Olympic champion Amy Williams on retirement, relaxation and recovery

Former Winter Olympics gold medalist Skeleton racer Amy Williams has opened up about the importance of finding a balance between fitness and downtime in her lifestyle now that she has retired.

Her passion for sports continues, but includes focus on recovery and downtime to relax and care for her body and mind with the help of yoga and water therapy.

Since winning gold in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Amy has suffered from a number of injuries, but she doesn’t let that stop her working out – even claiming that her new exercise and recovery regime is of more benefit to her health than going to the doctors.

“There are so many benefits of sport and exercise, mentally and physically,” Amy says. “As a retired athlete my training regime is slightly different. From training three times a day, I’m now full of injuries from head to toe. I’m pretty much broken! But I recently found yoga and that has helped a lot, especially meditation. Stop going to the doctors and just join a gym or a go to a class – you’ll feel the results so much more!”

Amy’s newfound passion for yoga has proved to be a blessing for easing her injuries, as well her love for hydrotherapy. “I try to do yoga whenever I can,” she continues. “Hot yoga is particularly fun and great for me because my muscles respond really well to the warm environment. It makes a nice change from working out in the snow!”

Amy is no doubt also welcoming the change in her muscle recovery routine too – swapping ice cold baths and frozen lakes for a warm hot tub - and lounging on the sofa afterwards! “We used to use hot and cold water therapy as part of our recovery when I was competing,” the former champ explains. “I’ve been known to smash a hole in a frozen lake just so my muscles could feel the benefit after an intense training session. But now I prefer to unwind in a Jacuzzi and chill on the sofa with a chocolate brownie.

“The relaxation you can get from sitting in a hot tub… it doesn’t only aid mental and physical wellness, it de-stresses you at the end of a day, whether you’ve just done a hard training session or you’ve had a tough day in the office,” Amy adds.

The 33-year-old has been “sports mad” from an early age, admitting that she was in every sports team at school because her family did not own a TV. So it’s no surprise that now she is no longer competing, it’s hard to switch off from exercise and allow herself some downtime.

“Bath is a very sporty place and that’s home for me, but it’s harder to keep fit now around presenting on The Gadget Show and my charity work,” Amy admits. “I accept I’m nowhere near the level of fitness or body shape I used to be but life has changed and that chapter has shut.

“It is hard, especially in that transition phase, you feel guilty for not training. But one positive when you do retire is you can allow yourself cheat days. I never used to touch chocolate, cake, ice cream, wine and now I think ‘You know what? I will!’ But on the flip side, if I do want to have a slice of cake I’ll make sure to do some exercise the next day to burn it off.

Rest and recuperation is also a firm order of the day for Amy with her busy schedule, and the benefits of water in easing physical and mental stresses have been proven over centuries, but can go unsung: “To sit in a Jacuzzi with some massaging jets on your back really relaxes your posture and eases any aches and pains. If you don’t have one at home, get down to your local health club – it’s worth it!”

Amy was interviewed at the Jacuzzi showroom in Leeds. Jacuzzi is the official sponsor of 9 races in the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup 2015. For more visit Jacuzzi.co.uk