Penny chats with us about the 2020 Olympic Games and all things related to nutrition and training!

HOLR is sitting down to chat with Canada’s most decorated Olympian, Penny Oleksiak, to discuss her journey to date. As a gold-medal Olympic swimmer, Penny understands the importance of maintaining a balanced diet, and, in addition to touching on her incredible journey, she also walks us through her top tips and tricks as it relates to nutrition, training, and recovery. 

Such an honour to be chatting with you! Talk to us about your journey and how it got you to where you are today. 

My journey has been pretty crazy it’s hard to sum it all up but I’ve definitely had a lot of growth over my “journey” as a person and as an athlete. I have had to face a lot of things without knowing the outcome and it’s been scary but I’m lucky to have a great support team around me. 

As Canada’s most decorated Olympian, can you describe your experience this year at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo? 

It was pretty different this time around. The Olympics are always so fun and exhilarating and this time around was no different. Although we weren’t able to be around other athletes from other countries or sports as much, it was still such a great experience to bond with teammates and just to have those moments with friends. 

What are some things you do during training to help motivate you before competing? 

I am so grateful to have such a good training group full of motivated and hardworking athletes. I use the other swimmers in the group constantly to better myself and motivate myself just either by competing with them or by watching the best parts of their technique and applying it to my training. 

As someone who understands the importance of maintaining a well-balanced diet, can you share any top tips when it comes to training and recovery? 

I think for me nutrition really affects me day to day especially with all the training I do. I’ve found that just making sure that I’m fueling myself with high-protein foods like eggs to stay energized. On days I don’t have training it can be really easy to just forget to eat or to fall off track with fueling myself properly, so I have to be very cognizant of that so I can always be performing at my best in training. 

Do you have a go-to nutritious meal or snack that helps fuel your day? 

For me, a major go-to is hardboiled eggs, not only to snack on, on their own but also in salads or on sandwiches for a meal – 2 eggs is about 13 grams of protein so it’s super easy to throw one or two on top of anything I’m making and know I’m getting the nutritional content I need. They’re also super easy to make and also fun to add spices or sauces to if I feel like changing up the flavour. 

What’s next for you in your career?

I’m honestly not too sure… I have so many avenues I want to explore, whether that’s in fashion, interior design, or in the business world. For swimming, I want to really come up with a plan for the next three years to better myself every year and just become the best athlete I can be. 

Published by HOLR Magazine.