Episode 158: Turning Setbacks into Triumphs: Olympians' Path to Success

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Welcome back to the Back on Track Achieving Healthy Weight Loss, where I help you get on

[00:00:05] [SPEAKER_00]: track and stay on track with your weight loss journey. I'm your host, Dr. Alicia Shelly. So let's get

[00:00:12] [SPEAKER_00]: started. Welcome to the Back on Track Achieving Healthy Weight Loss podcast. I'm your host,

[00:00:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Dr. Alicia Shelly. Now in your wellness journey, there will be ups and there will be downs.

[00:00:40] [SPEAKER_00]: And it is so, so easy to give up. I know there's been times I thought about giving up and just

[00:00:46] [SPEAKER_00]: forgetting the whole thing. And I've definitely talked to many of my clients who have at one time

[00:00:52] [SPEAKER_00]: or another given up on their wellness journey, but they eventually get back on track and they

[00:00:58] [SPEAKER_00]: eventually come back and they're like, hey, I'm ready to get started again. Now if you're

[00:01:03] [SPEAKER_00]: feeling that you're getting discouraged, then and just to the point where you're like,

[00:01:08] [SPEAKER_00]: you know what, I can't do this anymore. That's okay because this episode is for you. Now today

[00:01:16] [SPEAKER_00]: we are talking about how to stay resilient in your wellness journey. Since the Olympics are

[00:01:22] [SPEAKER_00]: starting next week, I found it fitting to look at our USA Olympians and how they have

[00:01:30] [SPEAKER_00]: overcame adversity. And I hope you get inspired to keep going with your wellness journey.

[00:01:38] [SPEAKER_00]: Now the first Olympian that I want to talk about is Simone Biles. And for those who may not be aware,

[00:01:45] [SPEAKER_00]: Simone is one of the greatest artistic gymnasts of all time. She has won

[00:01:52] [SPEAKER_00]: Kalman 37 Olympic and World Championship medals. And she's only 27 years old.

[00:01:59] [SPEAKER_00]: And despite all the accolades, there was a period of time when she hit a bump in the rope. In fact,

[00:02:08] [SPEAKER_00]: it was the last Olympics in Tokyo where she developed the twisties. Now for those that

[00:02:14] [SPEAKER_00]: don't know, the twisties are a sudden inability for gymnasts to make the requisite spins or any

[00:02:21] [SPEAKER_00]: spins for a particular maneuver. And for her, it started when she was trying to do the vault.

[00:02:28] [SPEAKER_00]: She couldn't twist the way she was supposed to and landed on her bump. And because she couldn't

[00:02:35] [SPEAKER_00]: perform the way that she wanted to and the risk of hurting herself, she withdrew from the team

[00:02:40] [SPEAKER_00]: final and the all around final. However, she did re-enter the competition to win bronze in

[00:02:47] [SPEAKER_00]: the individual balance event. And the sad thing is that when she had attempted that vault routine,

[00:02:54] [SPEAKER_00]: she realized she couldn't perform the way she wanted and she felt horrible. In an interview,

[00:03:00] [SPEAKER_00]: she remembered thinking, oh, America hates me. The world is going to hate me. I can only see

[00:03:07] [SPEAKER_00]: what they're saying on Twitter right now, she recalls. And I was like, holy, what are they

[00:03:12] [SPEAKER_00]: going to say about me? I thought I was going to be banned from America. That's what they tell you,

[00:03:18] [SPEAKER_00]: don't come back if it's not gold, gold or bust, don't come back. I mean, she put a lot of pressure

[00:03:23] [SPEAKER_00]: on herself and not to mention there are probably a lot of people putting pressure on her, right?

[00:03:28] [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it is important to win at the Olympics. She was expected to win at the Olympics. She

[00:03:32] [SPEAKER_00]: was expected to bring the women's team to a gold medal. And of course with winning comes money,

[00:03:39] [SPEAKER_00]: accolades, endorsements, but it wasn't the end of the world. And Simone had to look at for herself

[00:03:47] [SPEAKER_00]: and she had to make sure that she was in the best shape and that she didn't get hurt or even worse.

[00:03:53] [SPEAKER_00]: And how many of us are putting that pressure on ourselves? We say to ourselves, we don't exercise

[00:03:59] [SPEAKER_00]: two hours a day or eat right 100% of the time then we won't lose any weight and it's not

[00:04:05] [SPEAKER_00]: going to work. So we won't stop and we get down in ourselves, make it down, we get depressed,

[00:04:09] [SPEAKER_00]: we get discouraged. And sometimes we may give up and think that this is not worth it so I just

[00:04:14] [SPEAKER_00]: won't do anything at all. But in Simone's case she did not give up. She gave herself some time.

[00:04:22] [SPEAKER_00]: She got away from the sport, she got married and then she started getting back on the grind.

[00:04:27] [SPEAKER_00]: And guess what? She won gold in the 2023 world championship and not only the team,

[00:04:33] [SPEAKER_00]: the all-around, the balance beam and floor exercise. And then of course she won a spot.

[00:04:39] [SPEAKER_00]: She was number one on the spot at the Olympic trials. Although she had a setback,

[00:04:44] [SPEAKER_00]: she didn't live in the past. She didn't let that bump in the road define her. She moved

[00:04:50] [SPEAKER_00]: forward and she dominated. And I can't wait to see her in the bright lights of Paris

[00:04:57] [SPEAKER_00]: coming next week. Now the next athlete that I want to highlight is Chikari Richardson.

[00:05:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Now interestingly enough, three years ago I actually did a podcast episode about Chikari

[00:05:09] [SPEAKER_00]: and just how posed she was when she found out that she was positive for cannabis.

[00:05:15] [SPEAKER_00]: And her win at the Olympic trials was taken away and she was taken off the Olympic team

[00:05:21] [SPEAKER_00]: in 2021. What happened? She admitted that she had done it, her biological mom had passed away

[00:05:27] [SPEAKER_00]: and she's trying to calm her nerves and she took a hit. But she didn't let that define her.

[00:05:34] [SPEAKER_00]: She kept working, she kept improving herself and she killed it in the 2023 USA Outdoor

[00:05:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Track and Field Championship by running a 10.82 seconds in the 100 meter run. And then she

[00:05:49] [SPEAKER_00]: took gold in the 100 meters at the 2023 World Championship in Budapest, beating Olympians

[00:05:56] [SPEAKER_00]: Shereeca Jackson and Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce who are just so dominant in that 100 meter.

[00:06:02] [SPEAKER_00]: And she had a new championship record of 10.65 seconds. And then the next day in the 2023

[00:06:08] [SPEAKER_00]: World Championship she won gold as part of Team USA in the women's 4x100 meter relay with a

[00:06:16] [SPEAKER_00]: championship record of 41.03. And then of course last month Richardson defended her title

[00:06:23] [SPEAKER_00]: as the US national champion in winning the 100 meter sprint in the final at 10.71 seconds

[00:06:30] [SPEAKER_00]: and qualifying for Paris, her first Olympics. And if you ask her she's not just back,

[00:06:37] [SPEAKER_00]: she is better, she is focused, she is ready to annihilate the competition in Paris.

[00:06:43] [SPEAKER_00]: And I can't wait to see her as well. And we can learn from her that obstacles and setbacks

[00:06:50] [SPEAKER_00]: don't have to define us. It is not what happens but it's how we overcome that's important.

[00:06:56] [SPEAKER_00]: So when you get stuck in an obstacle, when you're getting discouraged remember that you're not just

[00:07:02] [SPEAKER_00]: back, you're better. Now the last story that I want to share with you is the story of Anna

[00:07:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Hall. Now you may have never heard about this athlete and that's okay but you will. So Anna Hall

[00:07:15] [SPEAKER_00]: is a heptathlon athlete. A heptathlon is the event for women who take part in 70 events,

[00:07:23] [SPEAKER_00]: the 100 meter hurdles, the high jump, the shot put, the 200 meter dash, the long jump,

[00:07:29] [SPEAKER_00]: the javelin, the 800 meter run. Like these athletes have to be very well rounded

[00:07:35] [SPEAKER_00]: and they get points for each event and the athlete with the most points wins. But for Anna Hall

[00:07:41] [SPEAKER_00]: in 2021, during the 100 meter hurdles at the US Olympic trials in June of 2021,

[00:07:49] [SPEAKER_00]: she hit the eighth barrier and crashed hard on the track, breaking her bone in her left foot.

[00:07:58] [SPEAKER_00]: She had to get surgery and put a pin in that foot and it took her an entire year

[00:08:03] [SPEAKER_00]: to get back to track and field. And she admits that year was hard to push through, it was not easy,

[00:08:09] [SPEAKER_00]: especially after overcoming surgery and a fracture that's probably painful every time

[00:08:13] [SPEAKER_00]: you step on it. But she kept going and she won. She won the bronze at the 2022 World

[00:08:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Championship and a silver medal at the 2023 World Championships. And in January of 2024,

[00:08:28] [SPEAKER_00]: she had another surgery, a complex knee surgery and she was not sure she was going to return.

[00:08:35] [SPEAKER_00]: She told a reporter that when she had surgery in January, it was so hard. There were so many

[00:08:41] [SPEAKER_00]: days that she left practice defeated and she thought about quitting. But everyone around her

[00:08:47] [SPEAKER_00]: was like, no, we're doing this, we can do that. And they believed for her until she

[00:08:53] [SPEAKER_00]: started to believe in her. And she had no choice but to push through the physical pain and self doubt.

[00:08:59] [SPEAKER_00]: And then of course, last month, she cleansed the spot in the USA Olympics team. So what can we learn

[00:09:05] [SPEAKER_00]: from these three women? These three powerhouse of Olympians? There's a lot we can learn. But the

[00:09:12] [SPEAKER_00]: first thing I would say, number one, it is okay to take time for your mental health and get

[00:09:18] [SPEAKER_00]: better and come back. I tell patients who are experiencing depression, that it's important

[00:09:24] [SPEAKER_00]: that they treat the depression as well as making healthy choices. Because with depression, there are

[00:09:30] [SPEAKER_00]: times when you have a lack of motivation, a lack of energy, you just feel like just staying in

[00:09:34] [SPEAKER_00]: bed, when you know you should be doing more eating right moving more. And so sometimes,

[00:09:40] [SPEAKER_00]: you know, not being able to accomplish what you know you should be doing can lead to

[00:09:44] [SPEAKER_00]: more depression and discouragement. So it's important that you make sure that you're seeing your doctor,

[00:09:49] [SPEAKER_00]: a psychologist, a psychiatrist or whichever one to kind of help with you treating your depression.

[00:09:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Definitely make sure that you're getting help. The second thing, and then the last thing I

[00:10:01] [SPEAKER_00]: would say is that it is important that if you are going through that to give yourself grace,

[00:10:05] [SPEAKER_00]: there may be days when you can't take on everything the way you would like and that's

[00:10:10] [SPEAKER_00]: okay. But just keep moving forward and give yourself grace for those days when it's a little bit

[00:10:15] [SPEAKER_00]: challenging. Number two, you can't allow setbacks to define you. We all have obstacles. We all have

[00:10:22] [SPEAKER_00]: things that get in the way. Whether it's you have a work deadline or work project you have to work

[00:10:27] [SPEAKER_00]: on and you can't go exercise or things are just busy at the home and you're not able to

[00:10:32] [SPEAKER_00]: cook the way you want to. There are so many obstacles that can occur. And you know, we can't

[00:10:39] [SPEAKER_00]: allow these obstacles to get us down and to help us feel like we are not worthy. And so what these

[00:10:45] [SPEAKER_00]: stories show us is that we can overcome those obstacles and move forward. Don't wallow in the

[00:10:51] [SPEAKER_00]: depression or the discouragement because we don't want you to quit. We want you to keep

[00:10:55] [SPEAKER_00]: moving forward. So stay positive even if you have to take a break, come back and come back better.

[00:11:01] [SPEAKER_00]: The third thing, and this is what Anna teaches us, that's you need to have an

[00:11:05] [SPEAKER_00]: accountability partner or team that can encourage you when you're down. Because there are days you're

[00:11:11] [SPEAKER_00]: not going to feel like doing all the things you want to do. But if you have people to encourage

[00:11:15] [SPEAKER_00]: you not to quit, when you feel like quitting, you'll keep moving forward because guess what?

[00:11:20] [SPEAKER_00]: They believe in you and they will keep believing in you until you believe in you.

[00:11:25] [SPEAKER_00]: And just like Anna, you have no choice. Just push through

[00:11:29] [SPEAKER_00]: the self down and keep moving forward. The fourth thing, don't let your thoughts hinder your progress.

[00:11:36] [SPEAKER_00]: When Simone wasn't able to perform like she would like at the 2021 Olympics, she had a lot of thoughts,

[00:11:44] [SPEAKER_00]: a lot of things that probably did not help her, you know, did not serve her well.

[00:11:50] [SPEAKER_00]: And so it's important to stay positive, especially when you have these nagging thoughts that

[00:11:55] [SPEAKER_00]: you'll never lose weight, that this is never going to work. Remind yourself that you've lost weight in

[00:12:00] [SPEAKER_00]: the past or you've been able to make healthy changes in your life in the past and you can do it again.

[00:12:06] [SPEAKER_00]: You just have to continue to move forward. Last but not least, Chikari reminds us that just,

[00:12:13] [SPEAKER_00]: you know, when you are off an obstacle or you're off and you're not where you would

[00:12:17] [SPEAKER_00]: like to be, just remember to get back on track. Do the simple things. Do the small

[00:12:22] [SPEAKER_00]: things to kind of help with those healthy habits to make them a habit. And like she said, I'm not just

[00:12:28] [SPEAKER_00]: back, I'm better and you can get better. So I hope for those that may be in a bad place or may be

[00:12:35] [SPEAKER_00]: feeling discouraged with their wellness journey. I hope this helps. I hope this encourages you

[00:12:39] [SPEAKER_00]: to keep moving forward, to not allowing your thoughts to hinder you, to remember that you

[00:12:45] [SPEAKER_00]: are worthy and that you can do this. I thank you again for joining us on the back on track,

[00:12:51] [SPEAKER_00]: achieving healthy weight loss podcast. If you liked this episode, please share it with others,

[00:12:56] [SPEAKER_00]: like it and subscribe. And don't forget to leave a five star review and we'll see you all next time

[00:13:01] [SPEAKER_00]: and see you next week.