Women's gymnastics really seems like a sport for girls. While there were some older competitors, like Alicia Sacramone of the US and China's Cheng Fei who are both 20, it seems a sport loaded with youngsters. So what happens to these women, or girls, after competing at the top? All-around gold medal winner Nastia Liukin and her teammate Shawn Johnson are definitely approaching their futures differently. These girls roomed together at the Olympics and wanted to go gold and silver in as many events as they could, but let me tell you about their next moves.

The 18-year-old Nastia Liukin will be heading home to Texas Thursday with her five medals, one gold, one bronze, and three silvers. She has many ad campaigns in the works, including one for Visa, and you can expect to see her on the Jay Leno show sometime next week. Daughter of Olympian gymnasts, Liukin plans on competing in the 2009 world championships.

To see what Shawn's future holds, read more

One way to make sure you don't overeat is by slowing down so that your stomach has time to register that it's full. There are plenty of tricks to keep yourself from scarfing down dinner, such as eating with your non-dominant hand.

Here's an even easier one: Make sure you put down your fork between every bite. If you're eating something with your hands, such as pizza or a sandwich, put down the actual food. Then, don't pick up the fork or food again until you've chewed and swallowed the previous bite. When you start to feel full, put down the fork altogether!

The forced pauses will prevent you from racing through your meal and give you more time to savor it. Plus, not only is this a healthy eating tip, but it's also good table manners, don't you think?

Source

I find the Olympic Games inspiring and want to get out and try everything, except the vault because that just seems suicidal. Unfortunately, I don't have the height for basketball or the speed for sprinting (even though I have been doing my sprint intervals almost weekly). Sam Callan, an exercise physiologist and the coaching education manager for USA Cycling, stresses the importance of knowing your body type when dreaming of gold deciding what fitness avenue to take.

For instance Kerri Walsh, standing six feet two inches tall, is built for blocking volleyballs on the sand while Shawn Johnson who is only four feet nine inches tall is perfect for attacking a balance beam. So before you decide to tackle a new sport, consider your body and your likes and dislikes. You might not make it all the way to the podium, but at least you would be fighting a winning battle.

Source