Senior Magnificence & Life-style Director
Senior Magnificence & Life-style Director
Alexandra Engler is the senior magnificence and way of life director at mindbodygreen and host of the sweetness 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 artistic / courtesy of supply
September 16, 2024
We love celebrating ladies on the prime of their recreation. In our new sequence Recreation On, we’re interviewing prime athletes about their well-being routines—protecting every part from diet that makes them really feel robust 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.
At all times an athletic child, Mathewson performed quite a lot of sports activities in her youth when she was in a position bodied. “I all the time favored soccer. I favored 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 growing 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 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 numerous doorways that I believed had been my solely doorways resulting in athletic pursuits. However fortunately mother had talked to numerous 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 previous. I simply wasn’t uncovered to quite a bit at the moment, and I believe that’s truly the case for lots of Individuals. Our nation is so large that you just don’t come into contact with numerous totally different demographics.
At first I used to be one of many children who had little interest in wheelchair sports activities. I believed 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 potential.” And tennis was a kind 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. However 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 a giant breakfast individual. I can not begin the day with out breakfast. I do know there’s plenty of those who 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 am going to sauté mushrooms and spinach, and put that in there. That means I’ve protein and carbs to get me going. Having that sizzling meal simply helps me really feel prepared.
Except for that, I believe that I am very large on veggies. I’ve by no means been a giant meat eater ever since I used to be slightly woman. So for those who 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 desirous to eat meat due to moral causes, I simply have not actually loved it.
So I eat numerous tofu. I eat numerous plant based proteins. And I do eat hen 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 numerous plant-based meals. And that is additionally very straightforward to organize when you will have a tighter schedule like I do.
mbg: what’s your power coaching program?
Mathewson: I’ve an entire workforce of coaches down right here in Orlando that I work with. My power and conditioning workforce has particular packages I’ve to do day-after-day.
So, for instance, Mondays and Wednesdays are lifting days. So for me, that’s numerous 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 primarily based, 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 power. I believe that for those who 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 school I used to be simply very obsessive about the concept of being skinny and being toned. I believe numerous ladies 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 truly burn energy the identical means it does like burning muscle.
So I attempt to ensure I get each: Sooner or later cardio, in the future power, in the future cardio, in the future power. They’re each intense days, however your physique will get a break.
Once I was in school I used to be simply very obsessive about the concept of being skinny and being toned. I believe numerous ladies 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 truly burn energy the identical means it does like burning muscle.
mbg: How do you get better?
Mathewson: After coaching, there’s numerous 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 suppose it’s necessary to get better mentally. I put aside time to play with my canine, name my buddies, 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 exhausting. I simply have to put my head down and be productive the entire time.” However I believe 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 in regards to the psychological facet, anyway. So we simply talked about the way you decompress. However I additionally need to know the way 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 primarily based sport, and I did not notice simply how a lot till I obtained to the extra elite stage of enjoying. As a result of at that time, everybody has forehand. Everybody has backhand. Everybody has serve. Perhaps one individual is slightly 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.
A whole lot of what I’ve been doing is constructive self speak after I’m enjoying or earlier than the match. I have a tendency to provide an excessive amount of credit score to my opponents earlier than a match even begins. When you do this, you then’ve already misplaced the match, proper? Since you’re already considering like, Nicely, she hits tremendous large or she’s actually quick. She’s going to get every part.
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 might appear and feel like to attain the objectives. I do it repeatedly and once more.
I are inclined to get fairly distracted after 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 groups 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 believe one other factor that units elite athletes aside is resilience. Some a part of me thinks it could be one thing innate, that prime athletes are born with. However I additionally suppose it’s a skillset that may be realized. How have you ever constructed resilience through the years?
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 occasions, you then’ll rise up six since you’re cussed sufficient to maintain making an attempt. However I believe that that may also be a realized trait too.
With tennis being my private instance, there’s just one individual 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 yr. So there’s numerous shedding that it’s a must to get comfy with in tennis!
It’s week in and week out video games, and most occasions you do lose. You would possibly win just a few,, however finally you are ending up with an L almost definitely. Until 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 development mindset. There are methods of “shedding” which are constructive. You’ll say, “I misplaced, however that’s OK as a result of my serve was actually good at present.” 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 awesome level. I guess that’s truly an awesome lesson to study early on. I truly really feel like tennis might be an awesome sport for youths to study for that purpose. Talking of, I wished to ask you about recommendation you may need for younger ladies athletes who need to play tennis? Or any sport actually…
Mathewson: Tennis is absolutely technical, so sure it may be irritating. It could flip numerous children away from it. Or possibly children can be annoyed as a result of they don’t have a workforce they’ll 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 possibly can simply go to the park, meet somebody, and play with them. You don’t want an entire workforce to play, like basketball or soccer.
However apart from that, I’d say to only keep it up and belief the method. As a result of it’s not all the time straightforward.
There’s sacrifices that need to be given to a sport that individuals don’t all the time take into consideration once they’re children. Like possibly you’ll have a match on a weekend while you need to go to a sleepover. Or possibly you’ll be getting annoyed that one observe did not go properly, or different persons are enjoying higher than me.
So try 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.