Mom of 2 Chases Fourth Olympics at 35 With Rest as Secret

At 35 years old with a 9-month-old and a 2-year-old at home, Jamie Anderson is rewriting the rules on what it means to stay at the top of your game.

The three-time Olympic medalist and most decorated woman in X Games history is training for her fourth Olympics, but her secret weapon isn't more hours on the mountain. It's rest.

Anderson took a break after having her second daughter in April 2025, resuming training only in August. Her approach now looks radically different from her early career. Instead of overdoing it, she focuses on active recovery through yoga, pilates, and bodyweight work.

"It's hard to work hard, but it's a privilege," Anderson says about getting back into training. She's learned to feel grateful for the burn rather than resenting it.

Her typical training day involves a few hours on the slopes in the morning, then returning home by noon to nurse. Afternoons are dedicated to self-care like walking, biking, and eating nourishing whole foods. She and her partner eat mostly wild game and unprocessed meals to build strength from the inside out.

But physical recovery is only part of Anderson's strategy. She dedicates serious time to mental health through journaling, meditation, and phone-free forest walks. "Taking care of your spirit and your energetic body" matters just as much as ice baths and sleep, she explains.

This mindset shift came after difficult years battling fear around injuries and learning new tricks. "I was so scared it kind of broke me," Anderson admits. She conquered those mental hurdles through visualization and manifesting, building an unshakeable belief in herself.

Why This Inspires

Anderson's journey challenges the toxic grind culture that pervades elite athletics. By prioritizing rest and family without sacrificing excellence, she's showing young athletes that longevity comes from listening to your body, not ignoring it.

Her advice to avoid burnout is simple but powerful: look within, visualize your success, and be mindful of how you want your experience to feel. "You've got to be your own best friend," she says. "You can't count on other people."

With 21 X Games medals and two Olympic golds already under her belt, Anderson has nothing left to prove. She's training for herself now, on her own terms, showing that rest isn't the opposite of success—it might just be the foundation of it.