Terese øSteraas Has an Inspiring Fitness Story to Tell
Terese Østeraas has come through a lot of challenges but overcome them in the best possible way. A true power woman, she is an elite Swimrun athlete competing each year in prestigious races such as the World Championship and ÖTILLÖ Swimrun with amazing results. She passionately speaks of the unique choice of sport; eager to spread the word about fitness’s transforming qualities. Ever the perfectionist, she trains very hard all year round and trusts her active recovery to none other than diPulse. This is her unique story in her own words and it’s the motivation we all need!
Can you tell us some more about Swimrun?
Swimrun is a sport you do in nature and nature it’s the most important thing because it’s the element that provides you with all the strength you need to perform. It's tough, there is hard training involved in order to compete at a high level. You swim in your running shoes and you run with your swimsuit on. For me, this is something super exciting and fun to explain to other people that don’t know the sport.
What is your fitness journey?
Being involved in Swimrun came naturally to me. As a young child, I was very active, I did swimming and liked running. I also did dance ballet but football was my main sport. In fact, I competed with the Swedish National Team at a very high level. After my football days, I discovered I really liked to take long runs in nature and swim so when I heard about Swimrun I jumped at the idea of exploring the sport further!
You compete in very demanding races. How was the experience?
I did the Word Championship at the beginning of September, which is my biggest annual competition. It's also the biggest competition in the Swimrun sport, 75 kilometers in total. It's really tough and you need to be very well-trained to just be able to finish the race!
How do you prepare for such a demanding race?
I prepare the full year ahead of the race. I really need consistent training for almost one year to be able to perform well. After each World Championship, I take some much-needed time off to let my body and mind rest, and then I start again focused on the next challenge. And it does take me one full year to be in a top-performing shape again. I have my first competition now in October in France and will be the first qualification race for the 2023 World Championship. In the winter I do more strength training in preparation for the long season ahead. It’s always a tough start to begin training on an elite level; the muscles are sore and you need to get back into power mode.
What benefits do you feel you are getting from using diPulse?
After every demanding competition I always need to have some active rest, Rest for me is not laying on the sofa, it's actually training! There I need diPulse products to help me actively recover and get in shape again without losing any muscle in the process.
What diPulse products and programs are you using for recovery?
I am mostly using the SMARTRECOVERY KIT and find the gel pads convenient using a selection of relaxing and recovery programs to allow the muscles to recover fast the correct way, it helps me minimize my recovery time significantly! This winter is training season so my coach and I will start using the diPulse wearables while I do my regular training to maximize the results. I haven’t done it before and I’m so looking forward to it. I have seen other elite athletes use diPulse and I can’t wait to see my training routine transformed!
You are also a coach. What is your philosophy?
When I was younger, I had to experience my mother's mental health issues. Sports were a way out for me; there I could be free from the painful aspect of reality. It was tough to see my mother not feeling well and looking back now I see that my sports training helped me immensely. What has also helped me cope was working as part of a team. Right now, I compete a lot but I am also keen to help other people overcome stress with training. We are all vital in spirit and competing in teams can bring out the best qualities of the self. It's a way of introspection assisted by your teammates.
I sometimes compete as a team with a French athlete; she doesn’t speak any English and I don’t speak French but we communicate on so many other levels. She’s my soul sister even though we don’t speak. We just leave body language take over during the race and that’s extremely powerful. We share the same goals and that’s enough.
