14 DAY TRIAL // Cutting just as an exquisite appearance on the cover of a magazine as she does in a swimming pool, US swimmer Dara Torres speaks out on the eating disorder she had when in college and how she manages to keep in such amazing shape at 42. Staying healthy is, understandably, her main priority, as she says for the April issue of More magazine.
The 12-time medal-winning Olympian tells the mag that, while she does not feel like she’s putting in too much of an effort to keep in such mind-blowing shape, she could never live without training. It is precisely this outlook she has on working out that seems to have stopped the hands of time as far as she’s concerned, Torres shares, since she now feels better than she did when she was half this age.
When asked by More about what would happen if she stopped training, Torres has been as honest in her response as she is blunt, “I’m not the type to ever want to find that out.” She has then added that she would probably find something else to keep her occupied and her body in top shape – “If I was not swimming, I’d probably work out a few hours a day, do aerobics, weights, play tennis. It’s not just the way it makes me look; it makes me feel good inside.”
And feeling good inside is all it takes to keep her going on. Torres is no stranger to eating issues, as she herself once suffered from one but, luckily, she managed to move past it with professional help. “I had an eating disorder in college, and I went for years restricting myself from specific foods, looking at labels... It was a real dark thing in my life. I don’t think I would have had it if I wasn’t an athlete. I finally went to a doctor, who asked, ‘Do you make yourself throw up?’ And I said, ‘No,’ and then I felt horrible that I’d lied to her. I marched back in and told her the truth. She sent me to a psychiatrist. I threw up less, but it went on. When I decided to try for the 1992 Olympics, I knew I didn’t want to have this problem, so I stopped cold turkey.” Torres explains.
A lifetime of training and thinking healthy has made Torres’ body resist the passing of time, as the media previously noted on occasion of her amazing performances in the pool. “I’m in the best shape of my life.” the Olympian tells. “I can’t do what I did when I was 20, as far as training, yet I can swim faster. When I’m standing on the blocks, I don’t think, oh, I’m 42 and these girls are 15 or 16 years old. I feel like an athlete; I’m one of them, and I’m going to compete against my competitors.” Torres concludes by saying.