Gabby Douglas Shares The Self-Care Products Getting Her Through 2024 Olympic Training (Exclusive)
The gymnast has partnered with Dr. Scholl’s to share the MVPs in her lineup
Gabby Douglas is ready for her comeback.
The three-time Olympic gold medalist was a member of the 2012 U.S Olympic artistic gymnastics team nicknamed the “Fierce Five” and the 2016 team nicknamed the “Final Five” — but her gymnastics journey isn’t over yet.
In July 2023, the 28-year-old announced that she had resumed training with the goal of competing in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Despite a setback (in February Douglas withdrew from the 2024 Winter Cup after contracting COVID-19), the athlete has been hard at work gearing up for her official return to the sport.
As the Summer Olympics inch closer, Douglas has partnered with Dr. Scholl’s to share the products and rituals that keep her skin in tip-top shape during rigorous training. She’s been using the brand's popular shoe inserts for years, but Douglas says the brand’s CARE line has been helping to nourish and repair her skin after long training days.
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From the rough material of the gymnastics floor and the amount of chalk gymnasts use, Douglas says it’s common for her feet to become dry and cracked.
“Reapplying hydration and moisture back to my feet is so essential, and that's why this partnership with Dr. Scholl's is so great,” she tells PEOPLE. “If my feet are dry, I'll use the Ultra-Hydrating Foot Cream. If they're really, really dry, I use the Severe Cracked Heel Repair Restoring Balm.”
At night, Douglas will often use Dr. Scholl’s Rough, Dry Foot Renewal Ultra Overnight Treatment Kit, which includes socks that help soften skin while you sleep.
“The socks help lock in the moisture, so my feet are very, very smooth the next morning, which helps me out so much on the beam and on the floor,” she says.
For a spa-like treatment, Douglas reaches for Dr. Scholl’s Tired Achy Feet Soothing & Reviving Foot Mask, which gently warms to help ingredients like menthol and shea butter to penetrate deeper.
The rest of the athlete’s beauty routine is pretty simple, especially during busy competition seasons.
“When it comes to skincare, I wash my face, and exfoliate here and there,” she says. “Then I just put a few oils on my skin. During competition, [I’m] definitely going to get a manicure and a pedicure to make sure my hands and feet are looking good.”
Douglas’ self-care routine goes beyond products and beauty treatments. When she announced she would be taking a step back from social media in 2022, the athlete shared that she had been carrying “a heavy weight on my back for quite some time.”
“[I] did a lot of reflecting and self-digging and found myself back in the gym,” Douglas says of her hiatus. “It’s been a very fun and healing process for me. I had endured so much with gymnastics in the community and also with social media, and there were a lot of things that I was like, ‘You know what? I need to deal with those demons and step back.'”
She adds, “I wanted to present and be the better version of myself, especially with the platform that I have. I want to make sure that I take the right steps.”
In terms of her training, Douglas says this time around feels different from her previous Olympics experiences and admits it was “hard to get back into the swing of things.”
“It was definitely an adjustment period,” she explains. “Because I was like, ‘I know how to do this.’ Gymnastics is very funny. Sometimes it comes to you and then the next time, it won't come to you. You'll catch something and then you won't catch something.”
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With the Summer Olympics a little over three months away, Douglas says she’s currently focused on the “last-minute details” and putting “final touches” on her routines.
“Honestly, I'm really excited to get back out there on the competition floor,” she says. “I love competing. That's my favorite part. And even behind the scenes of bedazzling and going all out with a leotard. Really excited for that process.”
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Read the original article on People.