Annalise Murphy: I associate being a certain size with success — I am working on that
Annalise Murphy: 'I am finally moving on from my career as an athlete and trying to figure out what to do next.'
Sailing has brought many things into Annalise Murphy's life — not least an Olympic silver medal in Rio in 2016.
But not everything has been positive.
"I don't have great body confidence," she admits. "In my sport, weight and shape were so important for performing well... I associate being a certain size and a certain weight with success."
"That's not good, I wish I didn't [think like that]," she says. "I am working on that."
Another element of the career she finds challenging is the role air travel has had to play in her life.
"I have had to travel on planes a huge amount. Doing the thing I love has made me less sustainable than the average person."
The 32-year-old says she's aware of her carbon footprint, and these days, she tries to make up for it by cycling as much as possible and opting for jumpers over turning up the thermostat.
"I know it won't make a huge difference, but I am doing the small things, and I am sure there are lots of people doing small things, and that's how we can start to change things."
- Olympic silver medallist Annalise Murphy is the keynote speaker at Chorus, Ireland’s first ever Women in Green Hydrogen network event in Dublin on November 21, which aims to bring together people from every walk of life who want to help achieve affordable, sustainable and equitable energy for Ireland.
I try and stay active all the time. I got Covid four months ago, and it floored me. I’ve had to completely readjust my idea of what fitness is. I kept saying to myself, ‘I need to get back to my normal training,’ and then I'd just be exhausted and sick again. I can't train like an Olympic athlete anymore.
It’s changing. I used to be a morning person, I’d get up and train before college, but lately, life has been busy. I love coffee, so the one [guarantee] in my morning routine is I make myself a coffee, otherwise, I don’t function properly. I love Two Fifty Square, coffee roasters down the road from me, Velo in Cork, and 3fe.
Eating a lot of vegetables and consistency. I am quite lucky, I did the 12-week Ballymaloe Cookery School course six years ago and it really sets you up for life. You become so good at cooking that you can really appreciate good food.
I used to be a little bit obsessed with eating healthily because it was so important for my performance and recovery. But now, I realise it’s not everything. I try to eat healthily 80% of the time, but it’s been a huge thing for me to realise that I can just eat food for enjoyment.
Pizza and cheese.
Very little. I am a great sleeper. I am finally moving on from my career as an athlete and trying to figure out what to do next. I was so lucky I got to do something that I loved and had such a clear purpose and goal. Every day I got up, I knew exactly what I had to do. I knew the training I needed to do and I knew why I was doing it. How am I going to find something that gives me half that motivation?!
Getting out for some fresh air on my bike. And chilling out with my family and our labradors, Jasmine, Bowe, Ree, Lyza and Barley.
Sonia O’Sullivan was a huge hero of mine growing up. My mum Cathy McAleavy would be one of my sporting heroes too. She went to the Seoul Olympics in 1988 as a sailor. When you’re younger, you can take it for granted because it's your family, but the reason I got to the Olympics and had such a supportive family was because my mum had done it all before me.
Freshly baked cake or freshly roasted coffee beans.
Negativity.
Very sporadically. Not as much as my granny would probably like me to.
The labradors — they always seem to be happy.
Barack Obama and my good friends.
One I used in my sporting career was 'don’t fear the opportunity, see it as a possibility'.
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