Living Magazine Winter 2018 doTERRA Living Magazine | Page 6

dōTERRA® PERFORMANCE ADVOCATE
KEITH GABEL
HOW DID YOU FIRST GET INVOLVED WITH
SNOWBOARDING COMPETITIVELY?
Let me start by saying, snowboarding is my church. I started riding when
I was 15. I originally started with skiing when I was 12, but I really wanted
to snowboard. My dad was an old school skier. He always said that if I
wanted to ski, he would pay for it all, but if I wanted to snowboard, I had
to pay for that myself. I got my first job and bought a used K2 bomber
with clicker boots and bindings. Since that day, snowboarding has not
only been something I love to do, but a way of life. I get to set goals that
seem unattainable and then chase them down and reach them. I get to
be one with nature, playing an important role in a cohesive dance that
could turn into a volatile battle, one that could literally be life or death at
a moment’s notice. It’s one of the truest places on Earth. I mean where
are you going to get closer to God than 14,000 feet up?
DO YOU HAVE A ROUTINE TO GET READY
FOR A COMPETITION? WHAT IS IT?
Yes. Every day, regardless of what I am doing, I put some dōTERRA
Motivate® or Peppermint oil in my diffuser and then do a meditation
session for 10 to 15 minutes. From there, I spend a minumum of 30
minutes doing yoga just to start my day off right. Then if it’s winter, I go
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to the mountain and spend about 4–6 hours on the snow. From there
I spend about an hour of down time reflecting on the day, then I go to
the gym for another two to three hours of strength and conditioning.
I usually spend the next 45 minutes doing a cool down exercise. I finish it
all off with some Deep Blue Rub® for a full recovery cycle.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT SNOWBOARDING?
I would say some of my most favorite things about the sport is there is
really nothing more freeing than becoming one with nature, working
with it instead of against it. I love the feeling you get when you hit a
60-foot jump and go flying through the air like a bird, or when you get a
fresh dump of snow and you lay down a heel side turn throwing up a
white room of fresh snow blinding you from every direction forcing you
to just ride through it searching for any shred of light. I love that I am
solely responsible for my decisions and the outcome of the day.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE COMPETING AT THE PARALYMPICS?
Man, how do you even describe that feeling? Imagine all the hype in
your life coming down to one single solitary moment. All the work you
have put in, sacrifices you have made, and drama you have had to deal
with all narrowing in on one day. Not just one day, but just a few runs.
The first time I competed at the Games, I treated it like any other trip.