Photo: John Salangsang/BFA/REX/Shutterstock
Lindsey Vonn was always comfortable tearing down ski slopes. But when she found herself in the public eye during the Vancouver Winter Olympics, the skier started feeling insecure about her body.
“I definitely had a moment there after I won the gold medal in 2010, where I was very self-conscious,” shetellsABC News. “It was my first time being on red carpets and stuff like that. I was not confident in myself and the way that I looked.”
Vonn, 31, says she tried dieting in the past, but found that restrictiondidn’t work for her.
“I’ve kind of run the gamut of trying different things like Paleo, and I did a high-carb diet a while ago. I’ve tried everything,” she says. “You have to make healthy choices. But I have Reese’s, I have coffee, I have Red Bull. I’m not perfect all the time Everyone needs a treat and a break. The more you force yourself not to do that, the more unhealthy you’ll get.”
Now, though, Vonn, who’s new bookStrong Is Beautifulcomes out in October, says she’s at aplace of body acceptance.
“I’ve just gotten to the point that I love where I am, I’m not the same size as everyone else… I’m comfortable with what I got,” Vonn says. “I think it shows in my attitude and the way I present myself. Now when I walk the red carpet, I don’t care with what everyone else thinks.”
There are still times when Vonn, who famously dated Tiger Woods, has trouble with being in the spotlight.
“It’s definitely hard,” she says. “I’m lucky I have really good friends around me. I feel like the hardest thing is dating.”
But overall, Vonn says, “Life is awesome.”
“I’m in a really good place right now, living life to the fullest and trying to get the most out of every single day,” she says. “There’s a lot I have to offer in addition to skiing. I still value what I do; it’s my love, my main joy in life. But I’ve found a lot of fulfillment in doing things outside of skiing.”
Hopefully, after my skiing career is over, these things will continue to happen and I’ll keep trying new things and enjoying life.”
source: people.com
