September 16, 2024
Senior Magnificence & Life-style Director
Senior Magnificence & Life-style Director
Alexandra Engler is the senior magnificence and life-style director at mindbodygreen and host of the wonder podcast Clear Magnificence Faculty. Beforehand, she’s held magnificence roles at Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, SELF, and Cosmopolitan; her byline has appeared in Esquire, Sports activities Illustrated, and Attract.com.
Picture by mbg inventive / courtesy of supply
September 16, 2024
We love celebrating girls on the prime of their sport. In our new sequence Recreation On, we’re interviewing prime athletes about their well-being routines—protecting every part from vitamin that makes them really feel robust to the moments that convey them pleasure.
As the primary American lady to win a Grand Slam Main title in wheelchair tennis and one of many prime wheelchair tennis gamers within the U.S., 33-year-old Dana Mathewson is aware of what it means to be on prime of your sport.
All the time an athletic child, Mathewson performed a wide range of sports activities in her youth when she was in a position bodied. “I all the time appreciated soccer. I appreciated softball. I attempted tennis a few times at summer time camp, however was probably not into it,” she tells me over a current video name.
Nonetheless, after growing a uncommon autoimmune dysfunction referred to as Transverse myelitis (TM), she turned partial paraplegic, “or mainly somebody that should use a wheelchair to run or to get round,” she says.
After encouragement from her mother (which she says was, maybe, insistent at occasions) she picked up adaptive sports activities—and this time tennis caught. The remaining unfolded all because of Mathewson’s sheer expertise and drive.
Right here, how she stays on prime of her sport.
mbg: What was it like whenever you began enjoying wheelchair tennis?
Dana Mathewson: My situation shut numerous doorways that I assumed have been my solely doorways resulting in athletic pursuits. However fortunately mother had talked to numerous completely different folks after I was within the hospital and discovered what wheelchair sports activities and adaptive sports activities have been.
At that stage of life, I had by no means seen anybody with a incapacity that wasn’t 90 years previous. I simply wasn’t uncovered to rather a lot at the moment, and I believe that’s really the case for lots of People. Our nation is so huge that you simply don’t come into contact with numerous completely different demographics.
At first I used to be one of many children who had no real interest in wheelchair sports activities. I assumed it sounded actually boring. I could not conceptualize what it might be.
However my mother was like, “Nope! I need you to be energetic. I’m signing you up for each camp potential.” And tennis was a type of.
I picked up a racket at—I believe then I used to be round age 13—and one thing simply clicked. I do not know what it was that made me like wheelchair tennis greater than in a position bodied tennis, as a result of it is nearly the identical factor besides one’s in a wheelchair. However it simply clicked for me and I have been enjoying it ever since.
mbg: what means assist you to really feel your strongest?
Mathewson: I am an enormous breakfast individual. I can’t begin the day with out breakfast. I do know there’s a lot of those that get up and all they want is espresso and an apple. I am not that lady.
I really like waking up and having scrambled egg whites or an egg white omelet with toast. If I am actually within the temper, I will sauté mushrooms and spinach, and put that in there. That manner I’ve protein and carbs to get me going. Having that scorching meal simply helps me really feel prepared.
Other than that, I believe that I am very huge on veggies. I’ve by no means been an enormous meat eater ever since I used to be a little bit lady. So if you happen to have been to supply me a steak, I would not actually wish to eat it. However I haven’t got the vegetarian mindset of not eager to eat meat due to moral causes, I simply have not actually loved it.
So I eat numerous tofu. I eat numerous plant based mostly proteins. And I do eat hen and eggs and issues like that. However I discover that after I’m cooking—particularly as a result of my husband is vegan—we eat numerous plant-based meals. And that is additionally very simple to organize when you have got a tighter schedule like I do.
mbg: what’s your power coaching program?
Mathewson: I’ve an entire crew of coaches down right here in Orlando that I work with. My power and conditioning crew has particular applications I’ve to do day by day.
So, for instance, Mondays and Wednesdays are lifting days. So for me, that’s numerous higher physique, however we do even have me doing stuff simply to maintain no matter muscle tissue I’ve in my legs energetic. That may contain me utilizing the SkiErg machine, the rower, free weights, bench press, and stuff like that.
Then Tuesdays and Thursdays are extra conditioning based mostly, so we’ll have courtroom conditioning drills.
Friday is a circuit the place I mix pulling a sled, rowing, lifting, and battle ropes. It’s brutal.
There’s good variability between conditioning and power. I believe that if you happen to go fully one or the opposite, you’ll be able to burn your physique out—otherwise you’re not offering your muscle tissue the train that they want.
Once I was in school I used to be simply very obsessive about the thought of being skinny and being toned. I believe numerous women fall into the lure of, “Properly, I’m simply going to be on the elliptical for half-hour or I’m going to be on the bike for an hour.” Yeah, that burns energy, but it surely doesn’t really burn energy the identical manner it does like burning muscle.
So I attempt to ensure I get each: At some point cardio, sooner or later power, sooner or later cardio, sooner or later power. They’re each intense days, however your physique will get a break.
Once I was in school I used to be simply very obsessive about the thought of being skinny and being toned. I believe numerous women fall into the lure of, “Properly, I’m simply going to be on the elliptical for half-hour or I’m going to be on the bike for an hour.” Yeah, that burns energy, but it surely doesn’t really burn energy the identical manner it does like burning muscle.
mbg: How do you get better?
Mathewson: After coaching, there’s numerous stretching that we do. That was one thing that I’ve to confess I didn’t do for the majority of my profession and I used to be simply fortunate I didn’t have accidents. However now that I’m getting older, I actually see the significance of stretching and funky downs after a exercise.
I additionally suppose it’s vital to get better mentally. I put aside time to play with my canine, name my associates, and even simply sit on my sofa and watch TV. I really like the Actual Housewives. It’s good to have issues in your life that convey you pleasure!
A number of years in the past, my mindset was like, “I must work laborious. I simply must put my head down and be productive all the time.” However I believe it’s really productive to be lazy typically. That’s what refuels you. Benign a sofa potato, being a sloth, being on my own for a bit is what recharges my batteries.
My life is a lot on-the-go, as a result of I’m both coaching—exerting bodily vitality all day—or I’m touring and competing—so there’s nervous vitality. So it’s vital for me to show it off.
mbg: I wished to ask you in regards to the psychological facet, anyway. So we simply talked about the way you decompress. However I additionally wish to know the way you activate and prepare for these matches?
Mathewson: That is been one thing I’ve actually needed to work on up to now few years. Tennis is such mentally based mostly sport, and I did not understand simply how a lot till I bought to the extra elite degree of enjoying. As a result of at that time, everybody has a very good forehand. Everybody has a very good backhand. Everybody has a very good serve. Perhaps one individual is a little bit bit higher than the opposite. However what actually makes folks win extra usually is their mindset.
And I believe as an early tennis skilled, I heard that, however did not actually embrace it or did not actually perceive it, however I very a lot do now.
Quite a lot of what I’ve been doing is optimistic self discuss after I’m enjoying or earlier than the match. I have a tendency to present an excessive amount of credit score to my opponents earlier than a match even begins. If you happen to do this, you then’ve already misplaced the match, proper? Since you’re already pondering like, Properly, she hits tremendous huge or she’s actually quick. She’s going to get every part.
I’ve needed to be taught to visualise optimistic outcomes. The night time earlier than a match, I’ll give myself jobs of issues I wish to do as a result of I’m very aim oriented. What I imply by that’s I’ll give myself assignments for myself for a match. I’ll write them down on a notecard, then attempt to visualize what it might feel and appear like to attain the targets. I do it many times and once more.
I are inclined to get fairly distracted after I do visualization work. It is really actually laborious, as it may be laborious for me to remain centered. It is like coaching your muscle tissue to do one thing. However I do this for a couple of minutes at a time and I will attempt to visualize as I am falling asleep as nicely. It helps construct confidence.
mbg: I believe one other factor that units elite athletes aside is resilience. Some a part of me thinks it is likely to be one thing innate, that prime athletes are born with. However I additionally suppose it’s a skillset that may be realized. How have you ever constructed resilience over time?
Mathewson: I believe you are proper that sure folks have extra of that cussed mindset, which helps you be extra resilient. What I imply by that’s such as you get knocked down 5 occasions, you then’ll rise up six since you’re cussed sufficient to maintain attempting. However I believe that that may also be a realized trait too.
With tennis being my private instance, there’s just one individual each week in a match that wins, proper? In order that signifies that everyone else has to lose. You play X variety of tournaments a 12 months. So there’s numerous dropping that you must get comfy with in tennis!
It’s week in and week out video games, and most occasions you do lose. You may win a couple of,, however in the end you are ending up with an L almost certainly. Until you are Serena Williams. By nature of tennis being my job, it teaches you resilience since you find out how reframe loses.
It’s about fostering a resilient mindset—a development mindset. There are methods of taking a look at “dropping” which are optimistic. You’ll say, “I misplaced, however that’s OK as a result of my serve was actually good right this moment.” Or “You realize what, I must work on my returns subsequent time.”
Picture by mbg Inventive / courtesy of supply
mbg: Oh, that’s so fascinating. I’ve by no means considered that, but it surely’s an amazing level. I guess that’s really an amazing lesson to be taught early on. I really really feel like tennis might be an amazing sport for youths to be taught for that purpose. Talking of, I wished to ask you about recommendation you might need for younger girls athletes who wish to play tennis? Or any sport actually…
Mathewson: Tennis is de facto technical, so sure it may be irritating. It could possibly flip numerous children away from it. Or perhaps children will likely be annoyed as a result of they don’t have a crew they’ll play with, and that may be laborious.
However tennis is likely one of the coolest sports activities in that it means that you can choose up a racket and play with anybody on any given day. You may simply go to the park, meet somebody, and play with them. You don’t want an entire crew to play, like basketball or soccer.
However other than that, I’d say to only keep it up and belief the method. As a result of it’s not all the time simple.
There’s sacrifices that should be given to a sport that folks don’t all the time take into consideration after they’re children. Like perhaps you’ll have a match on a weekend whenever you wish to go to a sleepover. Or perhaps you’ll be getting annoyed that one apply did not go nicely, or different individuals are enjoying higher than me.
So try to have enjoyable with it nonetheless, as a result of it is not your job. You are allowed to not be excellent. It’s one thing you do for enjoyable. So embrace the enjoyable a part of it.
