Watch Lindsey Vonn Talk About The Meaning Behind Her 3 Hidden Tattoos
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Throughout her pro skiing career, Lindsey Vonn's strong bod has been priority number one. "My body has always been so pivotal and important in my career," she tells Women's Health in her new Body Scan video.
"My favorite thing about my body is my butt," she says with a laugh as her pup co-host Lucy snuggles in her lap. (BTW: Lindsey's love of dogs is on display in her new gig hosting The Pack on Amazon Prime Vide.)
"I'm an athlete and I use my body for my sport, but I am nowhere near perfect," Lindsey says. "I have stretch marks. I have cellulite. I'm a normal person." She also has scars on her arms, legs, and all over.
Lindsey's broken multiple bones over the years. Her worst was a training crash in 2016 that fractured her humerus in her upper arm. "My bone split into three pieces and it twisted and my nerve popped out," she says.
It took her two hours to get from the mountain to the hospital in excruciating pain the whole way. "My physical therapist had to slap me to keep me from fainting because it was such intense pain." She was in surgery for several hours to repair and place a plate and 18 (!!) screws.
Her lower bod hasn't fared much better, though. One knee alone required six surgeries. It's basically bone on bone now and Lindsey says she has a hard time walking the dogs for 10 minutes.
"I've found a good balance. I work out about three to four times a week," says Lindsey, who trains with Gunnar Peterson in Los Angeles. "Now I just do what's fun. Being strong is just important to me know as it was before because of all my injuries. I have to maintain what I have otherwise I'm going to fall apart."
Lindsey's worked through a lot mentally, too. After her Olympics win in 2010, she hit the red carpet and did more photoshoots. "Everyone else was like a size zero on the red carpets and I'm like a size 10," she says. "I started to get really self-conscious with the way I looked."
She let it get to her, lost some weight, and sacrificed her skiing that season as a result. "Going forward I have to prioritize my skiing and not the way I look."
Lindsey also has three meaningful tattoos to keep her focused on her goals. The little shark on her left finger stands for always moving forward, because sharks can't swim in reverse.
Before the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, she also got the word "Believe" tattooed on her right hand in Greek.
Plus, she has a tattoo in honor of her late grandfather. "I have 'still I rise' on my ribs for my grandfather." It's a Maya Angelou quote that means, "I want to live my life in a way that would make him proud and continue to rise above any adversity I have."
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