FitSugar

Can Motherhood Make Us Better Athletes?

LilSugar — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 05:00:42 -0700

Forget Couch to 5K, maybe it should be Delivery Room to Marathon. While many postpartum mamas complain of the toll their pregnancies took on their bodies, doctors claim that the experience may make them more powerful than they were before conceiving a child. Researchers from Michigan State University and John Moores University in Liverpool have found that increases in blood volume and hormones that occur during pregnancy can improve the body's muscle strength, allowing women to excel at athletic activities.

The recent successes of mother-athletes like tennis ace Kim Clijsters, swimmer Dara Torres, distance runner Paula Radcliffe and golfer Catriona Matthew have the researchers looking at the psychological side of birth and athletics. Professor Greg Whyte, from John Moores University, speculates that the birthing process increases women's pain threshold, making female athletes even stronger than before:

"Women re-evaluate where they can anchor pain and many psychologists believe that woman’s pain threshold is effectively reset so that when she resumes or takes up training again, nothing ever seems as uncomfortable."

Did you find yourself stronger after giving birth?

7 Fitness Tips From Olympian Dara Torres

FitSugar — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 05:50:19 -0700

Swimmer Dara Torres is one woman who's inspired me to stay active and healthy for years to come. At 41, she won three silver medals swimming in Beijing, so she's living proof that you only get fitter with age. Here are some tips from a Self magazine exclusive interview with Dara Torres, to help you stay healthy as you age.

Set a fun fitness goal. Dara says, "Even if you don't quite believe in yourself yet, if you set a goal that's not too tough to reach, then meet it, that will motivate you to set another one and continue that cycle."
Triple your warmup time. Instead of the recommended five minutes of warming up, Dara does at least 15. She says it "helps prevent aches" and make her feel "as spry as she did when she was 17." Warming up gives your muscles a chance to ease into your workout, which will reduce your chance of sustaining an injury. The longer you warm up, the better.

There are five more tips, so keep reading

Dara Torres Talks About Staying Fit and Not Acting Your Age

FitSugar — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 06:00:00 -0700

Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing Dara Torres, the amazing Olympian, swimmer, and mom who made headlines at Beijing when she swam for a comeback at age 41. She won three silver medals and also won me over.

Not only did Torres give me lots of great advice on health, training, and fitness, but she also shared some insight on how she balances intense training with a (relatively) normal personal life. She was funny and refreshingly honest. Better yet, I've got a video excerpt of our interview! Check it out below.

To read some more of my favorite excerpts from the interview, read more.

FitSugar: Tell us about your memoir, Age Is Just a Number:
Dara Torres: "It was really a lot of fun to write. I got that title because I really realized you don't put an age limit on your dreams. And a lot of people put elite athletes on pedestals and forget that we're human and that we make mistakes and we have our ups and downs and our trials and tribulations, and I really wanted that to get across. I wanted the everyday person to relate to my book."

FS: What are some of those trials and tribulations you discuss in the book?
DT: "I talk about just getting back into my comeback and my father passes away from colon cancer. I deal with the pressures of trying to make an Olympic team when so many eyes are on me and so many middle-aged people are counting on me. I talk about my coach, who ended up having a rare blood disorder right after I made the Olympic team. There were a lot of things I had to deal with."

FS: And you also, throughout all this, have been raising a daughter? How old is she now?
DT: "My daughter is 3, and it's really been such a fun time in my life. I really looked towards role models like working parents to figure out how I can balance my life to be the best mom that I can be and also be able to do what I love to do. Just normal people who work 9-to-5 jobs and are still awesome parents. It's a tough thing to try to figure out how to balance, but I'm lucky I found a balance that works really well for both my daughter and myself."

FS: And does she like swimming?
"She loves swimming. I've had her in the pool since she was about 3 months old. Some of my teammates who are so young tease me and say 'you guys'll be swimming in the same meet coming up soon,' so I get teased a lot."

FS: What is your precompetition ritual in terms of what you eat or what you do?
DT: "I'll drink some type of shake with milk before I swim, and that's really all I need. I don't like to eat a lot before I'm in a big race because I'm already nervous as it is and the last thing I need to do is get sick to my stomach. Maybe have a little cereal with milk. Just very minimal what I eat before I train."

FS: In a recent interview with More magazine, you mentioned that you had some eating disorder issues when you were in college and went "cold turkey." What tips could you offer to other women who are struggling with this?
DT: "It's not easy to get over it on your own. What I did was set a goal. And at that point in time I had not been swimming for a while, and my goal was to try and make a third Olympic team. The minute I had that goal in my head, it was like, you know what, I can't have this eating disorder anymore or else I'm not going to reach my goals. And so I was lucky to have swimming as an outlet. The biggest thing you need to do is be able to talk to someone about it. It's not like if you talk to them you’re going to get over it right away but at least you can communicate and let someone know and hopefully they can help you get help."

Source

Dara Torres Proves Age Is Just a Number

FitSugar — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:30:00 -0700

Even while cooling off in the pool, Dara Torres looks smokin' on the cover of More magazine. In the April issue, one of my favorite Olympians talks about her new memoir, fittingly titled Age Is Just a Number, as well as body image issues and performance-enhancing drugs. Meanwhile, her career is going swimmingly: She's training for the world championships in Rome this Summer. Here's what she had to say:

On what happens if she doesn't train:
"I'm not the type to ever want to find that out. If I was not swimming, I'd probably work out a few hours a day, do aerobics, weights, play tennis. It's not just the way it makes me look; it makes me feel good inside."

On being suspected of taking performance-enhancing drugs:
"It’s the most hurtful thing. I was angry when journalists would ask to interview me and do stories that were drug-related, saying, 'I wanted to believe Dara.' I have a daughter who is one day going to read all this stuff. I’ve done everything I possibly can to prove that I was clean. I went to the head of the United states anti-doping agency and asked to be tested any way they wanted. They keep the samples for years. How can anyone in their right mind who is cheating decide to go through all that?"

To read what Dara had to say about struggling with food and staying in shape, read more.

On her struggles with food:
"I had an eating disorder in college, and I went for years restricting myself from specific foods, looking at labels. . . . It was a real dark thing in my life. I don't think I would have had it if I wasn't an athlete. I finally went to a doctor, who asked, 'Do you make yourself throw up?' And I said, 'No,' and then I felt horrible that I'd lied to her. I marched back in and told her the truth. She sent me to a psychiatrist. I threw up less, but it went on. When I decided to try for the 1992 Olympics, I knew I didn’t want to have this problem, so I stopped cold turkey."

On her body acceptance:
"I have no chest; when I go to Victoria's Secret, I have to ask if they have training bras."

On her 42-year-old physique:
"I'm in the best shape of my life. I can't do what I did when I was 20, as far as training, yet I can swim faster. When I'm standing on the blocks, I don't think, oh, I'm 42 and these girls are 15 or 16 years old. I feel like an athlete; I'm one of them, and I'm going to compete against my competitors."

I'm always glad to hear people who've struggled with eating disorders express such self-acceptance and self-confidence. Are you surprised by her comments?

Dara Torres Just Had Shoulder Surgery?!

FitSugar — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 03:30:00 -0700

Dara Torres left Beijing with her three silver medals in tow, and went almost straight to the operating room. This means the 41-year-old comeback ~~kid~~ mama - and hot mama at that - was swimming in pain. I couldn't tell, could you?

Torres lost her signature race, the 50-meter freestyle sprint, by .01 seconds. She has a phenomenal swim, and now that I know Torres was dealing with degenerative arthritis in her AC joint (where the collar bone, or clavicle, connects to the top of the shoulder blade), I am even more impressed. I'm impressed by her competitive drive, focus, and ability to race in pain. Obviously, she put the surgery and its six-week recovery period off so she could compete in her fifth Olympic games. She had surgery on Aug. 27 to create space in the arthritic joint so hopefully she can move her shoulder pain-free. I sure hope she has a speedy recovery, since she has a little one to chase after.

Source

Where in the World Is Dara Torres?

FitSugar — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 03:00:00 -0700

I have been officially diagnosed with Olympic swimming fever. How about you? Superstar Michael Phelps is all over the news, breaking records left and right, but where in the world is Dara Torres.

The comeback ~~kid~~ mom was all over the media prior to the games, but since she is only competing in two Olympic events we've had to wait almost a week to see her swim again. Dara anchored the silver winning 4x100 relay team last Sunday, but her signature event is the 50 meter freestyle. Preliminary heats start today, August 15, and she will race in the 10th heat at 6:51 p.m. Beijing time. The semifinals will be held on Saturday and the finals on Sunday. I do so hope she makes it to the finals.

To see how Dara's qualifying time compares to the world record read more.

Just a few stats to get you ready for the event. Dara's qualifying time for the 50 meter freestyle was 24:25. The current world record is held by Lisbeth Trickett of Australia. She swam the distance in 23.97 earlier this year. Torres won her first Olympic medal in 1984, almost a year before Phelps was born.

Will you be watching Dara swim? Tell me in the comments section below.

Source

Courtside to Poolside: Women in Sports Weekend

FitSugar — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 03:00:00 -0700

Not only did we have a three day weekend, but the world of women's sports was alive with excitement.

Whether you were watching Wimbledon or not, a sister on sister final match must intrigue you. The Williams sisters dueled it out in an exciting final match (7/5, 6/4). In this match up Venus came out on top, continuing the friendly sibling rivalry – the last time Venus beat younger sister Serena was in the US Open in 2001. The sisters also won the women's doubles title. Congrats ladies and thanks for bringing tennis excitement back to the states!

To see how swimmer 41-year-old Dara Torres did at US Olympic swimming trials, read more.

Off the court and into the pool, mommy Olympic swimmer Dara Torres made an amazing comeback indeed! Not only did she win the 100 meter freestyle as well as the 50 meter freestyle events, she broke a US record too. With already nine medals to her name, Torres is still hungry for more and pushed herself to make the US Swim team after taking seven years off from competitive swimming. Now we just have to wait to see how she does in the Olympics.

We will definitely have our eyes on Dara as well as Venus and Serena when the Beijing games begin. Are you getting excited for the Olympics? I certainly am!

Source

Get Motivated: 41-Year-Old Swimmer Goes For Olympic Gold

FitSugar — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:00:00 -0700

Need a little motivation to get off your butt these days? How about Dara Torres? This Olympic swimmer is coming out of retirement for hopes at swimming in the Olympics this August. Not only is Torres a new mom, but she's 41 and if she makes the team, she'll be the oldest swimmer to compete in the Olympics, ever. If Torres makes it to the games this August, it will mark 24 years since she competed in her first Olympic games. Check her out.

How cool is that? The swimming trials are going on now and I'm cheering Torres on! She's so inspiring in fitness and in life. Now I've got the itch to hit the pool! What about you?

Wonder Woman: Dara Torres

babysugar — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 05:00:04 -0700

All eyes have been on Olympian golden boy Michael Phelps, but swimmer Dara Torres is in a league of her own. At 41, this mama is the oldest Olympian to ever compete in the aquatic races and this was her fifth time doing so.

After taking silver in the individual 50 meter freestyle and another silver in the 4x100 meter relay, Dara who has one child isn't thinking about how she'll celebrate, she's figuring out how to get back into mommy mode. She told reporters:

The other girls were talking about going backpacking or going to Bali, but I get back on Tuesday evening and on Wednesday morning I have to take my daughter to school and I have a list of school supplies I have to get.

Kudos to this mum for inspiring other women to shoot for the stars - she deserves a gold.
Source

Pop Quiz: From Kim Kardashian to Dara Torres

FitSugar — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:09:57 -0700

April is halfway over, and Easter has passed. It has been a busy week here at FitSugar - did you catch all the info we covered? Take this short quiz and see.

If you feel like you need a little review, all the answers can be found in this week's posts. Good luck!

Source

Take the quiz