Kristin Armstrong, the first in Olympic history
The American cyclist, Kristin Armstrong, became the first person of any gender and nationality to win three consecutive Olympic gold medals in one discipline, when she completed her individual time trial at Rio 2016. She did that on her 43rd birthday making her the oldest woman to have won Olympic gold in cycling. And she suffered a nose bleed during the race!
“We’ve been told we should be finished at a certain age, but there are a lot of athletes out there who are showing that’s not true.”
What’s her secret?
“Working at a great hospital in Boise, Idaho, and being a mom has been my secret weapon. It provides me balance and it keeps me on track and it keeps me super focused.”
She values family, meaningful work, and considers healthy eating something that should be done automatically. She said that everyone should start looking at what they eat as they age, not even cycling on the professional level will keep you lean if you eat junk. She enjoys fresh foods and preparing her own meals. Check out her favourite recipe for Fresh spring rolls.
Recipe: Fresh Spring Rolls
The essential ingredients for these rolls are rice paper wrappers, mint leaves, rice vermicelli, and shrimps. You can then experiment with adding any mix of vegetables to keep things interesting. The quantity is also optional, you can easily make as many rolls as you feel like since they are fresh. They are a great light dinner on a summer day, or a healthy snack that gives you some quality protein and complex carbs.
Ingredients for the rolls
• 15 rice paper wrappers
• 200 g of cooked and peeled shrimp
• 2 cups cooked rice vermicelli
• 1 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1 cucumber
• 5 small carrots
• 4 spring onions
• 1 bell pepper
• 1 cup of fresh bean sprouts
• 1 small head of cabbage
Ingredients for the sauce
• 4 tbsp rice vinegar
• 4 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tbsp grated carrots
Directions
1. Soften the rice papers. Fill a large bowl with warm water. Dip one or two rice papers gradually for about 1 minute, until totally soften. Lay rice papers on a clean cloth.
2. Arrange you shrimp, mint leaves, rice vermicelli, and all of the vegetables you want to use at the bottom of the rice paper. Always keep about 5 cm uncovered on each side.
3. Fold uncovered sides inward, then tightly roll the rice paper. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
4. Prepare the sauce. In a sauce pan, combine rice vinegar, fish sauce, water and sugar. Heat until sugar is dissolved, then let cool completely. Add garlic and carrots. It keeps about a week in the fridge.
5. Serve your homemade spring rolls with the sauce.
