An Olympic gold medalist’s award-winning ideas on healthy skin
A while back, I wrote a book, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner of Champions, in which I interviewed both pro and Olympic athletes for their lifestyle tips and tools. As we now know, nutrition, fitness and mindset are directly tied to their stamina, speed, consistency and power.
One of my favorite chapters was about swimming. Now, anyone who has ever attempted the breaststroke, not to mention something really impossible like the innocent-sounding, but back-breaking, butterfly, knows that advanced drowning is easier to master. Yet the lure of the water is so strong that young athletes the world over spend hours every day trying to accomplish what only a handful of superstar swimmers have done so far: Win multiple Olympic gold!
If one were to conjure up a picture of the ideal American athlete, chances are it would be Ryan Murphy, the competitive swimmer who excels in the (at least to me, dreaded) backstroke. Ryan began breaking records as soon as he started swimming at age five. And through dedication, passion, and unwavering commitment, he has fulfilled his academic and athletic dreams. Indeed, he is a four-time Olympic gold medalist and the former world-record holder in the Men’s 100-meter backstroke.
As persuasive out of the pool as well as in, the following is our brief chat about not only his lifestyle program, but his eczema journey, and the reason he has partnered with pharma giants Sanofi and Regeneron on The Now Me: Beach Mode program.
JWM: Ryan, can you tell me about your diet and exercise program?
RM: I’m someone who tries to take very complex things and simplify them, so they are easier to execute, which applies to both my diet and training regimen. At this point, I understand which foods are healthy for me and, more importantly, which foods aren’t. I try to get my carbs early in the day so that I have the energy to do my workouts. I’m also always trying to get as much protein as I can. If my muscles are sore, I’m going to up the protein intake to help give them the right building material. If we’re doing a recovery week, I’m going to increase the veggies to get a little bit more immune support on the specific training regimen.
JWM: Tell us about your workout schedule.
RM: When it comes to workouts, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are on the same schedule. On those days, we start at 6:00 to 7:45 AM in the morning. We will go to the weight room to lift from 1:00 to 2:00 PM, hop into the pool, and get out around 3:30 PM. On Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, we get to the pool at 8:00 AM, and we’ll swim until 11:00 AM. Sunday’s a rest day.
JWM: Recovery seems to be the buzz word today. How important is it to your training regime?
RM: Extremely! I’m always taking recovery steps outside of the pool, whether through a physical therapy massage, or talking to someone on the mental health side.
JWM: There certainly are a lot of elements that go into your training regimen! What are your favorite personal training tips?
RM: My favorite personal training tip, especially for the “everyday athlete,” or people who are not working out as part of their career, is to prioritize that recovery. I try to view training and recovery as one-to-one. If I’m swimming for two hours, I’m trying to get in two hours of recovery. There are things you can do on the recovery side that are going to help you be able to continue to work out with fewer injuries, which could be as simple as foam rolling, or yoga.
JWM: Any anti-stress advice? By that I mean, what do you think about right before you swim?
RM: I feel the least stressed when I’m confident in my plan. The more stressed I am, the more I will err on the side of overplanning. When I’m preparing for a swim meet, for example, I will write out my daily schedule and break it down into 15-minute increments – when I want to wake up, brush my teeth, go to the pool. When I’m nervous, it’s hard for me to think clearly and writing things down allows me to feel at ease that I’m doing everything that I want to do.
JWM: You seem to embody perfection. But you do have eczema. I mean, I have it too, but I don’t swim. Tell us about your eczema journey.
RM: I’ve been living with eczema since a young age. I started developing rashes on my body, which were constantly itching. I assumed that it was allergies at first, but it progressed to the point where we went to see a doctor, and I was diagnosed with moderate-to-severe eczema. We came up with a treatment plan and some techniques and tips to help manage flareups. I learned to make sure my skin is well moisturized. And I do that right after practice.
JWM: For example?
RM: I quickly take a shower to wash off the chlorine, and then make sure that the towels I’m using are not irritating my skin. I love that I’m at a point where, based on my success in the pool, I can share my story about eczema and hopefully inspire other people to feel comfortable with their own skin.
JWM: Why did you partner with The Now Me program?
RM: I was motivated to join The Now Me: Beach Mode program because I view it as my responsibility to share my story, inspire others, and grow awareness of what it’s like to live with moderate-to-severe eczema. It’s not easy to walk around in a Speedo and have eczema on different parts of your body; but I feel like it’s important for me to communicate to people that you can still be comfortable with your own skin with eczema. That’s something that I’ve learned over my lifetime, and it’s really important for me to share that message in my partnership with this new campaign. And you can learn more about The Now Me: Beach Mode program for Dupixent on TheNowMe.com.JWM: Thanks so much for sharing this, plus the secrets to how you stay in amazing shape. It may not get me to jump into a pool. But you are certainly an inspiration to all of us who hope to be Better Than Before.
