Finding balance between a demanding career and a passion for sport has always been part of my journey. I’m a doctor from Brazil, now living in Australia, revalidating my medical degree so I can return to what I love most: caring for people and making a difference in their lives. That’s why I chose medicine in the first place. Alongside this path, sport has always been with me. As a triathlete, it has shaped how I face challenges and reminded me every day of the value of discipline, health and joy.
I started swimming when I was little and it’s still my favourite sport. At fifteen, I discovered running, and by seventeen I was already racing triathlons. Even during the long years of medical school, with placements, exams and late nights, I never let go of this part of me. I trained, I studied, and I raced. I managed two half-Ironmans and a marathon while studying full time, and I learned that balance isn’t about perfection, it’s about harmony.
Organisation was key. I’d prepare meals the night before, train early mornings before hospital shifts, and sometimes sneak in short sessions at lunch. Study usually filled my evenings, but training was my reset, my way of clearing my head. Sport has always been my reminder that consistency pays off. It’s taught me to think, “Yes, I can do that.” And when I look back at everything I’ve achieved, I truly believe, “I can do anything.”
But for me, exercise has never been about performance alone. It’s about wellbeing, both physical and mental. It’s about feeling alive, present, and ready to give my best to my patients and to myself. Some days training wasn’t possible, and that was fine. Sport should never feel like an obligation.
Now, as I continue this chapter in Australia, preparing for races like Noosa Triathlon and two 70.3s next year, I carry the same mindset: balance, passion and purpose. Training makes me stronger, but medicine gives that strength meaning. Revalidating my degree here is my biggest goal right now. Living and working in another country, in another language, feels like a dream coming true. Both medicine and sport remind me that caring for others begins with taking care of myself.
Kindest,
- Ana xx
