kerri walsh

One of the highlights of being a guest of Lexus at the espnW Women + Sports Summit was listening to Kerri Walsh take us through her gold-medal win during the London Olympic Games. From reconnecting with partner Misty May-Treanor to that final match in the sand, everything about Walsh's journey to the podium took fierce motivation. Regardless of your own fitness level, there is a lesson to be learned from Walsh on staying motivated to your own fitness goals.

Set a goal (and stick to it): Going into the Olympics, Walsh said she had one thing on her mind: getting the gold. It was that thought, she said, that kept her head (and heart) in the game — even while five weeks pregnant! And while you may not have your sights set on Olympic gold, find something to carry you through your workout. Whether it's improving overall health, losing 10 pounds, or upping your mileage, defining a goal will give workouts a more meaningful purpose, making them harder to skip. Once you reach your goal, make sure to set a new one. "I don't want to put things in terms of what I've accomplished," Walsh said. "I just want to get better." For Walsh, that means another win at the Rio 2016 Games.

Believe in yourself: Even armed with goals, it's important to believe that you can hit the mark. Whatever you set out to do — like Walsh's path to London — "your heart has to be all in. If you're a little bit checked out, you're not going to accomplish what you want." Once you have the attitude, Walsh said, the rest follows. You'll find that with a stronger belief in yourself, you're able to accomplish more, and the easier it becomes. Sounds like the perfect recipe for positive self-esteem.

See how Walsh finds confidence on off days after the break!

If you thought you saw more than the glimmer of Olympic gold in Kerri Walsh's eyes this Summer, it turns out you were right! Though her body certainly did nothing to indicate that something was stirring — thanks to those skimpy beach volleyball uniforms, little is left to fans' imaginations — the four-time Olympian just announced that not only is she pregnant, but she was five weeks along when she took home her third gold medal!

Appearing on the Today show this morning, Walsh and her husband, Casey Jennings, who are already parents to Joey, 3, and Sundance, 2, announced the news. They also shared that she was feeling unusually moody in London, and her volleyball partner, Misty May-Treanor, suggested that she may be pregnant.

I thought it could have been the stress of the Games, and travel kind of throws your schedule off, but I knew. At some point, you're late and then you start feeling something. And I definitely started feeling something in London.

Though she didn't know it at the time, Walsh wasn't the only expectant mama at the Games. Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi, a Malaysian shooter competing in the 10-meter air rifle was 35 weeks along when she arrived at her event, making her the "most pregnant woman in Olympic history." But unbeknownst to Walsh, she became the first pregnant woman ever to win an Olympic gold medal! Who says you can't exercise while pregnant!

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from espnW here on FitSugar!

By Jim Caple

I thought there was no crying in beach volleyball.

This is a sport of sand, bikinis, dance teams, sunscreen, music and laughter. But after completing a 12-year journey on a little stretch of Southern California-like beach imported to within sight and sound of Big Ben, Kerri Walsh Jennings was sobbing and hugging Misty May-Treanor as if she was never going to see her again.

Inside the Edge: Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh

She will, though. Just not on the sand of an Olympic venue with a pair of intimidated competitors on the other side of the net. Beach volleyball's best, most famous team went out the way it wanted to by winning its third gold medal on a sublime summer night at the Horse Guards Parade venue. "Our competitive journey is done and that's a big deal that just crushes me," Walsh Jennings said. "But the next stage is going to be so fun. We're going to be able to be girlfriends and just share each other's families and each other's lives."

"The first two gold medals it was more about volleyball," May Treanor said. "The friendship we had was there, but it was volleyball, volleyball, volleyball. This was so much more about the friendship, the togetherness, the journey — and volleyball was just a small part of it."

Take a Tour of the Oakley House

The two have never lost a match in Olympic play, going 21-0, and dropping only one set ("That pissed me off for a day and a half,'' Walsh Jennings joked). They won their gold by beating a familiar duo, Americans Jen Kessy and April Ross, in a U.S.-versus-U.S. finale. Under such a scenario, Prime Minister David Cameron, whose No. 10 Downing Street residence is literally across the street, must have really found the endless soundtrack of "Moves Like Jagger" and "Party Rock Anthem" extremely annoying. Or perhaps it was more irritating for him to hear "The Star-Spangled Banner" played during the medal ceremony when two American teams took the top two steps on the podium.

U.S. track team restores order

Kessy estimated the two teams have played each other "a gazillion times" over the years, though that statistic has yet to be confirmed by Elias. "We're definitely on the losing side of that battle," Kessy said. "But they are the best team of all time, so it doesn't feel too bad being second to them right now."

Read on for more.

The following post was written by Olympic athlete and mom Kerri Walsh, two-time gold medalist in pairs beach volleyball.

The weather is terrible and you're in no short supply of reasons to stay home and stay away from the gym. Here are some tips to help get you motivated . . .

State your fitness goal. When I'm feeling a little lazy I say out loud, "I want to be the best in the world." Sounds silly but it's true! Whenever I utter this sentence I drop my lazy attitude and fire up for whatever workout awaits!

When you find yourself looking for excuses to get out of your workout, hurry up and get dressed. Tie back your hair, put on your favorite leggings, tank and athletic shoes and start looking the part. Soon enough your mind will follow!

Trade a long, endurance work out for interval and/ or circuit training. My interval and circuit workouts are typically shorter than my mopeds traditional workouts. For example: I had a nasty little workout that absolutely kicked my butt and my lungs and my heart rate and it lasted only 5 minutes and 9 seconds. What was that crazy workout, you ask? I had to do 50 burpee/pull-ups as fast as I could! Yep, I dropped down into push up position, did a push-up, popped up into a squat position then jumped up as high as I could and did a pull-up on the pull-up bar. It was nuts, but so quick and so rewarding!

Be sure to catch up and read all of Kerri's great posts on FitSugar!

Kerri Walsh, two-time gold medalist in pairs beach volleyball, has been guest blogging here at FitSugar and sharing workouts and tips. Today, we learn how to make her fave snack. Kerri was excited to share her favorite cookie recipe with us, since this week's Get Fit For 2011 challenge is to share a recipe.

This simple recipe requires few ingredients and contains no flour! Chocolate is an optional addition — a bonus in my book.


Check out Kerri's recipe