How Olympic athletes keep fit during the holiday season 

For many of us, the holidays are a time to relax and spoil ourselves. But for an Olympic athlete — or aspiring Olympian — things can be quite different. Fitness is often at the heart of their ability to perform in their sport.

While many athletes do dial down their sporting activities over the festive period, they often still find ways to maintain their shape to ensure they’re ready for the vigours of the year ahead.

Olympics.com spoke to a number of athletes to find out their secrets to staying in shape over the holiday period.

Read on to find out more.

Athletes finding the balance during the holidays

For some athletes, the key to their success over the holidays is burning off what they consume. Among them is Cabo Verde boxer Nancy Moreira, an African boxing champion and IOC Olympic Solidarity scholarship holder.

“I work out every day,” she told Olympics.com, revealing that there's no skipping sessions even during the festive season. “Especially because December is a month of high-calorie consumption. So I try to manage what I eat and then I know how long I should train to use up the excess.”

For Brazilian rugby sevens star Luiza Campos, there is a scientific approach to the holidays that she works on with her team.

“We always have a holiday plan with training and our nutritionist always helps us to regulate our diet so we can eat what we ant during Christmas and New Year’s Eve,” she said. “Just train and eat right on the other days and we can be happy at the end of the year.”

Moderation is a running theme for athletes wanting to enjoy themselves during the holidays but still maintain the level of fitness required for the highest levels of sport.

Take, for example, Spain’s Tokyo 2020 karate gold medallist Sandra Sanchez, who spoke to Olympics.com during a recent end-of-year gala for Spanish athletes.

“I have turned what I like to eat into a habit,” she said. “And it’s not just a quote… We all know what is right and wrong but to never eat something wrong is also bad, it’s not good for your mentality. That little piece of nougat every once in a while is fine, the whole bar isn’t good.”

No stopping for some as the training continues during the holidays

While a lot of us enjoy putting our feet up over the holidays, the habits ingrained in the daily routines of athletes mean taking a total break over the festive season is often not an option.

“I go home and train with my high school coach and his workouts are hard,” US swimmer Carson Foster told us. “So I just do his workouts and luckily as a swimmer it’s like you can get away for little bits at a time with eating whatever you want…

“When I go home I enjoy myself and I enjoy being around family and having the festive food for Christmas. But then I get back on my normal diet when I’m back home in Austin (Texas).”

Ayoub Ghadfa, who won superheavyweight boxing silver for Spain at Paris 2024, also continues to train during the holidays - even if the workload is a little lighter.

“I keep training but instead of two sessions per day, I just do one,” he said. “But in my case, it’s impossible to stop training.”

For Campos' Brazilian rugby sevens teammate Yasmim Soares, her sport’s busy schedule in December and the early months of the year means losing fitness during the winter months is not an option.

“Out trainer plans everything nicely,” she revealed. “He gives us gym work and conditioning and we just have to stay active and be responsible to follow that schedule. It’s nothing too ‘wow’ but it’s something so that we don’t really lose that training metabolism that we’ve been building throughout our journey.”

Home comforts and how sport can be a pleasure in itself over the holidays

While it may seem like a sacrifice to deny yourself all the pleasures of the festive season, French mountain biker Loana Lecomte reminds us that sport is also a pleasure in itself.

“It’s true that it’s not easy to do sport every day,” she said. “The first three or four sessions are hard, but once you find a rhythm, you get so much pleasure…

“In fact, the sports hormones that are released are dopamine, and I believe it puts you in a second state, which is so pleasant… I’m addicted to sport and I think that the more you do it, the more addicted you are.”

But for others, while training will always be a part of their daily calendar, the opportunity to enjoy the best that the holiday season has to offer is something they don’t want to miss out on - particularly after a year in which they have worked so hard to compete at the highest levels of their sports.

For US-based German decathlon silver medallist Leo Neugebauer, that means indulging in some traditional dishes from back home, including schnitzel and currywurst, after successfully convincing a cook at the University of Texas to add them to the menu.

“I’m really excited for everyone to try these dishes and have a taste of them back home,” he shared on social media. “I’m from the region of Germany that is famous for sauerkraut, so that’s something that’s served with most meals.”

Italian taekwondo star Simone Alessio is also a fan of his local cuisine, and while he admits the key to a successful festive period is in finding the right balance, the delicacies of southern Italy are something he will enjoy in moderation.

“The only secret to keeping myself in shape is to not be gluttonous,” he said, after reeling off a list of his favourite Italian dishes, including soppressata (a cured Italian meat), nduja (a spreadable pork dish from Calabria) and salami. “I like sweet things and cold cuts so I will really have to eat the right way. And that’s all fine because I will definitely enjoy all the good things but in the right way.”