Stephanie Rice: 'I ate the same thing every day for four months"

The reason behind it. 28, 201810:57am

Image: Instagram @itsstephriceSource:BodyAndSoul

The swimming champ reveals the gruelling diet she did to prepare for the Olympics. 

Take your marks, get set….and bellyflop. Every. Damn. Time. Yes, this is what I experienced the very few years I actually participated in my school swimming carnivals. And as for the other years, I would unfortunately be “too sick” to dive into my own pool of embarrassment.

But as much as I couldn’t (and still can’t) carry my own weight through the water, I lived my dream of being a swimmer through the big black box at home – watching Australia’s big names, like Ian Thorpe, Leisel Jones, Libby Trickett, Grand Hackett, and Emily Seebohm glide through the water with ease.


Flexitarianism: vegetarianism but fun!

Flexitarianism: vegetarianism but fun!

Flexitarianism: vegetarianism but fun!

But aside from all the records they broke and medals they scored, there was one particular athlete of this dream team who captured everyone’s attention with their green and yellow earrings: Ricey.

Simply put, Steph Rice made breaking world records and scoring gold Olympic medals look like a cinch through the TV. But it was far far far away from being just that - we’re talking ‘off the grid’ far.

“During my preparations for both of my Olympics, four months before I would be eating the exact same thing every day,” the 29-year-old told myBody+Soul.

Yep, four blimey months without a single cheat day. To be more precise, that’s 16 weeks, 112 days, or 2,688 hours without pasta, pizza, chocolate, cheese, or wine.

“It was two pieces of toast with two eggs for breakfast, then lunch was always rice with a tin of tuna and steamed vegetables, and dinner was always a piece of meat with a carbohydrate like potato and veggies.”

And on top of her strict diet, she was exercising seven hours a day. Yeah, explains why I wasn’t born to be an Olympian.

“When I was training, everything was extreme and the focus was not on looking a certain way – it was on the actual performance element of looking like that, so food was fuel; it wasn’t an enjoyment thing,

“I needed X amount of calories, or X amount of protein for muscle recovery so it was very science based.”

Fast-forward to 2018, and the three-time Olympic gold medallist is all about eating and exercising for enjoyment. She found that letting go of the stress and pressure of trying to maintain a strict diet and workout regime actually helped her lose weight, in which she recently posted an image of her body transformation on Instagram.

“After I finished swimming it was very much a case of not having to do anything for science anymore, so I had to find what worked for me and what I enjoyed doing.

Her seven hours of exercise have now become a quick 20-minute YouTube workout she does in the comfort of her own home. And if she doesn’t have the time to workout, then simply put, she forgives, forgets and moves on with her life.

Her boring old rice, steamed veg and tuna is also long forgotten, and replaced with healthy and delicious vegan food (which does involve chocolate, coffee and a her ultimate post-lunch dessert: frozen mango with coconut yogurt).

And just like she’s found that ‘less is more’ works better for her body and mind, the same applies for her glowing skin, too, where she admits she doesn’t “need to wear a whole face of makeup to feel good.”

The new Asian Pacific Ambassador for women’s beauty and wellness health supplement brand, Unichi, swaps makeup for basic moisturizers, sunscreens and a light layer of CC cream.

She also loves taking Unichi’s Avocado Extract Complex when she feels like her skin is dehydrated, and the brand’s Saffronia, which helps her “relax, concentrate and feel emotionally at ease.” (Honestly speaking, it actually works…and this is coming from a person who stresses over the most trivial little things)

TBH if I worked that hard to represent Australia at the Olympics, my retirement years would definitely involve a lot of Netflix, chillin’, wine and popcorn – but for Steph, it’s the complete opposite.

Instead, she’s being able to continuously make personal achievements, both physically and mentally, and now even shares her tips and tricks on how to ace your personal development skills via her social media platforms and Magical Mentoring program.

Before you hop online and check it out, let us warn you now - she’s a woman of many wise words.

To give you a taste of what she’s all about, Steph has some advice for those that are struggling to find motivation and kick start their health goals.

“A lot of people exercise and go to the gym, but their only goal is to weigh a certain amount. Whereas, yes, I think it’s really important to have the physical goal, but it’s also important to have a mental goal.

“To do this, you have to set smaller goals along the way so you can see that you’re progressing and achieving and you feel the momentum, which then drives motivation, so it’s a cycle and you have to build that.”

And to make this work, Steph says you have to listen to your own guidance and intuition, and learn to love the person you see in the mirror.

“It’s really important to acknowledge why you feel like you’re lacking motivation or concerned about your body, and what is holding you back because I feel like most of the time people are trying to escape something that they don’t feel good about.

“It’s also really important to acknowledge where you are now, accept that person, and slowly work towards getting better.”

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