Olympian Highlight: Simone Biles

The Olympics are in full swing!

Having been postponed one whole year due to COVID-19, the games have officially begun in Tokyo today, July 23, with the opening ceremony and will end on August 8 with the closing ceremony.

Have you ever wondered what an Olympic athlete's diet looks like? It's important to recognize that every athlete's fitness and nutritional regimen differs depending on a variety of factors like their sport, goals, and body type. There's no "one size fits all" when it comes to routines and lifestyles. 

Just take a look at this photo that gymnast Simone Biles shared of her (4' 8") and volleyball player David Lee (6' 8") at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. That's a 2 foot difference!

size difference in olympians doesn't matter, depending on what sport you do 😉 6'8" & 4'8" pic.twitter.com/xiU9zIBXJH

— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) August 2, 2016

"It's amazing that I can inspire little kids to know that you can be short or tall, and your body type doesn't matter because you can do anything. That's what I love about how diverse our team is—we have such different body types, yet together we build the best team there is. I think we're stronger together than individually."

Simone Biles is the most decorated gymnast of all time with 5 Olympic medals (4 gold, 1 bronze) and 25 World Championship medals under her belt. She will lead the US Olympic women's gymnastics team in Tokyo. If you've ever wondered how your own diet and exercise stacks up to an Olympian's, continue reading to find out! 

Diet 

Keep in mind that this is what Biles eats on an average day in the midst of training and competitions.

"It all depends on how I feel, but when I splurge, I have like popcorn or pretzels and Nutella, stuff like that, as a snack." 

Dinner:

• Mostly fish, vegetables, and rice 
• Generally, Biles will listen to her own body and follow her cravings. If she's feeling a less healthy meal, she cites pizza or fettuccine alfredo with chicken. 

Biles also makes sure to stay hydrated throughout the day and especially during training, listing Smartwater as an essential item in her gym bag! She also notes that she doesn't track her food intake and typically just listens to her body's needs and cravings throughout the day. 

Daily Workout Routine

During training for the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Biles would have practice 2 times a day from 9am-12pm and 3pm-6pm. She also has therapy afterwards either at the gym or at home. Cross-training was also a part of her training for Rio; this involved swimming, running, and biking to add some variety and work different muscle groups. She also makes sure to always stretch to stay flexible and avoid injury. 

"My favorite stretch is splits because not a lot of people can do them. And over-splits is when you put your leg up on a mat so it's higher—and it just looks cooler!"

Core Power protein shakes are also a favorite of Biles. She usually drinks half after first practice and half after the second to recover. 

Favorite & Least Favorite Strength-Training

"I like doing legs because those exercises come pretty easily to me. I have good, powerful legs, so I can do conditioning and they won't be too sore. But stomach conditioning, I don't like it at all! It's my least favorite. I like laughing better for an ab workout than actually doing abs!" 

Check out this at-home workout video Biles posted in April 2020:  

 Vitamins & Supplements 

A large chunk of Biles' nutrition outlined above is high in protein, omega 3s, and fiber.

Click through to view NutriCelebrity's collection of Protein Powders, Omega 3, and Fiber supplements! 

Make sure you're getting enough of all your necessary nutrients and tune in to the 2020 Olympics to see Simone Biles in action! 🤸‍♀️🇺🇸

Sources:
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/food/a34482124/simone-biles-diet/
https://www.wellandgood.com/simone-biles-diet-nutrition/
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a19982193/simone-biles-rio-olympics/