5 Tips From Olympian Ato Boldon to Sprint Your Way to Better Health

I know we’re all Winter Olympics up in here, but that doesn’t mean we also aren’t Summer Olympics fans! (And, hey, doesn’t summer weather sound pretty, um, AMAZING right now?) So when these healthy tips from Ato Boldon landed in our inbox, we had to share.

In case you’ve forgotten, Ato is a former athlete from Trinidad and Tobago and a four-time sprinting Olympic medal winner. In fact, there are only three other men in history — Usain Bolt, Frankie Fredericks and Carl Lewis — who have won as many Olympic individual event sprint medals as him. These days Ato is a partner and speed trainer for S3 Sports Academy and works with a number of NFL stars and college players to make them super-fast — not to mention that he is also an analyst for NBC Sports and is covering the Winter Games.

So his tips on how to make now your healthiest time ever? Yeah, we’re listening — and following them!

Ato Boldon’s Top 5 Healthy Living Tips

1. Leave the “I don’t have time to workout” excuse behind. This is the biggest lie ever told. Your body can benefit from minutes of exercise every day. Some of the world’s busiest people always make time to exercise daily. It can be as simple as always taking the stairs, or doing push-ups and sit-ups in the morning and at night. The key is to get your heart rate going, and break a little sweat.

2. Make it a routine. The body gets used to you exercising. It will never feel like hard work once your body gets accustomed to the workout routine. So get going!

3. Watch what comes in. When filling your dinner plate, one-third should be lean protein and two-thirds should be green vegetables like Brussels sprouts (try this recipe!), broccoli and kale.

4. Stay ahead of the game. Before heading out to a big meal with family and friends, have a low-calorie protein drink. You think you will be adding extra calories, but you’ll instead be staying ahead of your hunger valve.

5. Eat often. Enjoy four to six small meals throughout the day — again, concentrating on lean proteins and fibrous carbs like vegetables and fruits. You don’t have to avoid your favorite food; just don’t let them take over your diet. All good things in moderation!

Do these things starting today, and we guarantee you’ll be fitter, healthier and have more energy in no time! You may not run as fast as Ato, but, hey, who does?! —Jenn