What’s it like being Venus Williams, a former World No. 1 title holder, with 7 Grand Slam titles, 5 Wimbledon titles and 4 Olympic gold medals? In a word, healthy. In two, VERY healthy. We want to wish happy birthday to this tennis star by creating an ode to her healthiness and showing you how you can achieve a rockin’ bod like hers!
1. Green Smoothies
In an interview with Glamour, Venus stated that she love to make “green juices” with “way too much protein powder.” Her favorite ingredients include carrots, kale and cucumbers and she makes sure to use every last bit from the juice to the fibers, “Nothing goes to waste.” All those vitamins and nutrients from raw vegetables and protein powder are a great way to substitute a meal, keep you less hungry for longer and rebuild muscle after a workout. Here’s a recipe that we found on Mind Body Well, called Nina’s Green Lemonade, that you can try for yourself! Simply throw it all in a blender and drink!
2. Warming Up & Training
Ralph Lauren put together a series of videos called Legacy of Sportsmanship: Tennis, of which Venus starred in several. Although these videos are very concentrated on tennis workouts, the theories definitely apply to any workout you’re doing. In this video, “Venus Williams: How to Warm-up & Train” she talks about the importance of warming up, stretching and some training basics that apply to both on and off the court. It’s important to warm up slowly and build up to your top heart rate and ability and then cool down afterwards. Warming up too fast and not stretching after the warm up can lead to pulled muscles and other injuries, so make sure you do both!
3. Beach workouts!
Venus is known to spend entire days working out, and over two hours in the gym five days a week! While she preaches dedication and consistency as the keys to succeeding in a work out regimine, there’s no reason to workout in a drab gym all the time! Now that summer’s here, check out tennis.com’s workout session with Venus:
QUADRANT HOP
Mark a spot in the sand and stand there with your feet shoulder width apart. After a deep knee bend, hop forward as far as you can and then backward to the original spot. Repeat that movement to your left, behind you, and to your right, getting as much push into your hops as possible. Do as many as you can in 30 seconds, then take off for a 50-yard sprint. Try to gradually increase the number of hops you do in 30 seconds, and then extend your time until you can hop for 60 seconds.
4. Favorite cardio? Swimming!
In an interview with FitSugar, Venus stated , “Swimming is my favorite cardiovascular activity. Lately I have been swimming in the ocean too.”
Swimming is just as effective as running, with far less impact. It’s perfect for people who suffer from joint pain but still want to get their heart rate up while working every muscle in your body. Check out this awesome and calorie burning aquatic workout that can be done in either the ocean or the pool. Get that bikini body while in a bikini! (Just be careful of–ehem–slippage.)
5. Lastly, try something new!
Venus spoke to Aaron Torres Sports and said, “Also, as you get older, you get wiser and are always looking for ways to improve your performance. You try to look at different options, try different things.”
You can never been afraid to try something new at the gym or put something different in your diet. Recently, I switched from eating brown rice to brown rice cous cous, and I enjoy the flavor and texture much more than normal brown rice, but it’s still a complex carbohydrate (the good kind). Throw some different combos into a shake or try new exercises at the gym to prevent yourself from falling into a workout rut and being less effective. Maybe tennis is your calling, go give it a shot!
Venus really is a great role model. She represents real women in the US.