Beauty Director of mbg
Beauty Director of mbg
Alexandra Engler is beauty director at mindbodygreen and host of the beauty podcast Clean Beauty School. She has previously held beauty-related roles at Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, SELF, and Cosmopolitan; her byline has appeared in Esquire, Sports Illustrated, and Allure.com.
Image by mbg Creative / courtesy of the source
July 29, 2024
We love celebrating women at the top of their game. In our new Game On series, we interview top athletes about their wellness routines, covering everything from the nutrition that makes them feel strong to the moments that bring them joy.
Over the past few months, I’ve been speaking to many elite athletes from a wide variety of sports for this Game On series. I’ve also spoken to sports psychologists, researchers and clinicians about achievement, perseverance and what makes elite athletes perform at their best. One theme that comes up again and again is resilience – the proud ability to keep going, overcome and thrive.
When I was offered the opportunity to speak with the triathlete Melissa StockwellI knew straight away that I wanted to talk to her about resilience. Stockwell is a three-time Paralympic Games winner (she’ll be competing in her fourth Paralympic Games in Paris this year), a triathlete, and a veteran.
Stockwell was deployed to Iraq in 2004. During her deployment, her vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb and she lost a leg. She became the first veteran to lose a limb during an active deployment. And it wasn’t until four years later that she became the first Iraqi veteran to compete in the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. At the time, she was competing in swimming, but over time she became the triathlete she is today.
In addition to his rigorous training, Stockwell also dedicates his time to bringing other disabled athletes into the sport through his non-profit organization. Dare to Tri.
“We encourage athletes to be active everywhere from the community to the Paralympic level by providing them with expensive adaptive sports equipment, coaching, training and programming throughout the year,” she tells me. “We say, ‘The finish line is just the beginning for our athletes.’ We want them to see how much capability there is in their disability.”
Now, it has partnered with the global government Athletes for Good Initiativewhich is a campaign led by consumer goods company P&G and the Olympic and Paralympic Games that champions charitable causes for athletes around the world.Learn more here!)
“They are coming together to recognize what athletes do off the field to help improve the community. We applied for the grant and were chosen to be one of this year’s grant recipients. We are very honored to receive it,” she says. “We are a small nonprofit, so the money goes a long way to helping our athletes get to the starting line, see what they are capable of, and help improve their lives in every way.”
mindbodygreen: How did you get started doing triathlons?
Melissa Stockwell: I started swimming and I loved it. The water had a healing effect. It made me feel whole again.
Then I moved into the sport of triathlon. I was invited to participate in one, my first, in 2009. I used to think triathletes were crazy. I mean, swimming, cycling and running—Who wants to do all that at the same time?
But once I did it, I fell in love with it. I loved the challenge of the three sports. I loved the challenge of the different prosthetic legs I had to use. And I got to be on the same course as able-bodied athletes with all their limbs.
So I fell in love with this and the triathlon community. I’ve been doing it for fifteen years. It’s a big part of my life.
mindbodygreen: At Dare2Tri, you are obviously passionate about bringing other people into sport. What is it about sport that is empowering, especially for disabled athletes?
Stockwell: If I walked up to a regular person and said, “Hey, do you want to do a triathlon?” they would look at me like I was crazy. They would say, “Oh, I could never do that.” canOf course, but people don’t give themselves enough credit.
And along the same lines, if I were to approach someone who has a spinal cord injury and is in a wheelchair or is missing a limb or has vision problems, I would probably think, “There’s no way I can do a triathlon.” And the thing is, a person in a wheelchair can’t just go to a bike shop and buy a bike. It has to be a specialized bike.
But once we help out at Dare2Tri, once we provide these athletes with their equipment, training, and get them to the starting line, it carries over into every other aspect of their lives. Once they finish the race, that self-esteem and self-confidence strengthens them in other areas of their lives.
Picture of mbg Creative / courtesy of the source
mbg: I want to talk about how you train and how you take care of yourself. Let’s start with the mental aspect: how do you prepare yourself mentally for big events? Even for something as important as the Olympic Games?
Stockwell: The mental part is just as important as the physical part, especially when you’re competing. I’ve been doing this sport for many years and I’ve learned that when you get to the starting line, you just have to trust in your training. You just have to trust that you’ve worked hard day in and day out. You have to trust that it’s been enough.
And the mental part doesn’t just apply on race day or at big events, it applies every day. It’s about trying to make sure you have a positive attitude, even though not every training session can be good. The older I get, the more I realise that you’re going to have ups and downs. It’s just a matter of managing them. It’s also important to surround yourself with people who can pull you out of your slump if you find yourself in it.
mbg: What foods help you feel stronger?
Stockwell: Everything is in moderation, right? But when it comes to meals, I eat a lot of protein, carbs, and fat, just to make sure I’m getting the right ratio of macronutrients to help the body repair and rebuild muscles. Then we can be ready for the next training day.
My favorite snacks after a hard workout are things like yogurt, peanut butter-filled pretzels, or yogurt with granola. At night, it’s tricky. I have two kids. It’s about finding the balance between foods that are healthy for me and foods that they like. But it’s a lot of chicken and rice or tacos. Really, anything we can find that’s delicious and nutritious.
I have a sweet tooth, but again, in moderation.
mbg: Speaking of helping your body repair and rebuild, do you have a recovery routine?
Stockwell: Recovery is something that usually gets cut short when I don’t have time. I spend most of my daylight hours working out and then I pick my kids up from school or go home with them and put on my mom hat. So I don’t have a lot of time for recovery, which is something I especially need as a slightly older athlete.
However, if I have time, I do therapeutic massages, use recovery boots that relieve pain, hot and cold baths, but again, it is the hardest thing to fit into the day.
mbg: How do you relax at night? Especially when you are preparing for a race or an important event, how do you make sure you get enough sleep?
Stockwell: Sleeping is difficult. I have a hard time with it and I know that it is difficult for many people.
Before a big competition, I know I won’t be able to sleep. I know I won’t sleep very well, but in my head I know that the adrenaline rush will keep me going the next day. So it won’t matter if I’ve had one or two bad nights of sleep. After the race is when I’ll be able to catch up on lost sleep.
And I really try to take that approach with sleep every night. If I don’t get a good night’s sleep for two nights because I’m up late with the kids, I have to make sure that the third night I go to bed at a decent time. I tell my husband that if the kids come over, they’re all his. Sleep adds up, so it’s just about making sure I catch up.
mbg: I’ve been talking to a lot of athletes about resilience. I really wanted to ask you this question because you’re clearly a very resilient person. How do you develop that resilience in yourself?
Stockwell: First of all, I don’t think people give themselves enough credit for the things they can do.
I lost a leg and felt better on the other side. Before I would never have thought that would be possible. Someone else will look at my situation and say, “Oh, there’s no way I can do that.” The problem is that they just don’t know because they haven’t been in that situation. But the answer is Yes, they could do it.
I think resilience is built through tough times, obstacles, and failures. Because once you overcome an obstacle or fail at something and you get over it, you realize that life goes on. It makes you realize that… If anything else comes up, I’ve gotten over it so I can get over this.
Like COVID, for example, let’s hope something like this never happens again in this world, but if it does, we can look back and think. We did it. Therefore, we can do it again.
I think that’s what built resilience.
mbg: I love asking about teammates. You’re in a solo sport, but you have a team that you train with. What makes a good teammate?
Stockwell: My teammates are what keeps me going. They are my second family. We are together hours a day. I think a good teammate is someone who lifts you up when you are down. Who always wants the best for you. Yes, even if it means they are beating me, I am still proud and happy for them because I see the work they do every day.
My teammates make me a better person. I think that’s a big part of being a teammate, both on and off the race track. We’re competitive. We’re motivated. We push each other to be better in every aspect of our lives.
mbg: What advice would you give to young athletes, especially young female athletes?
Stockwell: Dream big. Never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something until you go out and try it.
And I don’t think there’s any sport that women can’t do. Be that pioneer. Get out there. Find what you’re passionate about. I think young girls and women will very quickly recognize the positive impact it has on their lives.
And find good teammates, find people you can trust and who will make you a better person in every way.
