Extraordinary Health Magazine EHMagazine Vol 38_Final | Page 21

Danica
Don't Ask
Patrick
To Slow Down
The world’s most famous female racer on what
keeps her going and in the driver’s seat
by Priscila Martinez
Don’t ask Danica Patrick to slow down. Even before she became the only woman to win an
IndyCar Series race, she has been a force to be reckoned with on and off the racetrack. Don’t ask
her to show stress either, even being billed as the most successful woman in the history of American
open-wheel racing isn’t enough to make her lose her cool. She credits long walks for keeping her
serene and centered. “I reset somewhere out in nature, the more nature the better,” she asserts.
She also credits her workouts for helping her on and off the racetrack. “Yoga is great if I can get
myself to do it. It’s a little bit more mental and calming for me. It slows me down,” she says.
No easy feat for the most famous female IndyCar driver.
Patrick’s public persona has made her out to be a kind of mythical
figure: a woman with enough male energy to command a room
full of guys, but enough warmth to allow her podcast guests to
feel comfortable during their sessions. When asked about the
advice she would give women trying to enter male dominated
turf, she doesn’t stutter. “Stop thinking about being the only girl
in the field and start thinking about being the best,” she says so
assertively that you want to practice her advice as soon as it’s left
her mouth.
Being surrounded by male energy all of her career made her
acutely aware of the activities that let her dial into her desired
energy. She admits to opting for yoga when she wants to
tap into her feminine strength and looking for more intense
workouts like CrossFit or weights when she wants to draw
from her masculine moxie. “CrossFit, something more intense
or weights still tap into the masculine in me,” she says about
her workout routines. She credits these activities with giving
her the ‘go go go’ kind of energy.
When it comes to her morning routine, she likes to start her day
like millions of Americas: with coffee. During her mornings, the
female racer also confesses trying to add other habits like a
gratitude practice. Don’t assume it will take up her whole day,
“I try to wake up and say things like ‘thank you’ and ‘I am grateful
for this day,’ even if it’s that quick,” she admits. She also tries to
make her bed a phone-free zone by not looking at her device until
she is out of bed and in the kitchen. Once in her kitchen, she tries
to drink 16 oz of water before her coffee. “Which is hard,” she
confesses. “Because I just really want the coffee.” Sounds like she
is human after all.
Known as a perennial jack-of-all-trades, Patrick came into our
collective conscience first as a female racer. She later became
a businesswoman, mentor, and now fans can add podcaster to
her resume. When asked about how she deals with all of these
identities, she first starts by acknowledging that although all of
us wear many hats, it can be easy for us to attach to one identity
along the way. “We’re all many things. I think it can be common
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