Paratriathlete Lauren Steadman Wants To Prove That Disability Sport Can Push The Boundaries | HuffPost Life

'I like to think that I raise the standard within my category.'

By

Life editor at HuffPost UK

Lauren Steadman is a double World Champion, European champion for the last four years and Paralympic games silver medallist.

The 24-year-old, who manages to juggle her sporting successes with studying business, has competed at two Paralympic Games as a swimmer, before specialising as a paratriathlete in the 2016 Rio Games.

She was announced as the Women’s Paratriathlete of the Year in April 2017, and it looks like there’s no sign of her slowing down any time soon.

Steadman was born missing her lower right arm, but this has never stopped her from opening her eyes to new sports and disciplines she can try.

In fact, she relishes the opportunity to overcome any barriers she may face.

“I like to think that I raise the standard within my category,” she said. “I want to raise it again to prove that disability sport can keep pushing the boundaries.”

LaurenSteadman

For the latest in our Fit Fix series and as part of the launch of our EveryBody section - calling for better equality and inclusivity for people living with disability and invisible illness - we chatted to Steadman about her training and healthy lifestyle.

My Journey 🌎

What do you credit to your success?

“Definitely the team of people I have around me - their belief and encouragement in getting me to be the best I can be.”

What’s one of the most memorable moments in your career?

“It would have to be qualifying for my first Paralympic Games in Beijing as a swimmer.”

Was there ever a low point in your career and how did you get past it?

“I guess due to the nature of sport and the inevitable ups and downs, I have experienced this a few times. Sometimes you need to take time to sit and think what it is that you actually want and enjoy, how you can reach those goals and who will be part of your journey.

“It’s important to surround yourself with people who have the same drive.”

Matthew Stockman via Getty Images

My Training 💪

Talk us through your week in fitness.

“On average I train 25-30 hours per week – the sessions are split between swim, bike, run and work in the gym. Sessions can last anywhere between 30-120 minutes and some longer rides can last 180 minutes.

“On an average day I will do two to three sessions spread across morning and night.”

What’s your favourite type of workout and why?

“I enjoy short duration high intensity workouts where you are exerting maximum effort and pushing a high heart rate. I enjoy the feeling of working as hard as I can and pushing my limits.”

What’s your favourite way to spend your rest day?

“I have a rest day every 10 days, and it is usually spent with family or friends, relaxing. I also really enjoy dancing, reading or cooking – you can find me doing any of those in my spare time.”

Dennis Grombkowski via Getty Images

My Food 🍳

What are your pre and post-workout snacks?

“Before training I tend to eat nuts, or rice cakes with a nice topping and after I usually have a chocolate protein shake to aid recovery.”

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned about food?

“To eat what your body needs to fuel itself and recover properly, not what you want.”

Mead Norton via Getty Images

My Motivation 🙌

Do you have a motivational mantra that keeps you going?

“I don’t have a specific mantra, I guess I tend to focus on the fact that if you want to stay at the same level with the best in the world, you have to train to be the best.”

Do you always have fitness goals you are aiming for?

“I believe that if you are training hard, eating well and resting, the goals fall into place.”

What’s your ultimate workout track and why?

“There’s been a few but generally I choose a track that is upbeat and makes me smile.”

‘Fit Fix’ is a weekly dose of fitspiration from leading athletes and fitness fanatics. Each Wednesday we chat to stars about their weekly workouts, the food they eat and what keeps them going.

HuffPost UK Lifestyle has launched EveryBody, a new section calling for better equality and inclusivity for people living with disability and invisible illness. The aim is to empower those whose voices are not always heard and redefine attitudes to identity, lifestyle and ability in 2017. We’ll be covering all manner of lifestyle topics - from health and fitness to dating, sex and relationships.

We’d love to hear your stories. To blog or vlog for the section, please email ukblogteam@huffingtonpost.com with the subject line ‘EveryBody’. To flag any issues that are close to your heart, please email natasha.hinde@huffingtonpost.com, again with the subject line ‘EveryBody’.

Join in the conversation with #HPEveryBody on Twitter and Instagram.

Before You Go

10 Of The Most Unusual Injuries In Sporting History

Svein Grøndalen's moose collision(01 of10)

In the 1970s, the Norway defender went for a jog in the woods to improve his stamina... and ended up crashing into a moose.

The collision caused him to roll down a hill and sustain a cut in his left leg, forcing him to withdraw from an international fixture against Finland. His feelings of regret about the situation? Enor-moose - we'd wager. (credit:Kyslynskyy via Getty Images)

Jaret Holmes' and Chris Hanson's fondue incident(02 of10)

Talk about crash and burn: when Jacksonville Jaguars punter Chris Hanson and team kicker Jaret Holmes were having dinner one evening in 2002, both American footballers ended up severely burned when a fondue pot they were moving slipped and dropped onto the tile floor. Fortunately for Hanson, who punted with his left foot, the first and second-degree burns he sustained were on his hands and right ankle.

Unfortunately for Hanson, that wasn't the only freak injury of his sporting career: his 2003 season ended abruptly after sustaining a gash in the the locker room - chopping a block of wood with the team's "motivational" axe during a team meeting. The gash - also on his right foot - required surgery. (credit:Andy Lyons via Getty Images)

Lionel Simmons' Game Boy thumb(03 of10)

Wrist sprains and jammed fingers are some of the most common basketball injuries you'll see, as a result of the ball hitting a straight finger and causing an unnatural bending motion in the joint.

Well, it turns out you can damage your hands just as badly from the comfort of your couch: "Gameboy thumb" is real.

Back in 1991, Sacramento Kings rookie Lionel Simmons played GameBoy so incessantly that he ended up with tendonitis in his right wrist and forearm. The small forward missed two games as a result. We'll never know if the sacrifice was worth it to rescue Princess Daisy in "Super Mario Land". (credit:Brad Mangin via Getty Images)

Darius Vassell's DIY disaster(04 of10)

You know the saying, if you want something done, you need to do it yourself?That's not always strictly true: back when Darius Vassell was a forward for Aston Villa in the early Noughties, he missed three games in 2002 after drilling through his toenail with a home power drill.

Don't worry - he had a reason: he'd been suffering from a swollen toe and thought his solution would relieve the pressure and drain some blood. Needless to say, it didn't, and part of the toenail had to be removed after it became infected as a result. Oops. (credit:Alex Livesey via Getty Images)

Wade Boggs' sofa scrape(05 of10)

Sometimes, the shoe just doesn't fit - as Wade Boggs, a third baseman with an 18-year pro baseball career playing for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Devil Rays, knows all too well.

In June 1986, he was in his hotel room, trying to remove his cowboy boots, when he lost his balance and fell over onto the sidearm of the couch. The fall caused breathing problems and bruised ribs, preventing Boggs from running for the next couple of games. He was sidelined for six games after that. (credit:Darren Carroll via Getty Images)

Chic Brodie's dog drama(06 of10)

For Brentford goalkeeper, Chic Brodie, a freak accident involving a sheepdog running onto the pitch during a game in October 1970 and shattering his kneecap was enough to end his career. "The dog might have been a small one, but it just happened to be a solid one," Brodie said of the incident.

He's not the only sportsman thinking it's a dog-eat-dog world out there: in 1999, Barnsley midfielder Darren Barnard was sidelined for five months after slipping in a puddle of his pup's pee on the kitchen floor, tearing his knee ligaments.

More recently, in 2008, Stoke City's Liam Lawrence tripped over his pet labrador, which caused his ankle to give way. (credit:Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Rio Ferdinand's TV knee(07 of10)

Sometimes, doing absolutely nothing at all can get you seriously injured.

Just ask England defender Rio Ferdinand. After leaving his leg propped up on a coffee table for four hours while watching television, Ferdinand ended up with a tendon strain in his knee (during his spell at Leeds United).

He's not the only footballer to have sustained a TV-related injury: England goalkeeper David James once pulled a muscle in his back from reaching for the remote control. (credit:Arfa Griffiths via Getty Images)

Erik Johnson's golf cart caper(08 of10)

Erik Johnson, a hockey player for the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche, was definitely feeling below par when he tore the ACL in his right knee after getting his foot stuck between a golf cart's accelerator and brake during the St. Louis Blues' annual golf outing.

The defence man missed the entire 2008-2009 season as a result. (credit:Michael Martin via Getty Images)

Richard Wright's signpost slam(09 of10)

Everton goalkeeper Richard Wright managed to get injured during a pre-match warm-up: he ignored a sign instructing players to use temporary goals for their warm-up and twisted his ankle after falling onto the sign, which ruled him out of Everton's FA cup fourth-round replay at Chelsea.

On another occasion, he damaged his shoulder falling through a loft - while packing suitcases. (credit:Matthew Lewis via Getty Images)

Lionel Letizi's Scrabble scrap(10 of10)

Back when he was goalkeeper for Paris Saint-Germain, Lionel Letizi missed a game in 2002 after he "completely put his back out"... the result of bending over to pick up a Scrabble tile. We can only hope it got him a triple-triple word score. (credit:JACQUES DEMARTHON via Getty Images)

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