Gold Medalist Tara Lipinski on the #1 Energizing Breakfast She Still Swears By Post-Olympics
If you grew up in the '90s, watching Tara Lipinski jump and twirl on the ice at the Winter Olympics is probably a core memory for you. But Lipinski, 42, has been busy in the years since winning a gold medal at the age of 15.
These days, Lipinski is a mom to a baby girl named Georgie—who she welcomed after a five-year battle with infertility—and has a bustling career as a TV sports host, commentator and analyst.
As someone who has had to work hard to keep her body in tip-top shape from a young age, Lipinski knows a thing or two about how to fuel her body with food and movement. Below, she shares with Parade the #1 breakfast she swears by for all-day energy, the surprising beverage that drains her and her main philosophy regarding food and exercise.
The Breakfast Lipinski Swears By for All-Day Energy Post-Olympics
Are you ready for this? When Lipinski has a big day ahead of her, the first thing she grabs is a bagel with egg and cheese. “I’m a big bagel sandwich person—I like a bagel with eggs and cheese."
"As an athlete, my go-to meal would be pasta, always something carb-heavy," she continues. "I probably needed a little protein and fat. But because I was so carb-heavy when I skated and I always felt like I needed that fuel and energy, if there’s a big day ahead I’m just like, give me the pasta, give me the carbs."
Related: 101 Classic, Simple and Easy Pasta Recipes That Are Worthy of Dinner Tonight
And in more surprising news, while Lipinski says she enjoys the ritual of drinking coffee, she's not always sure it makes her feel good or energizes her. "I don’t always feel good after I drink coffee," she admits. "I feel like with coffee I’m always like, 'Tara, I wonder if you actually need it.' It’s an experience, though, and that morning mug of coffee feels good."
Related: The Best Breakfast for Your Memory
The Food and Exercise Philosophies Lipinski Has Adopted
When she was competing as a teenager in the Olympics, Lipinski was all about fast food, grabbing McDonald's at the Olympic Village. In the years since, she's struggled to know exactly how she should eat or move her body.
"When I was 15 I was eating whatever I wanted and having McDonald’s at the Olympic Village. My metabolism was on fire," she explains. "I struggled many times throughout my career with trying to know how to eat and what I should be consuming as a quote un-quote athlete. It took me until my 30s, but now I realize it’s all about balance."
These days, Lipinski has a healthier relationship with food. "I will always try to listen to my intuition of when to grab the broccoli," she says. "I was just away in Cabo for my birthday, so today I'm drinking the smoothie and having the greens. I think it’s about listening to your body, but it’s also ok for me to have Shake Shack at one point during the week. When I was competing, everything was about routine and training, and that’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned since—to have that balance."
She feels the same way about exercise. "There have been times, especially in my fertility journey, when I didn’t work out at all. But I’ve found throughout my life that movement has helped me feel good mentally," she says. "Whether it’s just a walk and you’re outside and just moving your body, somehow, to me, it just correlates with a fresh reset or fresh start. It’s less about what I’m doing to change my body."
Related: 'I'm 67 and In the Best Shape of My Life—Here's What a Typical Day of Exercise Looks Like for Me'
Why Helping People in the Infertility Community Is So Important to Her Now
After a five-year journey with infertility and IVF that included multiple losses, Lipinski is dedicated to being a resource for anyone going through a similar struggle. She's now Head of Community for Dandi Fertility, a company that works to provide a new kind of fertility care via IVF care kits, live support with shots and more.
"I’m a mom, and my first priority is to be there and raise Georgie, but I also want to give back to the infertility community and connect and support people going through it," she says. "To be able to amplify what they’re doing—for me, it’s so meaningful because I didn’t have a resource like this when I was going through it. You can get answers to all your fertility questions and even do your shots on a live video with support."
Next up: 100 Infertility Quotes to Bring You Hope, Inspiration and Encouragement During Your Journey
