{"id":51521,"date":"2016-08-09T07:15:52","date_gmt":"2016-08-09T11:15:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=51521"},"modified":"2021-05-17T11:36:46","modified_gmt":"2021-05-17T15:36:46","slug":"dominique-dawes-olympic-gymnast-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/db\/dominique-dawes-olympic-gymnast-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Dominique Dawes: Gold-Medal Gymnast, Healthy Role Model for Life"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Z_IxLUiwgUY\" width=\"620\" height=\"349\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>As a three-time Olympic gymnast, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dominiquedawes.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dominique Dawes<\/a> knows a thing or two about hard work. She trained for five to seven hours a day, six days a week, in the lead-up to the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Games. She\u2019ll also go down in history as the work horse of the \u201cMagnificent Seven,\u201d the \u201996 team who brought home USA\u2019s first women\u2019s team gold.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, Dawes\u2019 toughest job to date was becoming a mom. \u201cI\u2019m so exhausted as a mother \u2014 this is the hardest thing I\u2019ve ever had to do. I never thought I\u2019d have to fight with 20-pound little people about eating, doing certain things and listening,\u201d she jokes. That\u2019s where setting a positive example for her two kids comes in.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/fit-mom-exercise-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">17 Tips from Fit Moms on Finding Time for Exercise<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Dominique Dawes: From Gold-Medal Gymnast to Gold-Medal Mom<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Though Dawes, 39, hung up her leotard more than two decades ago, she didn\u2019t ditch the life lessons she picked up on her way to the podium. In fact, she says those 18 years she devoted to gymnastics helped define who she is as an adult and a mom.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s when my character developed, when my character was challenged,\u201d Dawes told JD Roberto on a recent visit to <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/365?partner=life&amp;mtype=5&amp;ldate=080916&amp;grp=fitness&amp;crtv=dominiquedawes&amp;utm_source=life&amp;utm_medium=textlink&amp;utm_campaign=fitness&amp;utm_content=dominiquedawes&amp;sub_id=365\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Daily Burn 365<\/a>. \u201cI made 1,001 mistakes, I failed many times and that\u2019s when I became a better person. I learned from persevering. I learned from never giving up. I learned from sacrificing and making commitments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/365?partner=life&amp;mtype=5&amp;ldate=080916&amp;grp=fitness&amp;crtv=dominiquedawes&amp;utm_source=life&amp;utm_medium=textlink&amp;utm_campaign=fitness&amp;utm_content=dominiquedawes&amp;sub_id=365\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Daily Burn 365: New Workouts, 7 Days a Week<\/a><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_51548\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-51548\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-51548\" src=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Dominique-Dawes-In-Text-Image.jpg\" alt=\"Dominique Dawes: Olympic Gymnast, Healthy Role Model for Life\" width=\"620\" height=\"400\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-51548\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Photo: Ryan Kelly \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/365?partner=life&amp;mtype=5&amp;ldate=080916&amp;grp=fitness&amp;crtv=dominiquedawes&amp;utm_source=life&amp;utm_medium=textlink&amp;utm_campaign=fitness&amp;utm_content=dominiquedawes&amp;sub_id=365\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Daily Burn 365<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Another thing she took away from her training: <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/low-calorie-foods-feel-full\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">eating right<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/no-excuses-accountability-workouts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">staying active<\/a> and perhaps most importantly, being a strong role model not just for her daughters, but for young girls across the country. As co-chair of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fitness.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">President\u2019s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition<\/a> and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gogosqueez.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GoGo Squeez<\/a> ambassador (a company that works with the non-profit, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.actionforhealthykids.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Action for Healthy Kids<\/a>), Dawes shares how <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/pulses-superfood-benefits-recipes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">good-for-you foods<\/a> fuel the body.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;What helped me become successful as a three-time Olympian is not going to lead to success or happiness as a wife and as a mother.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>At home, she encourages her kids to eat better by including them in the cooking process. (Her two-year-old even helps pick herbs from the garden \u2014 talk about all hands on deck!) She also takes walks with her family, and won\u2019t hesitate to join them on the monkey bars or trampoline, or throw mini dance parties at home. Her new \u201cgold-medal moment\u201d as a mom: Spending quality time with her kids, rather than worrying about her to-do list. \u201cAt the end of the day, if my house is a mess and my kids are happy\u2026 that\u2019s what\u2019s going to matter,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/2016-olympic-gymnastics-preview\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Your 2016 Olympic Gymnastics Cheat Sheet<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Dawes did have to make one crucial change after her Olympic days, though \u2014 being less critical of herself. \u201cWhat helped me become successful as a three-time Olympian is not going to lead to success or happiness as a wife and as a mother,\u201d she says. \u201cSo I\u2019ve had to learn to relax, let go and have fun. My husband always asks, \u2018How many times have you laughed today?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Plus, she knows if she wants her daughters to be <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/lifestyle\/boost-confidence-trainer-quotes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">confident<\/a>, she needs to practice that, too. That means treating herself well, talking lovingly about herself and others, maintaining\u00a0healthy relationships, as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/fallen-off-the-wagon-how-to-reset\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">eating right<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/beginner-crossfit-workouts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">working out<\/a>. \u201cIf I want my young girls to love themselves, I have to show them by loving myself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Want more fit tips plus new workouts every day? Head to <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/365?partner=life&amp;mtype=5&amp;ldate=080916&amp;grp=fitness&amp;crtv=dominiquedawes&amp;utm_source=life&amp;utm_medium=textlink&amp;utm_campaign=fitness&amp;utm_content=dominiquedawes&amp;sub_id=365\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Daily Burn 365<\/a> to try your free 30-day trial today! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Olympic gymnast and mom, Dominique Dawes, joined Daily Burn 365 to talk wellness, confidence and how she\u2019s passing healthy habits to the next generation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[300,298],"tags":[47,71,181,341,366,100],"class_list":["post-51521","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-db365","category-db","tag-family","tag-nutrition","tag-olympics","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2family-fitness","tag-workout"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51521"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51521\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}