September 16, 2024
Senior Magnificence & Way of life Director
Senior Magnificence & Way of life Director
Alexandra Engler is the senior magnificence and life-style director at mindbodygreen and host of the wonder podcast Clear Magnificence College. 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 inventive / courtesy of supply
September 16, 2024
We love celebrating girls on the high of their recreation. In our new collection Sport On, we’re interviewing high athletes about their well-being routines—masking all the things from vitamin that makes them really feel robust to the moments that deliver them pleasure.
As the primary American lady to win a Grand Slam Main title in wheelchair tennis and one of many high wheelchair tennis gamers within the U.S., 33-year-old Dana Mathewson is aware of what it means to be on high of your recreation.
At all times an athletic child, Mathewson performed a wide range of sports activities in her youth when she was ready bodied. “I all the time appreciated soccer. I appreciated softball. I attempted tennis a couple of times at summer season camp, however was probably not into it,” she tells me over a current video name.
Nonetheless, after creating a uncommon autoimmune dysfunction known as Transverse myelitis (TM), she turned 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 occasions) she picked up adaptive sports activities—and this time tennis caught. The remainder unfolded all because of Mathewson’s sheer expertise and drive.
Right here, how she stays on high of her recreation.
mbg: What was it like whenever you began taking part in wheelchair tennis?
Dana Mathewson: My situation shut plenty of doorways that I believed had been my solely doorways resulting in athletic pursuits. However fortunately mother had talked to plenty of completely different individuals once 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At that stage of life, I had by no means seen anybody with a incapacity that wasn’t 90 years outdated.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 so much at the moment, and I feel that’s truly the case for lots of Individuals. Our nation is so massive that you simply don’t come into contact with plenty of completely different demographics.
At first I used to be one of many youngsters who had no real interest in wheelchair sports activities. I believed it sounded actually boring. I could not conceptualize what it could be.
However my mother was like, “Nope! I need you to be lively. I’m signing you up for each camp potential.” And tennis was a type of.
I picked up a racket at—I feel 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 ready bodied tennis, as a result of it is nearly the identical factor besides one’s in a wheelchair. Nevertheless it simply clicked for me and I have been taking part in it ever since.
mbg: what means aid you really feel your strongest?
Mathewson: I am a giant breakfast particular person. I can’t begin the day with out breakfast. I do know there’s plenty of people who get up and all they want is espresso and an apple. I am not that lady.
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 am going to sauté mushrooms and spinach, and put that in there. That manner I’ve protein and carbs to get me going. Having that scorching meal simply helps me really feel prepared.
Apart from that, I feel that I am very massive on veggies. I’ve by no means been a giant meat eater ever since I used to be slightly lady. So when 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 plenty of tofu. I eat plenty of plant based mostly proteins. And I do eat hen and eggs and issues like that. However I discover that once I’m cooking—particularly as a result of my husband is vegan—we eat plenty of plant-based meals. And that is additionally very simple to arrange when you have got a tighter schedule like I do.
mbg: what’s your power coaching program?
Mathewson: I’ve a complete workforce of coaches down right here in Orlando that I work with. My power and conditioning workforce has particular packages I’ve to do every single day.
So, for instance, Mondays and Wednesdays are lifting days. So for me, that’s plenty of higher physique, however we do even have me doing stuff simply to maintain no matter muscle tissues I’ve in my legs lively. That may 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 courtroom 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 power. I feel that when you go fully one or the opposite, you may burn your physique out—otherwise you’re not offering your muscle tissues the train that they want.
After I was in faculty I used to be simply very obsessive about the concept of being skinny and being toned. I feel plenty 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, nevertheless it doesn’t truly burn energy the identical manner it does like burning muscle.
So I attempt to verify I get each: Someday cardio, someday power, someday cardio, someday power. They’re each intense days, however your physique will get a break.
After I was in faculty I used to be simply very obsessive about the concept of being skinny and being toned. I feel plenty 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, nevertheless it doesn’t truly burn energy the identical manner it does like burning muscle.
mbg: How do you get well?
Mathewson: After coaching, there’s plenty 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 necessary to get well mentally. I put aside time to play with my canine, name my associates, 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 deliver you pleasure!
A couple of years in the past, my mindset was like, “I have to work exhausting. I simply have to put my head down and be productive all the time.” However I feel it’s truly 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 necessary for me to show it off.
mbg: I wished 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 up to now few years. Tennis is such mentally based mostly sport, and I did not notice simply how a lot till I bought to the extra elite degree of taking part in. As a result of at that time, everybody has forehand. Everybody has backhand. Everybody has serve. Possibly one particular person is slightly bit higher than the opposite. However what actually makes individuals win extra usually is their mindset.
And I feel 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.
A whole lot of what I’ve been doing is constructive self discuss once I’m taking part in 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. Should you do this, you then’ve already misplaced the match, proper? Since you’re already pondering like, Nicely, she hits tremendous massive or she’s actually quick. She’s going to get all the things.
I’ve needed to study to visualise constructive 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 aim 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 could feel and appear like to attain the targets. I do it repeatedly and once more.
I are likely to get fairly distracted once I do visualization work. It is truly actually exhausting, as it may be exhausting for me to remain targeted. It is like coaching your muscle tissues to do one thing. However I do this for a couple of minutes at a time and I am going to attempt to visualize as I am falling asleep as properly. It helps construct confidence.
mbg: I feel one other factor that units elite athletes aside is resilience. Some a part of me thinks it is perhaps one thing innate, that high 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 feel you are proper that sure individuals 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 occasions, you then’ll rise up six since you’re cussed sufficient to maintain making an attempt. However I feel that that will also be a discovered trait too.
With tennis being my private instance, there’s just one particular person each week in a match that wins, proper? In order that implies that all people else has to lose. You play X variety of tournaments a 12 months. So there’s plenty of dropping that you must get snug with in tennis!
It’s week in and week out video games, and most occasions you do lose. You may win a couple of,, however finally you are ending up with an L probably. 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 “dropping” which are constructive. You’ll say, “I misplaced, however that’s OK as a result of my serve was actually good right this moment.” 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, nevertheless it’s an important level. I guess that’s truly an important lesson to study early on. I truly really feel like tennis might be an important sport for teenagers to study for that motive. Talking of, I wished to ask you about recommendation you may need for younger girls athletes who need to play tennis? Or any sport actually…
Mathewson: Tennis is absolutely technical, so sure it may be irritating. It will possibly flip plenty of youngsters away from it. Or perhaps youngsters might be annoyed as a result of they don’t have a workforce they will play with, and that may be exhausting.
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 workforce 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 match on a weekend whenever 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 taking part in 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 excellent. It’s one thing you do for enjoyable. So embrace the enjoyable a part of it.