Get QuoteDark Inspirational Quotes App

" In some ways the ACL tear was a blessing. I had hesitated to return to elite gymnastics after the 2008 Olympics. I told myself I had already accomplished so much, and the road was just going to get harder if I continued. "

Shawn Johnson

Blessing

Road

Return

Related Quotes:

" People only see gymnastics on TV and in the Olympics at such an extreme. So it can be intimidating. "

Shawn Johnson

Only

Extreme

" I'm trying to stay as calm as possible and focus one day at a time, but when reality sets in, I feel everything: anxiety, excitement, nerves, pressure and joy. "

" Retiring was scary and it was tough to give up gymnastics, but so many great opportunities have come from it that I never expected. "

Shawn Johnson

Opportunities

Tough

" I pay attention to my diet to be a healthier gymnast, but I'm not obsessive over it. "

" My coach, Liang Chow, had one rule while I was training for the 2008 Olympics: no skiing. I could do anything I wanted outside the gym, he said, except ski. "

" I didn't make it a priority, and as a result my knee didn't heal to the extent it should have. "

" I always feel like I'm the young one, I'm the small one. "

" Staying healthy and consistent is paramount. "

" Injury taught me I need to learn how to face challenges. "

Shawn Johnson

Challenges

Need

" My other life keeps me calm and grounded and normal. "

Shawn Johnson

Calm

Normal

" I love lean meats like chicken, turkey. I'm obsessed with sushi and fish in general. I eat a lot of veggies and hummus. "

Shawn Johnson

Love

Chicken

" To finish off this whole Olympics by finally getting the gold medal, it's the best feeling in the world. "

" When I was younger, my coach, Liang Chow, made all the decisions. I would go to the gym for practice, do exactly what Chow told me to do, go home, come back and start all over again. If Chow told me to do 50 squat jumps, I did 50 squat jumps. "

Shawn Johnson

Home

" Something my mom taught me when I was little is that everything happens for a reason. "

Shawn Johnson

Everything

Little

" It's been strange and weird watching the other girls at the U.S. Olympic trials just because I was training to be out there myself. "

" People put too much emphasis on looks. "

" My knee is almost back to normal. I am back in training. "

" Everything is about your movements and precision and timing, which is what gymnastics is about. "

" I was able to do Classics, the U.S. national championships and the Pan American Games and feel like I improved with each meet, but I was still struggling with a lot of residual pain from the two surgeries. "

" Gymnastics is so complex. "

Shawn Johnson

Gymnastics

Complex

" I have a chaperone everywhere I go - my mom. "

Shawn Johnson

Mom

Everywhere

" I live for Pilates reformer class. I go at least three times a week. It's a great way to lengthen your muscles, stretch, and kind of relax your mind. "

" When I was 3 my parents put me in gymnastics because I was a bundle of energy and they just didn't know what to do with me! They put me in a Tots class and I just fell in love with it. "

Shawn Johnson

Parents

Know

" I usually work out 4 hours a day during the week and 5 to 6 hours on Saturday, with Sundays off. "

" I always have someone to look up to, and I think it helps me with motivating myself. "

" I have a lot of expectations and a lot of goals I want to fulfill, but the biggest dream is still to make the Olympic team for London. "

" My approach to gymnastics in Beijing was heavily based on the amount of difficulty I could do. "

" I get less and less sleep these days, so when I have any down time all I want to do is sleep! "

" I don't feel like a star; I never have. I don't feel like a star; I never have. I always feel like I'm the young one, I'm the small one. I always have someone to look up to, and I think it helps me with motivating myself. "

" I still can't believe I'm an Olympic athlete. "