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 artistic / courtesy of supply
September 16, 2024
We love celebrating girls on the prime of their recreation. In our new collection Sport On, we’re interviewing prime athletes about their well-being routines—masking the whole lot from vitamin that makes them really feel sturdy to the moments that convey them pleasure.
As the primary American girl 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 recreation.
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 preferred soccer. I preferred softball. I attempted tennis a few times at summer time camp, however was probably not into it,” she tells me over a latest video name.
Nonetheless, after creating a uncommon autoimmune dysfunction known as Transverse myelitis (TM), she grew to become 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 instances) 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 recreation.
mbg: What was it like while you began enjoying wheelchair tennis?
Dana Mathewson: My situation shut a number of doorways that I assumed had been my solely doorways resulting in athletic pursuits. However fortunately mother had talked to a number of totally different folks after I was within the hospital and discovered what wheelchair sports activities and adaptive sports activities had been.
At that stage of life, I had by no means seen anybody with a incapacity that wasn’t 90 years outdated. I simply wasn’t uncovered to loads 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 a number of totally different demographics.
At first I used to be one of many youngsters who had little 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 lively. I’m signing you up for each camp doable.” 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 just about the identical factor besides one’s in a wheelchair. Nevertheless it simply clicked for me and I have been enjoying it ever since.
mbg: what means enable you 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 plenty of those that get up and all they want is espresso and an apple. I am not that woman.
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 means 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 somewhat woman. So in case you had been to supply me a steak, I would not actually need 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 a number of tofu. I eat a number of plant based proteins. And I do eat rooster 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 a number of plant-based meals. And that is additionally very simple to organize when you might have a tighter schedule like I do.
mbg: what’s your energy coaching program?
Mathewson: I’ve a complete group of coaches down right here in Orlando that I work with. My energy and conditioning group has particular applications I’ve to do each day.
So, for instance, Mondays and Wednesdays are lifting days. So for me, that’s a number of higher physique, however we do even have me doing stuff simply to maintain no matter muscle groups I’ve in my legs lively. That can 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 court docket 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 energy. I believe that in case you go utterly one or the opposite, you possibly can burn your physique out—otherwise you’re not offering your muscle groups the train that they want.
Once I was in faculty I used to be simply very obsessive about the concept of being skinny and being toned. I believe a number of women fall into the entice of, “Nicely, 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, however it doesn’t really burn energy the identical means it does like burning muscle.
So I strive to verify I get each: In the future cardio, someday energy, someday cardio, someday energy. They’re each intense days, however your physique will get a break.
Once I was in faculty I used to be simply very obsessive about the concept of being skinny and being toned. I believe a number of women fall into the entice of, “Nicely, 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, however it doesn’t really burn energy the identical means it does like burning muscle.
mbg: How do you recuperate?
Mathewson: After coaching, there’s a number of 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 assume it’s essential to recuperate mentally. I put aside time to play with my canine, name my pals, 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 have to work onerous. I simply have to put my head down and be productive the entire 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 power all day—or I’m touring and competing—so there’s nervous power. So it’s essential for me to show it off.
mbg: I needed to ask you concerning the psychological aspect, anyway. So we simply talked about the way you decompress. However I additionally need to understand how you activate and prepare for these matches?
Mathewson: That is been one thing I’ve actually needed to work on previously few years. Tennis is such mentally based mostly sport, and I did not understand simply how a lot till I obtained to the extra elite degree of enjoying. As a result of at that time, everybody has forehand. Everybody has backhand. Everybody has serve. Possibly one individual is somewhat 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. In case you do this, then you definitely’ve already misplaced the match, proper? Since you’re already considering like, Nicely, she hits tremendous huge or she’s actually quick. She’s going to get the whole lot.
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 need to do as a result of I’m very objective 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 appear and feel like to attain the objectives. I do it repeatedly and once more.
I are likely to get fairly distracted after I do visualization work. It is really actually onerous, as it may be onerous for me to remain targeted. It is like coaching your muscle groups 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 properly. 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 assume it’s a skillset that may be discovered. 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 instances, then you definitely’ll stand up six since you’re cussed sufficient to maintain attempting. However I believe that that may also be a discovered trait too.
With tennis being my private instance, there’s just one individual each week in a event 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 a number of dropping that it’s important to get snug with in tennis!
It’s week in and week out video games, and most instances you do lose. You would possibly win a couple of,, however finally you are ending up with an L almost definitely. Except 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 progress mindset. There are methods of taking a look at “dropping” which can be optimistic. You’ll say, “I misplaced, however that’s OK as a result of my serve was actually good right now.” Or “ what, I have to work on my returns subsequent time.”
Picture by mbg Inventive / courtesy of supply
mbg: Oh, that’s so attention-grabbing. I’ve by no means considered that, however it’s an excellent level. I wager that’s really an excellent lesson to be taught early on. I really really feel like tennis might be an excellent sport for teenagers to be taught for that motive. Talking of, I needed to ask you about recommendation you may need for younger girls athletes who need to play tennis? Or any sport actually…
Mathewson: Tennis is actually technical, so sure it may be irritating. It might probably flip a number of youngsters away from it. Or perhaps youngsters will probably be annoyed as a result of they don’t have a group they’ll play with, and that may be onerous.
However tennis is among the coolest sports activities in that it permits you to 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 a complete group to play, like basketball or soccer.
However other than that, I’d say to simply keep it up and belief the method. As a result of it’s not all the time simple.
There’s sacrifices that need to be given to a sport that individuals don’t all the time take into consideration once they’re youngsters. Like perhaps you’ll have a event on a weekend while you need to go to a sleepover. Or perhaps you’ll be getting annoyed that one apply did not go properly, or different persons are enjoying higher than me.
So attempt to have enjoyable with it nonetheless, as a result of it isn’t your job. You are allowed to not be good. It’s one thing you do for enjoyable. So embrace the enjoyable a part of it.