Shawn Johnson finally comes clean with battling eating disorders in the past, after denying these rumors years ago. However, she now wants fans to know that she is completely healthy.
A former Olympian, 23-year old Johnson is used to rigorous diet and exercise regime. In 2012 however, after winning four Olympic medals for gymnastics and three world titles, Johnson retired. She has now dedicated most of her time running her healthy living website called The Body Department. This is probably why she is now more open about talking about her health battles.
"I've kind of gone through the gamut when it comes to health," she told Yahoo Health! "I've hit lows with-I don't want to say diagnosed eating disorders-but eating disorders. And then I've gone the other way, where I've rejected fitness." She added that with the help of nutritionists, she is now finally healthy.
It could be remembered, however, that she once denied having eating disorders. She told Reuters that she was just fortunate not to succumb to pressures and develop eating disorders. "I never did, I swear on everything on that. I was luckily strong enough not to fall into any of that. The mental part of it can be harder because I kept everything to myself. I was six percent body fat and I still thought I had to change something. That is so wrong. It's scary and so many girls go through it and they shouldn't."
On the same interview, she did not hide that she battled insecurities related to her body image. She added that gymnastics both brought these insecurities out and helped her overcome them at the same time.
On her recent interaction with Yahoo! Health, she shared that doing "Dancing with the Stars" back in 2009, wherein she won, was actually a time when she had to deal with more criticisms than ever. She also engaged in a lot of fad diets such as detoxes and juice cleanses just to maintain her shape.
She is now healthier, though. She told Yahoo! Health that she wished she's been taught how important it is to keep "everything in moderation" instead of doing quick diets and other bad health habits.
The athlete is not only healthier now but also happier. She is set to marry her boyfriend, Andrew East soon. They got engaged in July when East proposed on the field of a baseball game.
