Dara Torres shares how she laps the competition with a protein BOOST, interview
USA Swimming legend, Dara Torres knows how to achieve success in the pool. As she embarks on a new journey as a collegiate coach, the famed Olympian wants to share her journey both in and out of the pool. With a little help from BOOST High Protein Nutritional Drinks, any and every person can get a lift on their fitness journey.
In collaboration with BOOST, Torres will be featured in BOOST Camp. The workout videos are meant to support maintaining muscle mass as people age. The program looks to inspire others to combine an active lifestyle with balanced nutritional choices.
Recently, I conducted an email interview with Dara Torries. Personally, our family has been part of the competitive swim community for almost two decades. The time, dedication, and sacrifice that it takes to get excited for those early morning practices and hours in the pool is commendable. Like Torres, we now stand on the other side of the lane lines. But, those important nutritional lessons learned are never forgotten.
When asked what drew Torres to swimming, she shared, “I tried a lot of different sports growing up, but swimming was just something that I fell in love with. I always followed what my brothers would do as a child and they all swam, so when my mom put me in the pool I immediately fell in love with the sport.”
Although swimmers appreciate that the sport is a 365 day commitment, the Summer Olympics puts the pool front and center on people’s screens. Even though Torres' Olympic moments are in the past, I had to ask if she ever gets the itch to compete again.
Torres said, “I do not have an itch to compete again, but being able to give back to the sport now as a coach is very rewarding and I haven’t even started my coaching journey yet. It’s about taking things I’ve learned throughout my career and teaching the younger generation how to be the best version of themselves both in and out of the pool, and I can’t wait to get started.”
While Torres is stepping into a coaching role, swimming is a lifetime sport. From the young kid just learning that how to avoid disqualification on the breaststroke to the older adult who is mastering that pullout stroke on the freestyle flip turn, the sport welcomes everyone and everyone to the pool.
Torres believes, “Throughout my swimming career, I found that I continued to achieve success despite outside perspectives that I had aged out of being considered serious competition. I’m very proud of my career success that continued well into my forties, and what that represents for women, but something I’m also proud of is how I’ve continued to achieve goals well after my last race in 2008. I’m all about embracing the now and want to showcase that to others in my generation! That’s why I was eager to partner with the BOOST brand to launch BOOST Camp - an online destination that’s accessible to adults over 50 looking for strength training and nutrition tips to help them continue to achieve their goals and embrace what I believe is the best chapter of life.”
Whether a person is a swimmer, weekend warrior, or just a person who wants to be active, the reality is that good nutritional plans are vital to feeling your best and achieving personal goals.
Torres shared, “Something that’s important for everyone to understand is according to The National Institute of Health, we can lose 3-8% muscle mass per decade starting as early as age 30. This only increases as we age. Through my years spent as a professional athlete working with world-class coaches and trainers, I was educated that as I age, it’s increasingly important that I’m getting ahead of the loss of muscle mass and that with proper protein intake and the right strength building exercises, I can keep doing what I love. Through BOOST Camp, anyone can access the BOOST protein calculator quiz. It’s a two-minute quiz that considers a variety of factors including age, activity level and weight, and recommends BOOST Nutritional Drinks for your specific needs.”
When it comes to being active, the reality is that protein is vital to a balanced lifestyle. At the same time, people can want to have options that are easy, convenient, but also, taste great.
For Torres, BOOST has been part of her balanced lifestyle routine. “Long before I partnered with the BOOST brand, coaches recommended BOOST Nutritional Drinks to me as a great way to ensure I’m getting the right amount of protein before or after workouts. Their BOOST High Protein with 20g of high-quality, paired with strength training, has worked well for me in my fifties.”
With a strong nutritional foundation, anything is possible. Age is just a number and any challenge can be conquered.
“You’re never too old to start a sport and it’s never too late. It’s important to make sure when starting this that you work with a professional to help work with you and guide you, but you should never let your age or the fact that you’ve never done something in the past intimidate you to not try it. The biggest fear a lot of beginners have is not being able to keep up with others, but what I found is that no matter what stage of a sport you are at whether that’s just starting out or are a professional, you can always still be a part of the sport.”
At the same time, people, especially women, need to be realistic. It is time to push aside the comparisons and focus on the individual.
Torres said, “Unfortunately, a lot of what you see nowadays isn’t reality, especially with photoshop and editing images. A lot of people tend to look at older photos of themselves and reflect how great they used to look, but it’s important to understand that we all age and need to feel comfortable in our own skin, which eating healthy and working out are methods that can help with this.”
It is time to focus on the positive and build a foundation for a well-balanced approach to nutrition, fitness, and well-being. BOOST is ready to empower people. Ready to join Dara Torres and join that positive conversation for years to come?