Gymnast Aly Raisman: Tell Yourself to Be Great
Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman. (Photo: Getty)
Olympic Gold Medalist… Check. Dancing With The Stars contestant… Check.
Posing Nude for a magazine? Check … Don’t worry it wasn’t for just any publication, or any edition, gymnast Aly Raisman recently took it all off for ESPN’s Body Issue – on stands now. “Two years ago I wouldn’t have been able to do something like that,” says the Massachusetts-born brunette. “Now that I’m 21 years old, I feel confident, and I try to focus on more of the positive things.”
Balancing a career, a social life and an intense work out schedule isn’t always easy, according to the 2012 Summer Olympics captain. “It’s a little more than 32 hours a week,” says Raisman. “By the end of the week, I’m exhausted!” In the gym, her fitness regimen includes routines and conditioning, although she admits bars and vaults are her least favorite. Outside the gym, she goes for walks and runs. “It’s me time.”
Raisman works hard, has overcome injury and obstacles, and performed in front of millions. She’s dealt with all of this while facing pressure and aiming for perfection (though she knows there’s no such thing).
Yahoo Beauty: How do you create body confidence?
Aly Raisman: I think it’s something you develop over time. Especially now that the Body Issue has come out, people look at the athletes and they think because you’re naked that you’re perfectly confident all the time. I don’t think anyone in the world is like that. I think it’s something you have to work on.
You focus on the positives. What are good things you concentrate on?
Instead of waking up in the morning and picking out things I don’t like about myself, in the mirror, I focus on the positive and not the negative. On most days, I’m sweating in the gym and leave with messy hair, not wearing makeup. I think it’s really important for me to be comfortable with that. I try to say nice things. My favorite things about myself are that I take care of my skin, I like my hair and I like that I’m fit. I try to focus more on being fit and not tell myself that I need to be skinny.
Did you ever feel pressured to try and change your body type, or fit into a mold of pop culture figures who are setting questionable standards in the media?
It’s a little different for me because of my sport. For gymnastics, you have to be really strong and really powerful. You have to have that balance – making sure you’re really, really strong. You can’t be too skinny – you wont have the power to do all the skills that we do.
How do you deal with pressure and being in front of millions of people?
I practiced for five and a half hours [today]. It’s kind of like, practice makes perfect. You’re always striving for that perfect routine, even though there’s no such thing has perfection. Your mind is kind of always going there. Today I did seven beam routines and five of them were really good. Instead of focusing on the five of the seven, I think about the two that weren’t as good, so it’s always like it’s never enough. I push myself and work as hard as I can so by the time the competition comes, I feel more excited and try to enjoy the moment and not think about how nervous I am.
What do you do to calm your nerves?
I look to my teammates and my coaches. In gymnastics, it’s just me and my coach out on the floor. He calms me down. He helps me out. Something as simple as taking a deep breath makes a really big difference – and just having a positive attitude. It’s definitely mind over body. If you tell yourself you’re going to fall, then that’s exactly what you’re going to do. If you tell yourself you’re going to have a great routine, then you will.
What obstacles have you overcome, and how did you beat them?
I think everyone – especially athletes with injuries – has something like that. When I was 12, I had an injury. I was in a back brace for five months. I grew like two inches, which is not a lot at all, but for gymnastics it’s a really big gap. It was a little bit of an adjustment getting back to that. When you grow even a half of an inch – that can really affect your gymnastics.
How do you choose your equipment?
I like to run a lot, especially on Saturdays. I put my headphones in. Reebok just came out with their new ZPump sneakers. I like their colors. They’re fun and bright. It puts me in a better mood! If I go out, I find myself wearing black a lot. With workout clothes, I kind of just go crazy – it’s really fun.
What is your beauty regimen?
My favorite skincare line is Revision. I’ve tried so many other things. Just because I’m always in the gym and sweating so much, I’m more prone to breakout. It’s not like the AC is on for all five and a half hours [of a workout]. After a work out, I’m into taking a bath and putting a facemask on. Revision’s face cream – I’m obsessed with it.
What is your message to girls who have Olympic dreams?
It sounds cliché, but work hard. You have to always remember your goals – even when you’re not at the gym. You’re training outside the gym. It’s all about eating healthy, making sure you have enough energy for workouts. Even on the weekends, it’s not staying out with your friends. Getting to bed at a good time is important for your health.
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