Gabby Douglas Is Returning to Gymnastics With Her Best Foot Forward

It truly is been eight many years considering the fact that Gabby Douglas, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, has competed in gymnastics. She quietly stepped back again from the activity after the 2016 Olympics — her 2nd time at the games — and in 2022, stepped away from social media to care for her psychological well being. In one particular of her very last posts, she wrote that on the highway to Rio, “I went by hell x2 and i misplaced my joy, i lost my enthusiasm, my fireplace, my really like, and then myself.”

11 months later on, in the summer season of 2023, she came back again on the feed with triumphant news: she was coaching for the 2024 Olympics. And on the way there, she’s putting her most effective foot forward in each individual probable way.

“In the beginning, it was really challenging for me to get back again into the gym due to the fact I experienced a whole lot there the previous time close to,” Douglas tells PS. “But I just experienced to do it I just experienced to move in the health club.”

People techniques have been taken on ft that experienced spent some time absent from the mat, which meant that Douglas kicked her Diy pedicure program into substantial equipment to get them completely ready to adhere a excellent landing.

“Ft are pretty common in gymnastics — we ice our ft, we use chalk, which truly dries them out, and all the spinning and turning actually hardens the bottoms,” she states. Needless to say, her foot-treatment regimen is extra intense than what most of us do to our faces. To get the work accomplished, she turns to Dr. Scholls, whom she not long ago partnered with as a brand name ambassador.

“On the times when I want to shave my calluses down, I use the Callus Remover Electronic Foot File ($11),” she suggests. It can be really uncomplicated to travel with and use on the go. It eliminates all of the hardened pores and skin, and it’s so very good for my feet. I appreciate using it.”

And when Douglas would like to give those people ft a very little more like, “I use the Serious Cracked Heel Repair Restoring Balm ($8),” she suggests. “It’s so very good and so moisturizing.”

This is just one particular of the self-care procedures that have served Douglas come to feel grounded lately. “It is really extremely critical for me to just take treatment of my entire body and my mind,” she suggests. “But I search at self-treatment so much on the psychological facet of points, since if you get care of your mind and make confident which is nutritious, then your overall body will be capable to perform and do what you want it to do.”

In the course of her time off from competing, Douglas took a action inward. “I did a lot of journaling and self-reflection and on the lookout at myself and video clips of my previous self,” she suggests. And when she finally felt completely ready to go back into the fitness center, “I just took a deep breath and explained let’s action again into it.”

Rediscovering her joy has been a journey, but Douglas is having it just one phase at a time, which is one thing we can all understand from. “It took me a tiny little bit to set on a leotard, but we finally obtained there,” she suggests. “I didn’t set a great deal on myself for the reason that it was very frustrating. I went to the health club, did a few pull-ups, and stayed for an hour or two. Remember, you will not have to get it all done in 1 day. Choose little one measures — I unquestionably did.”

Zoë Weiner is a freelance splendor and wellness writer. Her do the job has appeared in Bustle, Byrdie, Cosmopolitan, PS, GQ, Glamour, Marie Claire, Allure, Self, Brides, and Teen Vogue, amid other folks, and she was the senior elegance editor at Nicely+Good.