Former Skeleton champion and gold medallist Amy Williams is spending more time in the Jacuzzi than on the bobsleigh track these days, as she eases the aches and pains from her years on the icy tracks of the world.
“From training three times a day, I’m now full of injuries from head to toe. I’m pretty much broken. But for me I recently found yoga and that has become my outlet and new passion. I love doing hot yoga and then relaxing in a Jacuzzi hot tub afterwards to help ease my aching muscles further and prevent further injuries,” Amy explains.
Am says she hopes her achievements have encouraged the new generation of athletes to take winter sports seriously and believe they are worthy of winning a medal, particularly young females.
“I think [my win in Vancouver] opened a lot of peoples’ eyes,” said Amy. “Lizzy Yarnold [who won gold in Sochi in 2014] did say that me winning my gold proved to her it was possible, and look, she went and won a gold medal too! I hope I’m a positive role model for young athletes and I hope I proved that Great Britain can win medals in winter sport.”
The 33 year old highlighted the current Catch 22 of sports funding – that under the current rules in the UK you have to achieve to get any funding, but it’s hard to achieve without funding.
“For Skeleton, we knew that someone had to win a gold medal in Vancouver to keep the funding going. I think in sport it’s hard, especially in winter sport, as you have to prove that you can win those medals to keep the funding for it. But if you don’t have the funding in the first place, you can’t get the medals,” Amy pointed out, adding.
“I think Vancouver and my gold definitely put winter sport out there. The coverage we had for the following Olympics in 2014 was much bigger with the BBC. I was out there commentating on it all and everyone came up to me saying they loved winter sport and they want to see more on TV, which was great to see.”
Now a co-presenter on Channel 5’s ‘The Gadget Show’ Amy, who is now a big fan of yoga, said she is still struggling to adapt to life without a rigorous training regime,
“I can still use the skills I learnt as an athlete in my life now, but it’s hard to keep fit, but life has shut that chapter and you’ve got to be willing to allow your body to change and try to relax a bit more,”
But on the upside Amy said that relaxing in a hot tub after working out beats the old regime of dunking herself in a bath full of ice! “
Jacuzzis deliver hydrotherapy by using showers and baths to heat or cool the body, depending on what it needs. The objective is to kick-start the natural mechanisms of self-healing with the contrasting temperatures of hot and cold water. It’s the modern version of an ancient traditional method of relaxation and recovery, the benefits of which include increasing the blood flow around the body, deep cleansing and relief from muscle fatigue. The ideal result of a hydrotherapy session is for the individual to feel revitalised, less stressed and have a greater sense of wellbeing.
We used to use hot and cold water therapy as part of our recovery when I was competing. 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 and then look for the nearest hot tub. But now I prefer to recover by chilling on the sofa with a chocolate brownie.”
Jacuzzi is the official sponsor of 9 races at the FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup this winter.
