Lindsey Vonn’s Workout And Wellness Secrets Are Actually Pretty Simple

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You'll probably never meet someone as motivated or goal-oriented as Lindsey Vonn. The Olympic Gold medalist started skiing at just three years old, and by 17, made it to the 2002 Olympic Games. During her time on the slopes, Lindsey constantly outperformed the competition and pushed the limits of what everyone thought possible.

By the time she retired in 2019 due to various injuries, Lindsey, 38, had amassed 82 Alpine Ski World Cup victories and an Olympic gold medal for the 2010 games in Vancouver (plus two bronze medals!).

While competing, Lindsey nearly broke the all-time Alpine Ski World Cup victory record for both men and women—an honor that recently went to her former teammate, Mikaela Shiffrin, who garnered 87 total wins. Still, Shiffrin credited Vonn with paving the way for gender equality in their sport, and allowing her to achieve the milestone.

Her secret to success is simple: Lindsey leaned into authenticity. "I was always just myself. You can be strong and feminine and opinionated and wear makeup and do all those things at the same time. You don't have to be the stereotypical athlete. You can be different," she told Women's Health in a recent interview. "There's no limit to what opportunities are out there [for you], you just have to go get them."

If you're curious to know more about the Olympic skier's secrets for greatness, you should know that she's extremely organized and loves a routine. So, Women's Health chatted with her about everything she does in a day, from breakfast to her detailed nighttime rituals.

Lindsey's breakfast depends based on her workout.

She has a few go-to breakfasts to chooses from, depending on whether she's heading to the gym or the slopes.

Each morning, Lindsey is woken up by her dogs (who also love to get in on her workouts, BTW), and then starts the day with either a banana and almond butter if she's doing cardio at the gym, eggs with some avocado if she's planning on lifting, or something even heartier, like steel cut oats with fruit, if she's going skiing.

Lindsey mixes it up during her workouts.

In retirement, gym time helps keep Lindsey's routine consistent, but that doesn't mean she doesn't enjoy her workouts. She listens to her brain and body. "Whatever you like doing is what you should be doing," she says.

FYI, Lindsey has conquered more injuries over the years than I can count, and most recently underwent yet another knee surgery in March 2022 to deal with ongoing issues from a torn ligament surgery in 2019, per People.

Typically, Lindsey works out at least three to four times a week, usually in the mornings. She likes to do cardio at least twice a week. But fun fact: She hates running.

"I have a doctor's note that says I should never run again in my life, and I'm okay with that," she says.

Instead, Lindsey will hit the bike or, during the warmer months, surf. Other days are leg days or lifting days—which are really important for Lindsey's knees after her injuries. She also loves a good box jump.

Fun and fashionable workout 'fits are a must.

Her workout gear has to be color coordinated. She usually prefers to wear something from her collection in Project Rock–either a crop top or muscle tees, with leggings (but they have to have a cell phone pouch!). For shoes, Lindsey always rocks her Project Rock 3s.

She cools off with a shake and a light lunch.

Post workout, Lindsey usually reaches for some type of protein shake. "When I finish a workout, I want something sweet right away," Lindsey says.

She'll often add some fruit or almond butter, and also loves to add in some beet powder. As lunchtime rolls around, she'll opt for a salad with some type of protein.

Lindsey's nighttime routine is very regimented.

Since her first knee injury, Lindsey has battled insomnia, so her nighttime routine is perfected to ensure she gets adequate rest. She usually starts off her evening by cooking dinner—while listening to some Frank Sinatra. That's a total vibe!

Lindsey's air fryer is a staple in her kitchen. She typically fries up a protein, usually salmon, to have with salad. "I always put a little goat cheese on there and as many veggies as possible," she says.

On nights when she's feeling a little more adventurous, Lindsey bakes swordfish with Carbone marinara sauce.

After dinner, Lindsey always makes sure to go for a quick walk before settling down for the night. "I have to go outside and walk the glucose off with my dog," she says.

Before getting in bed, Lindsey washes her face with an Italian face wash called Dermo Phisiologique, takes a Quviviq (a prescription medication for insomnia) as a sleep aid, and journals. Prior to starting on Quviviq, Lindsey says she only got six hours of sleep—she's now up to a solid eight.

"I feel the same about insomnia that I do about therapy," Lindsey says. "If you struggle with insomnia, have a conversation with your doctor. There's always a solution."

If Lindsey is skiing the next day, she also makes sure everything is laid out and ready to go—she even preps her steel cut oats to make the morning a breeze.

Journaling is extremely important to Lindsey's self-care.

In addition to sleeping and working out, Lindsey says that journaling has been essential for her mental health. It's also been a near-lifelong habit at this point, as the skier has kept a journal since she was nine years old. "Journaling has been really helpful for me throughout the course of my whole career, but especially when I retired," she says.

Lindsey journals every night, and tries to stay away from goal setting for the next day when she writes. Instead, she writes about what she's feeling, staying "in the present" as much as possible.

And often, on bad days, Lindsey will look back at older journals. "It's important to journal on good days because when you have bad days you can go back [and read it] and you know, This is what it felt like to have a good day," she says.

She really unplugs on rest days.

Lindsey leans all the way in to her days off. If it were up to her, she'd spend the entirety of them on the couch—but she keeps her body moving, usually through a walk with her dogs. Rest days are usually spent in oversized athletic wear or a onesie ("You never really grow out of a onesie," she says) complete with feet socks.

Lindsey's favorite "day off" meal is a big bowl of pasta or a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. "Some days, you just need it," she says.

Although Lindsey's routines are sacred to her, she's mostly focused on anything that keeps her feeling good and staying on her path.

"Every day is a new opportunity to be better," she says.

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