Typical Wednesday: wake up, win gold in women’s floor exercise, get kissed on the cheek by Zac Efron. Hump day, ya know?
GIF courtesy of giphy
For Simone Biles, an afternoon this crazy might be the norm, but she still needs tons of energy to get through meet and practice days (read: 6+ hours in the gym). She knows America has been wondering WTF fuels The Biles, the double-flip with a half-twist move that ends in a forward landing, so she broke it down in an interview with Women’s Health. Here’s what powers the 4’8″ gymnast through a typical day:
Breakfast
Photo courtesy of @kelloggsnyc on Instagram
When you’re on the bar(s), balance or uneven, by 9 am, ya gotta fuel up. Wheaties might be the quintessential cereal of the Olympics, but Simone prefers Kellogg’s Red Berries to start her day. If she’s sick of cereal, she sometimes goes for a plate of egg whites to switch it up with some added extra protein power.
Lunch
Photo by Angela Pizzimenti
Simone spends more time in the gym before noon than some people do in a week, so her lunch has to be substantial enough to replenish all that she’s burned off. After three hours of training, she chooses chicken or fish to get plenty of protein – no wimpy salads here.
Dinner
Photo courtesy of blisstree.com
A full day calls for all food groups. Simone knows how to do it with a plate as balanced as her beam routine: dinner usually consists of a fish like salmon, with a side of rice and carrots. Gymnasts need enough energy for superfast sprints and crazy air, but not nearly as much as swimmers or track athletes, so Simone’s simple, clean meals are perfect for powering her performance.
Snacks
Photo by Maggie Gorman
If you think your workout cramps are bad, imagine getting one while spinning midair. Simone stops them before they happen with a pre-workout snack of a banana with PB or a Core Power shake.
Post-Meet Treat
Photo courtesy of @simonebiles on Instagram
The girl knows how to treat herself like a pro: after she kills the competition in a meet, she wrecks a slice of pepperoni pizza. While she usually keeps her diet clean, every now and then she enjoys a meal like pork chops with some dirty fried rice.
With a nutrition and training regimen so disciplined, it’s no wonder that she’s an all-star athlete before even starting her freshman year.
GIF courtesy of giphy
I’ll be watching this GIF on a loop until 2020. See ya in Tokyo, Simone.
Graphic by Spoon University