Dawn Ballard has had a front-row seat to just how detrimental health issues can be to one’s quality of life—her father’s heart disease, her mother’s pulmonary fibrosis, and her brother’s ADHD, depression, and anxiety. Witnessing what modern habits can lead to long term has further strengthened her resolve to not allow herself, or any other person she loves, to go down the same path.
Staying the Course
The 55-year-old spoke with STRONG just days before embarking on a whirlwind trip to Europe with her husband. And though she admitted that it can be difficult to adhere to one’s health goals while overseas, she’s refined her approach over the years, especially when it comes to how she fuels.
“I usually eat breakfast in the room, and I always get the exact same thing: two scrambled eggs and some blueberries,” she explained. Ideally, she’d love to get the same breakfast she enjoys at home—one egg mixed with two egg whites—but sometimes the language barrier gets in the way. “I got to tell you, nobody understands,” she laughed. “It’s impossible to get, though it seems so simple.” Outside of the a.m., she orders salad with chicken for lunch, and maybe some meat and veggies for dinner, lean and nutritious staples that she can find most anywhere.
“[Healthy] options are more readily available in Europe, I think,” said Dawn. “I think the food quality there is better than what we have here in America.”
Dawn also stressed the importance of supplementing with quality vitamins and herbs. “Sadly, in this day and age, eating real food just isn’t enough,” she noted. When at home, she has a morning concoction of healing mushrooms from Host Defense, aminos, freeze-dried microgreens, AG1, and creatine. “Not to mention my 20 vitamins before bed,” she added with a laugh.
A Healthful History
Dawn’s ability to maintain her habits, even in the midst of a vacation, is a personal choice, but one she holds near and dear. And though she admits she can be rather strict with herself, nutrition-wise, she strives to always provide delicious options to her family, such as better-for-you chips that pack a bigger vitamin and fiber punch than others on the market. (One of her current faves is MASA tortilla chips, which she keeps stocked in her cupboard for when her husband and son’s salty cravings hit.)
Perhaps unsurprisingly, this emphasis on optimizing well-being in all aspects of her life has a familiar origin story. Like many women of her generation, she was introduced to healthy habits as a child by her mother who, Dawn admitted, would be considered a bit unconventional (and perhaps even hardcore) in today’s “everything in moderation” society.
“My mother went on a research mission to find a natural way to help my brother’s autoimmune issues,” Dawn recalled. “She read a book, which I still have, on nutrition and the dangers of sugar. And that was it! She had a family meeting and told the whole family we would be going on a natural diet.” Since then, Dawn has maintained the same high standards that her mom instilled in her—right down to her eschewing most forms of sugar and all overly processed foods.
A Foundation in Fitness
Sadly, Dawn’s mother passed away from pulmonary fibrosis when her own son was an infant. Her guiding hand, however, can still be closely felt in every choice Dawn makes, whether when she’s researching the next regenerative farm she shops from (her favorite is White Oak Pastures—“The soil is so rich with nutrients,” she says) or her clean snacking selections. A true force of nature throughout her life, her mother made a decision early on in Dawn’s childhood that paved the foundation for her endless confidence and the state of her personal fitness today. In one word: gymnastics.
As Dawn recalled, “I was bouncing around the house, doing the splits, jumping off the furniture. My mom said, ‘I’m gonna put this girl in gymnastics.’ And it just snowballed from there.” At the start, Dawn revelled in it, enjoying the tutelage of her coach, Tim Rand, who she lists as one of the best there is the biz. “He just made everything fun and was so uplifting,” she remembered.
Over the years, unfortunately, her love for the sport waned. Though she competed at high levels through to eleventh grade, reaching Class 1 and Elite status, after she switched to a coach who was closer to their home, she ended up “absolutely hating it” for a couple of years. Thankfully, her mother recognized the reason behind her sudden disillusionment with gymnastics, and brought her back to Tim’s team.
Keeping Ahead of Trouble
The lessons she learned leaping and tumbling on the competitive stage followed her into adulthood. Today, she credits her early gymnastics schedule and innumerable practices with helping her form an armor of fortitude that applies to her everyday life. “It taught me intense discipline and drive,” she shared, adding that it cultivated in her a reverence for science, bodily autonomy, and forging your own path when it comes to your personal health. After all, as she pointed out, “In gymnastics, if you don’t follow through, you could end up landing directly on your head.”
As the interview came to a close, Dawn dove a bit further into her summer plans—namely that she had to finish booking her transatlantic trip (in a matter of days), get packing, bring her son to his doctor to remove a cast and undergo an X-ray or two, and determine if he needs surgery.
“Could the timing be any worse?” she joked. Sugar-controlled diet or not, there are some health outcomes that not even the best-laid plans can avoid—and that includes teenagers tumbling off scooters. But as with everything else, Dawn is taking it in stride—and thriving because of it, not in spite of it.
Written by Rachel Debling, Editor-In-Chief
Photography by Sarah L. Glabman
Hair and Makeup by Lisa Opie
Wardrobe Styling by Joey Rolon
