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Paralympian Stef Reid discusses body confidence and why girls shouldn’t give up on their favourite sports
Being a world champion and winning silver medals in the T44 long jump at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Paralympics are among Stef Reid’s host of sporting accolades. The 36-year-old says athletics reinforced her drive to succeed after a lifechanging accident at 15. “It gave me back my fire and fierceness. I learnt the value of hard work, how to deal with failure, and how to be resilient,” she says.
Research commissioned by Always shows that one in three girls drop out of sport during puberty, so the track and field parathlete – who is UK Athletics’ vice president – has partnered with Always to raise awareness for Sported, a youth charity that is encouraging girls to participate in sports. Before heading to Tokyo for the 2020 Paralympics, Stef sat down with hello! to talk training, self-compassion
and her kitbag must-haves… Stef, how did you get into sport?
“It was instilled by my parents – my dad loves football and my mum was always really sporty. The moment I went to school, I was always doing after-school activities. I played every single sport you could imagine but I was introduced to rugby for the first time at 12. That was my sport and that was the first time I was like: ‘Right, I want to be an international rugby superstar.’ Unfortunately, when I was 15, I was in a boating accident and life took a very different turn. I was very lucky to have survived and things weren’t worse, but it did mean that part of my right leg was amputated. Everything changed from that point on.” How did the accident affect your relationship with sport?
“At that age, there were three huge issues coming together. Firstly, the accident. The second was: ‘How to let go of my life dream? I don’t even know if I’m going be able to walk,
let alone run now.’ The third was, as an adolescent girl, you’re just desperate to be normal. Going through puberty, you don’t know what your body’s doing and now you don’t even recognise it, looking down and not seeing two feet. It was very difficult for me because I’d been this really confident, outgoing young girl who was comfortable and could deal with anything, to now being incredibly uncomfortable in my own skin.
“It took about five years before I could say: ‘I really like myself and I like how I look,’ again.
“In some ways, there was an incredible freedom. I was so far outside of the mould of what looks good and what was normal, I was almost freed from it. I wasn’t shackled by societal expectations, because I didn’t fit it.
“Getting back into sport taught me how to appreciate my body again. I was so insecure and self-conscious. Every time I went to a gym or to a track, I’d have to change legs as I have a different leg for different activities. There is no way to walk into a gym as a female with an artificial leg and not draw attention. I got to a point where I was no longer embarrassed about the artificial leg because I was so thankful that it meant I could still run. Rather than being embarrassed, I ended up getting one with hot pink sparkles because I was like: ‘You should stare at this, this is awesome.’” What advice would you give to girls on how to keep motivated?
“The problem is the environment is not conducive to young girls staying in sports. The environment needs to change as it’s based on what has worked for young male athletes. What made the difference for me was the amount of encouragement I was given to persevere. That is the best thing you can do for young women in your life. I was so self-conscious stepping back onto the volleyball court, the basketball court. The difference for me was the coaches and my team-mates encouraging me. I knew I wasn’t the same athlete but I felt a sense of my value and it didn’t rest on my performance.” How important is self-compassion?
“It’s something I struggle with all the time. Sometimes the things that you say to yourself, you would never say to another person. I’ve had times where I’ve competed and it’s been a disaster. And I’ve tracked the stuff that I’ve said to myself and it’s horrendous. Some of it’s embarrassing: ‘You don’t deserve to eat dinner tonight!’ Or: ‘Nobody should talk to me, because I’m a total failure!’
“The first step is owning those voices, then analyse them critically. It is a hard process but that’s the brilliant thing about sport. It’s a safe space, in which you learn to deal with and adapt after failure. The world’s not going to end and you can carry on.” How do you deal with the pressure to succeed?
“When I’m feeling under pressure, I allow myself time to feel it. I have been playing around with
‘That’s the brilliant thing about sport. It’s a safe space, in which you learn to deal with and adapt after failure’
affirmations, too. I used to think they were a bit cheesy but I saw some research on how you can believe something more intensely after hearing yourself say it. So in practice, before a run or before a long jump, I say to myself: ‘You are strong and you know what you’re doing.’ Even if I don’t feel it, I say it with conviction and somehow I just run differently.” What’s training like in the run-up to a competition like the Paralympics?
“Some people think I am on the track exercising for nine hours a day. That’s not true. I train six days a week for about four hours and always have Sundays off. It’s a mix of sessions on the track, in the long jump pit and gym, and sometimes I’ll have some physio. As a long jumper, you’ve got to be strong, powerful and fast. But a lot of the magic happens in recovery, so it’s more about your lifestyle.
“Even though I’m only on the track for four hours a day, I used to think: ‘I’ve now got eight hours, I can’t just do nothing, I need to study and do all this different work.’ But it’s important that you recover and give your mind and body a chance to rest. I’ve struggled to find the balance and realise that even though it feels strange, spending the afternoon reading or cleaning and taking care of myself is more efficient for my training because everything that I do is at such a high intensity.” Which sportsperson has inspired you most?
“Allyson Felix and Serena Williams. Serena is just everything. The way she came into a sport where nobody had her power, the way she’s handled herself and the way she’s given permission for other women to come in. Allyson for the way she stood up and challenged sponsors who were claiming to support female athletes and yet not providing maternity leave.” What’s your favourite way to work out?
“I love walking into the weight room and lifting more than people expect. I had this experience at a gym after London 2012 where I set up the squat rack and these two men in their early 20s came over to me and asked me for tips on squatting. A female, with an artificial leg – if that isn’t a change in society, I don’t know what is! My current favourite is skipping. It’s so fun, a killer workout and you barely even realise you’re working.” Can you take us through your diet?
“I love cooking and I have the time to make all my meals. I think we overcomplicate the whole diet thing. It’s really hard to go wrong if you cook your own food and eat lots of vegetables. I eat three meals a day, unless I’ve had a really heavy workout – then I’ll eat four. The one thing that I never compromise on is my weekly cheat meal. I’m a firm believer in it; balance is important. It’s usually on a Saturday and I plan it the whole week.” What would we find in your kitbag?
“A yoga mat, skipping rope, a snack and my water bottle. I have Always pads, tampons and ibuprofen, because the reality is you’re probably not going to find them everywhere that you go. I pack dry shampoo and deodorant because I work out hard and I make no apologies for how I smell! Obviously, I always have all my legs.” What advice would you give your younger self?
“That being perfect is a terrible goal. Have adventure, be interesting, never fear failure. Life is about memories. Even if you have a bad experience, it still makes a great story. I just wish I could help my younger self break free from that prison of perfection and realise that I don’t owe it to anybody to be perfect.”
In partnership with the charity Sported, Always has already helped more than 15,000 girls in the UK this year to continue playing sports, by awarding more than 130 grants to grassroots community groups. For more information, visit always.co.uk/keepherplaying.