- Gabby Thomas says that her favorite smoothie includes blueberries, almond butter and protein powder.
- She also loves making a Greek-style yogurt bowl with chia seeds and honey.
- In this exclusive, Thomas shares more on her recovery routine and sleep habits.
For amateurs like us, it’s peak running season with marathons and local 5Ks in full swing, but for track and field athlete Gabby Thomas, it’s always running season.
In between practice and rest days, the Olympic gold medalist is sharing her personal health advice—including her favorite smoothie and how she prioritizes mental health—as a wellness expert for NOW. Through this partnership, we chatted with Thomas about her recovery routine, the importance of sleep, the nutrients she focuses on and more. Read more about the athlete’s favorite meals and her philosophy on eating well in the below exclusive.
What does your go-to smoothie look like?
My fiancé and I drink this smoothie all the time. I use frozen blueberries, almond butter, almond milk, chia seeds and the NOW chocolate protein powder. It’s the first thing I drink every morning before practice, and then also when I get home from after practice. It’s also good to have before bed too. Recovery is a huge part of my diet, and protein is a big part of my athletic journey.
Do you have a morning routine that you stick by?
Typically the first thing I do is meditate, which is my mental exercise, and I train my brain before I actually go into training my actual body. That really sets the tone for the day for me. I also like to keep my mornings really simple and ease into them. If I’m not making a smoothie, I’ll make a Greek yogurt bowl with the same foundation as my smoothie: chocolate protein powder, chia seeds—and I’ll add Manuka honey if it’s plain Greek yogurt. It’s making sure that I have protein, healthy fats and a little bit of sweetness to fuel my morning.
And I hydrate a lot. I drink a lot of water; I drink at least one gallon of water a day, and that starts in the morning.
Why did you become a wellness expert for NOW?
I was really excited to partner with NOW and join forces with the already amazing female wellness experts: Peloton’s Emma Lovewell, Kristin McGee and [dietitian] DJ Blatner. They really empower women to feel their best every day, no matter their age. And we launched the Be You, NOW campaign this month to recognize Women’s Health Month. The goal there was to celebrate women where they’re at and to give them inspiration to just thrive and feel unstoppable in order to feel like their best selves. This for me was just perfect, and it felt so empowering and inspiring. Through the end of June, you can grab all of the inspiration and an inside look at all of our daily routines at nowfoods.com/experts.
On a race day, how do you fuel up before or after a race?
Honestly, for race days, my rule of thumb is to keep it simple and keep it consistent. I don’t like to do anything that is too different or throws me off, because it’s part of the physical training, but also the mental training. Race days are just another day, and it’s an opportunity to continue to do what you have been doing and to continue to execute that. I’ll wake up and actually travel with all of my go-to products. I bring my protein and chia seeds in my suitcase.
On race day specifically, I’ll have chia seeds and put them in a cup of warm water in the morning. It feels really good and it’s so good for your digestive health. But other than that, I keep everything very simple. The night before, I am definitely taking magnesium to make sure that I’m feeling really recovered for race day.
Favorite lunch or dinner?
I’m always looking at whole food options, I’m always eating chicken. Chicken and veggies is the easiest thing you can do to make sure that you stay on track with the routine. I enjoy my smoothies throughout the day, but for dinner, I’ll make chicken, Brussels sprouts and rice and put it in a bowl, make it look cute and I’m happy.
What does your recovery routine look like?
Recovery is key. I’ll tell anyone that it is definitely half of the game, especially on our rest days. I really make sure that I’m fueling well with protein and healthy fats. I do a good amount of stretching and mobility work, 30 minutes of that. I do it on active and recovery days, just to stay loose. Meditating is also something that I do every day to practice recovery. Active recovery is also very important too. We go for long walks, so any type of easy exercise is really good. I’ll even do a pool workout for easy exercise that trains a different system of my body. I think hanging out with friends is also really important to give you a little bit of a break and a clear headspace. And sleep, I get at least eight hours of sleep every night.
When getting your master’s degree in public health, your capstone project surrounded sleep epidemiology. What does your own sleep routine look like?
I always aim for seven to eight hours minimum, if I can get more than that, then that’s even better. I’ll start in my kitchen and make a cup of tea with magnesium to help with my recovery overnight. I don’t go into the bedroom until I’m ready for bed, so I’ll spend about 30 minutes just relaxing with no electronics to let my mind settle. Right before bed, I create a calm and relaxing space with my essential oil diffuser. It’s really simple, but it helps me wind down and get quality rest because sleeping is not just about the time you sleep, it’s about your sleep health and how you prepare for it beforehand. That’s how I am able to show up and actually do my best for training the next day.
For days where you’re not as well rested, how do you boost your energy?
That definitely happens, especially because we do travel so much, it can be disruptive to a routine. I’m always running from one thing to the next, whether it’s from the track to the weight room, or traveling somewhere to a new city. So I always have NOW’s Raw Energy Nut Mix. It’s super easy, it’s a bag with walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds and raisins, and it’s just my go-to. I have it in my bag with me, my travel bag, the glove compartment of my car, it’s a good go-to for an extra boost of energy if I need it.
What does “eating well” mean to you?
Eating well to me means nourishing my body and making sure that I feel my best every day. There are no rules to it, there is “no one size fits all” for what anyone chooses to do in their recovery routine, but whatever makes me feel best, and sets me up to be my best and have my best performances on the track, that’s what eating well is.
Editor’s Note: This interview was edited for clarity and length.
