When you think of tennis legends, chances are that the first name that will cross your mind is Serena Williams. The sports icon has amassed a legendary career, from winning 23 Grand Slam singles titles to helping to create King Richard – the Oscar-nominated film that depicts the rise of Serena Williams and her sister Venus, through the eyes of their father, Richard Williams.
With such a packed media schedule, as well as running after her four-year-old daughter who seems to be following in her mother and aunt’s footsteps, staying on top of her health is of paramount importance to Serena Williams. Speaking to Vogue, the tennis icon opened up about her fitness and dietary habits.
Serena Williams’ Health and Fitness Secrets
Cardio for the body
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The 40-year-old tennis champion revealed that her at-home fitness routine consists of a ‘lot of cardio’.
“I do HIIT workouts (high-intensity interval training), a little stretching, a little strength training, but mostly cardio training.”
She added that she does cardio exercises using the at-home smart gym, Tonal, which she credits with helping her get her body back and used to calisthenics.
Listen to your body
Having spent the majority of her life playing a sport that can be quite strenuous on the body, especially the knees, Williams has made it a priority of hers to always listen to her body.
“My favorite type of cardio is running, but my body has to be fit to be able to run or else my knees will hurt,” she says, “…I had a tough last week, so this week has been a little bit lighter–I took two days off. Next week, I’ll be back to seven.”
Find time to meditate
While Williams is working on practicing meditation more, she shares that to her, a prayer is a form of meditation.
As such, she makes an effort to say a prayer any time she starts to feel stressed or misguided.
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Additionally, the Wimbledon champion shared that, after a long day, she likes to turn off her brain by watching a TV show.
Moderate your diet
When it comes to her diet, Williams reveals that she’s been a ‘baby vegan’,
“I’ve been an on-and-off vegan for a while. I was vegan for about six years and it was great. Now, I’m trying it out again because I really want to be healthy.
And to be healthy, I need to eat healthy. When I don’t eat healthy, I just feel terrible–to be honest, I feel like I almost have pain.” – Serena Williams
The tennis star went on to say that she now eats vegan about six days out of the week and that she fulfills her non-vegan cravings on the seventh day.
Despite her healthy diet, Williams still makes room for the occasional sweet treat,
“I was at the fair the other day, and they had donut burgers, which I’ve never had in my life… I was like, ‘You know what, you live once. I’m just going to try this thing!’ And it was shockingly really good. The sweet and the savory really went together very well. I don’t know who can eat the whole thing, though, I just had a bite.”
Organization keeps me sane
For Williams, having things organized and keeping to her schedule helps her maintain her sanity.
“When it comes to emotional wellbeing, being organized and making sure that my daily life is scheduled definitely brings me a little bit of joy, because it’s like, okay, I know what to expect.”
serenawilliams/instagram
Find a creative outlet
We all have our hobbies for staying sane and happy and for Williams, her outlet is baking.
She shared with Vogue that she loves to bake and often feels sad that she hasn’t done it in a while. So, after her daughter requested for her to make a unicorn cake, Williams has made it her mission to figure out how to make one, “Doing things that she likes and just making something for her makes me very happy.”
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