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Ever wondered how a double Olympian turned Strictly star spends her days? Montell Douglas talks flossing, failure and feel-good movement
Summary
1Meal planning
When I cook, it’s about making it as well rounded as possible because I sometimes don't feel complete without veg on my plate...
2Pushing for a PB
Consistency is key. I'm always about 90% of my best at any point in time. I think it's because I've been in the game for 20 years...
3Making movement for you
Move your body in a way that you love. Whatever makes you feel good and confident, keep doing that...
“I said no to bobsleigh three years in a row. Eventually I thought, why not? And I loved it.”
Montell Douglas’ resilience and open mind has been the secret to two Olympics, a British sprinting record and a superhero spot on national TV. But what does an average day look like?
From exercise tips to what she’d tell her younger self, Montell answers our burning questions...
What time do you wake up and what’s the first thing you do?
My schedule is erratic! It’s beautiful chaos.
I do lots of different things every day, so my get-up time varies from a 5am start until maybe 9am.
Unfortunately, the first thing I do is usually check in with my agent! We’re really close and I talk to her pretty much every day. After that I jump in the shower.
What’s your go-to breakfast?
I have oats with honey, chia seeds, bananas and blueberries. And two to three boiled eggs, depending on how many I've got left because I go through eggs like hot cakes.
It’s been the same for years. That's quite boring but it works.
And I always have a coffee in the morning. When I'm out, I have an oat caramel latte – it has to be extra hot.
What are your must-have vitamins and supplements?
I have a multivit that has, like, 27 different things because I'm not great at taking tablets. I can get it in a gel and it’s perfect.
I love having a turmeric and ginger shot in the morning and then throughout the day I'll have my clear protein. I also have BCAAs and electrolytes through the day, especially when I'm training.
At night I have protein overnight cocoa. It feels like you're having a dessert. I'm not great at remembering to take things and you're getting benefits without having to think about it.
Complete this sentence: I can’t get through the day without…
Flossing my teeth. But that's weird. Only because I have braces, but I've got a floss in my mouth all day. I'm constantly doing it.
What’s your ultimate post-workout treat? Food, self-care or anything else!
I've got a massive sweet tooth. I love sweet popcorn and everyone knows this. I’ll have the biggest pack, especially if I’m watching a movie.
“People would ask, what are you training for? And I'd say, for life”
What’s your priority when planning meals – flavour, nutrition, gut health or something else?
I've had a good relationship with food throughout my career. For me, it’s how foods make me feel. I just want good food.
My go-to things are chicken wings with a jacket potato and veg. Spinach, broccoli and kale live in my fridge.
All of my meals are quite balanced, I think that's from my sprinting days. When I cook, it’s about making it as well rounded as possible because I sometimes don't feel complete without veg on my plate. I always go for a very colourful plate because it makes me feel good.
What’s one thing that always turns a bad day into a good one?
Speaking to my Mum. She sent me a 10-minute voice note today –
it was like a testimonial.
It always brightens up my day because it reminds me a lot of where I've come from and who I had growing up. She's my best friend, we talk about everything. I go straight to Mum and she’ll make me feel better instantly.
What’s your secret to a good night’s sleep?
I can sleep anywhere and everywhere. It's from my days of competing and travelling a lot – you learn to get naps in.
Getting a good night’s sleep for me is more about staying asleep, because I can fall asleep anywhere but I get woken up by light. Also, if I’ve got a good temperature my sleep is flawless.
What’s your daily workout routine?
My workout routine is super varied, which I love. I dance once a week, run a few times, do Olympic lifting and fit in climbing.
My running isn’t marathon-style as it's sprint and speed training, sled pulls and agility work. Running is my strength, so I stay consistent and lean into it.
How do you push for a PB?
Consistency is key. I'm always about 90% of my best at any point in time. I think it's because I've been in the game for 20 years, so my body's always ready.
We think we need to keep elevating and getting stronger and keep adding on plates. But it's not necessarily true because if I train a lift consistently over maybe three or four weeks, I'm going to get stronger.
What do you do day-to-day to help protect your future fitness?
I’d love to say I stretch every day but that’s an absolute lie! You should stretch every day.
I know that consistent training is part of my job. But even when I was in corporate and I was still training, people would ask, ‘What are you training for?’ And I'd say, ‘For life’.
It doesn't have to be training because I was doing all kinds of stuff to move my body. I love to quad skate. But it's not a performance goal. It's a feel-good, personal achievement and it really works because it gives you something to work towards and that keeps you consistent in your motivation.
If you could give one piece of advice to women on staying fit, what would it be?
Ooh, it’s varied - we’re a vast demographic.
As we get older, our muscle mass deteriorates, and we want to keep that up. The thing everyone should be focused on is strength training – it doesn’t have to be lifting big weights; it can be any resistance movement training. Developing those skills helps you build confidence.
Move your body in a way that you love, because not everyone wants to lift. I know friends that love to dance, do yoga, go for a run. Whatever makes you feel good and confident, keep doing that.
“It's annoying that our bodies aren't see-through”
You’ve worked a full-time job on top of coaching, motivational speaking and more – so you’re used to juggling a LOT of responsibilities! What keeps you grounded?
It's chaos - I was doing 9am-9pm pretty much every day. I'd pull my laptop down and get out the door. And I was trying to squeeze in training days. It wasn't sustainable, that’s for sure.
When I'm not engaging in healthy self-care, that's when I'm like, ‘OK, that's a bit too much,' because I still need to be a whole human. Always listen to your body, it will tell you when it's having a great time and an awful time.
Sometimes I was at more risk of injury because I wasn't dedicating time to hydrate or stretch. Giving myself the space and time to do those things was really important.
What’s your favourite way to spend a day off?
I’ll spend it with family – my aunt and cousin live 10 minutes from me. My cousin’s also a chef so she’ll be like, ‘Do you want to come over for Sunday dinner?' and I’m there.
I practice self-care: getting my nails done or chilling in bed watching films as I'm a big movie buff.
What does injury recovery look like for you?
It's doing the right things at the right time. It starts with prevention – warming up, cooling down, stretching or prehab exercises.
The first 72 hours are key: icing, strapping and fuelling your body for repair. You have to stay on it as low mood can lead to bad habits. Lots of nutritious meals including plenty of protein. Lots of sleep because that’s when we repair.
I’ve always recovered really well from injury – not because I'm a superhero! I just heal weirdly fast. If I rolled my ankle, I’d still train upper body and core. Whatever I could do. I've had surgery before and be hopping around but training one side helps the other.
And always get advice as you don't know what you don't know. It's annoying that our bodies aren't see-through. Until you know the severity of the injury, it's difficult to move forward.
"Whatever it is, you can say yes to more opportunities because you're brave. You can just try again if you need to"
What advice would you give your younger self?
Dream big. It's weird now, knowing what I've achieved, but I'd never really dreamt big.
My story's much happenstance. I loved sport and moving my body. I just kept on doing it and then ended up being quite good at it.
It wasn't because I dedicated my life to being a double Olympian. My ceiling for myself was quite low. So maybe I’d say, ‘Dream big, because you don't know where your life's going to take you and keep smiling’.
One thing I despise is regret. I'd rather do it and fail than never do it, because at least I'll go, ‘That didn't work out’. Failure is the biggest learning curve you can have – I learned way more losing my races than I ever did winning.
Whatever it is, you can say yes to more opportunities because you're brave. You can just try again if you need to.
Is that what you carry through your mentoring and coaching?
Younger kids have a different environment than I had. There are so many distractions and a lot of judgement.
But I always say to them that you don't need all the answers. A lot of them have to know at 16: I need to know what I'm doing at uni. I need to do that one job. The reality is, as you get older, you realise that those things aren’t true.
I used to really struggle making decisions because I like information. I'd ask 10 people their opinion and then I'd have all this information and it'd make it worse.
Once I reframed things saying, ‘If it’s wrong, you can make another decision’, it took the pressure off. I was like, ‘Well, I can just go and make decisions every day now’.
So I’d say to young people: you don't need the answers. The worst decisions are the ones I never made. You don’t need to wish you’d done something if you did it, or you did it and it wasn’t great. You can do something else.
The final say
Ready to make that decision? We're right behind you!
Make like Montell and go for it – we've got tips for “slow running”, bouncing back from injuries and making the most of your down time.
Or why not spend 24 hours with another sports star, rugby pro Josh Charnley?
This article provides informational advice and is not a substitute for medical care. Curated by experts for accuracy, we take great care to ensure the information is up-to-date and relevant. However, you should always consult your GP or healthcare professional before using supplements or alternative products, particularly if you have medical conditions or are under supervision.
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