster training response that puts them ahead of the curve.
Even with all that, there are habits we can borrow. When we stop seeing Olympians as superhuman and instead look at them as inspiration, their routines become a whole lot more useful (and surprisingly applicable) in our everyday lives.
1. Make Consistency the Priority, Not Your Mood
One of the biggest takeaways is that Olympians don’t wait to feel motivated. They just show up. Katie Ledecky, who has 7 Olympic gold medals and 21 world titles, swims 10 times a week. Then she hits the gym for strength work, mobility training, and even Pilates. That’s a full schedule. It’s not realistic for most of us, and it doesn’t have to be. What we can take from her example is that consistency counts more than waiting for the perfect mood. Moving your body becomes something you just do as part of your day. Not something that depends on how the day goes.
I also loved hearing the story of Fred Richard, a young gymnast at the University of Michigan. He was inspired by Olympic runner Noah Lyles and decided to add sprinting to his own training. He even got tips from Lyles himself. That shift gave Fred more power in his vaults. It’s proof that when something lights a fire in you, use that motivation to try something new. It might improve your performance in ways you didn’t expect.
2. Train the Whole Body
Athletes don’t just stick to one type of training. They use cross-training to develop strength, balance, flexibility, and endurance. That variety keeps them sharp. Noah Lyles, for example, trains for speed during the competitive season, but in the off-season, he builds strength with exercises like squats and Romanian deadlifts. If you’ve done those, you know they’re no joke. You could also look at fencing champion Lee Kiefer. She includes not only sport-specific drills but also strength work while exercising with her husband (and fellow Olympian).
For us, this might look like adding yoga into your week, lifting weights a couple of times, or walking after dinner for more movement. Cross-training supports your whole body, helps prevent injury, and keeps your workouts interesting. Supporting all the muscles around your main movement patterns makes you stronger in the long run.
3. Choose One Goal and Go After It
Olympians focus on one goal at a time. Most of us just check a box with our workouts. If we broke a sweat, we call it a win. And yes, movement is always a win, but training with purpose means picking one thing to improve. Olympians don’t try to do it all at once; they narrow their focus to help themselves stay on track. What would happen if you did the same?
Maybe you choose to improve your push-up form, run your first 5K, or work toward holding a plank for one minute. Setting one clear goal gives your fitness routine direction. Building a plan around that goal can help you measure progress with intention.
4. Treat Recovery as Part of the Process
Olympians know that recovery isn’t a break from training. It’s a piece of the puzzle. Take LeBron James. His sleep routine is famous for a reason. He gets eight to ten hours of sleep a night, naps during the day, and keeps his sleep environment cool and distraction-free. That’s because recovery is when the body makes the most progress. It’s called exercise adaptation, and is when the real changes happen. Your muscles repair, your energy levels reset, and your body absorbs nutrients from the fuel you’ve given it. So if you’ve ever skipped a workout and called it a rest day just because you didn’t feel like it, know that real recovery is intentional. Planning for it can make all the difference.
5. Fuel Your Body with Purpose
This one always surprises people: The Whole Grains Council shared that the average American actually eats more grains on a regular day than an Olympian eats before a race. Think about that. Even with higher energy needs, elite athletes are strategic. They focus on clean, lean protein, fiber from fruits and veggies, and healthy fats. That’s the same foundation I talk about all the time. Food is fuel, and fueling well supports both your performance and your recovery.
6. Strengthen Your Mental Muscles Too
One of the most underrated parts of athletic training is the mental game. Olympians spend years building mental strength. They know how to bounce back from a loss without spiraling and manage to stay focused on the next step. Think about Carrie Strug in the 1992 Olympics! She landed a vault on one foot after injuring her ankle, just to help the team win gold. That kind of grit comes from practice, not luck.
Visualization plays a big part in that mindset. Athletes use it to mentally prepare for competition, picturing the entire experience, from the sound of the crowd to the way they’ll feel after they finish. They rehearse it all in their mind. This kind of mental prep builds confidence and calms the nervous system. If you’ve seen athletes close their eyes just before they compete, this is what they’re doing. Guess what? You don’t have to be in the Olympics to do it.
Before one of my own live events, I used visualization to prepare. I pictured what I wanted the space to look like, how I wanted the audience to respond, and how I wanted to feel when it was over. It helped me stay focused and calm. You don’t need to be standing on a podium to use this tool. Your “gold medal moment” might be a presentation at work, your first 5K, or getting through a busy day with energy left at the end. Whatever it is, mental rehearsal helps you show up the way you want to.
Of course, most of us aren’t aiming for a medal. We have meetings, laundry, text messages, and who knows how many open tabs in our browsers. But that doesn’t mean we can’t use the mindset and habits of Olympians in our own lives. You can apply their focus, structure, and motivation to your own fitness goals. You can create a wellness routine that works for your life and helps you feel better every day.
Pick one habit to work on and start there. Maybe it’s consistency. Maybe it’s cross-training. Maybe it’s just going to bed earlier so your body can recover better. Whatever you choose, let it support the version of you that you’re working toward. Because showing up for yourself again and again might just be the biggest win of all.