Paralympic gold medalist and Get Cracking spokesperson Mollie Jepsen is gearing up for the upcoming Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games and, as you can imagine, she has been focusing on prioritizing her training and diet with an emphasis on nutrition. With that, Mollie agreed to share with us a glimpse into how she is preparing to perform at her best. —Noa Nichol
Hi Mollie! Please tell us a bit about yourself to start.
Hello! I’m Mollie Jepsen, and I’m a Para-Alpine skier, four-time Paralympic medalist and Paralympic Champion. I grew up in West Vancouver and started skiing at the age of 2 in Whistler. After the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games, I started ski racing with the Whistler Mountain Ski Club and joined the Canadian National Team just before the 2018 Paralympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. I live and train in Whistler when I’m not traveling for racing and training. Other than ski racing, some of my hobbies include backpacking, mountain biking, and training in the gym. I’m also a third-year university student at Quest University Canada in Squamish.
In training for competition, how does diet and nutrition come into play for you?
My whole life has been very centered around sport, so making sure my body has the proper nutrients has been important to me since day one. In 2018, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease after struggling with my health throughout the Paralympic Games in PyeongChang and well into the following summer. Being an athlete with a chronic illness opened my eyes even further to the importance of knowing your body and knowing how to properly fuel yourself. During training and competition when I am pushing my body the most, nutrition is one of the most important things I focus on in order to be able to perform at my very best.
What does a day in your life look like, including your training regimen and meal prep leading up to competition?
As a ski racer I have two very different lifestyles, one while I’m on the road during winter competitions and another while I’m training and preparing for competitions. When I’m training and preparing for competitions, I’m able to have full control over my meals as I will typically have access to a kitchen. I usually start my day off with a protein filled breakfast including eggs, sourdough bread, veggies, apples and peanut butter and of course a matcha latte. During a training session on snow or in the gym, I usually snack every 30 minutes to an hour on foods that are high in protein, carbohydrates and sugars just to help me sustain myself until the session has ended. Once I’m done training, I have a protein shake and I eat lunch which is typically a bowl of some kind with quinoa, roasted veggies, more eggs, greens and a nutritional yeast dressing. For my lunch meal, I typically do meal prep once a week to make it quick and easy when I get off the mountain or back from the gym! For dinner I almost always eat pasta with different homemade sauces; it helps me stay full overnight. When I’m on the road competing, things look different as I never have access to a kitchen. I bring lots of meal replacement protein shakes from home in case I’m not getting everything I need from the meal plan in the hotel we are staying in. One of the most important things I rely on while traveling is a kettle—I bring freeze dried camping meals and soups that I can make with hot water. In order to stay symptom free from Crohn’s Disease, no matter where I am in the world, eating small amounts of high-quality foods on a frequent basis provides my body with what it needs to keep working at its best. I always have eggs, protein bars, or nuts with me so I am eating almost every hour of the day.
In terms of how you fuel up at home, what are some of your favourite quick, easy and healthy meal/snack ideas?
When I’m at home and on the move my favourite easy and nutritious snacks include apples and peanut butter and veggies and hummus. My favourite on-the-go meal would be a kale salad with an assortment of veggies, beans and pre-cooked hard boiled eggs for a quick protein fix. I always have some hard boiled eggs in my fridge since a serving of two eggs has 13 grams of protein!
While the majority of us may not be pro athletes, what advice can you give in terms of setting ourselves up for success in our health and wellness journeys for 2022?
I think the biggest thing for me, especially dealing with health issues, is not getting too overwhelmed with everything you see in the media. It can be really easy to jump on the latest health trends you see online. Remembering that every person’s body needs different things in order to be at its best is so important. My health and nutrition needs are not the same as the next athlete, so learning and listening to your own body is the most important thing for me. My other tips would be:
Don’t be afraid to ask questions or to contact a registered nutritionist or dietician when you need advice about how to properly fuel your body or if you are struggling on your personal health and wellness journey.
Exercise! It’s always important to get some exercise no matter what path you are on! It can be as simple as walking in your neighborhood, yoga, skiing, swimming or whatever excites you and keeps you interested. Physical activity is so good for both your mental and physical health – do what you can whenever you can and enjoy the journey.
Final, personal question: if you ever have a “cheat” day or meal, what’s the one food or dish you just can’t resist reaching for?
I love ice cream! I cannot stay away from it and almost always have some in my freezer for after dinner!
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