“I train seven hours a day.” As Simone Biles once said, that’s what it takes to win 11 Olympic medals. But now, at 28, after winning four medals at the Paris Olympics, Biles has taken a step back. She hasn’t trained for more than a year, and for the first time in her life, she’s experiencing something almost foreign: freedom.

No more early wake-ups. No more back-to-back gym sessions. Instead, Biles is living life outside the gym, and she’s loving every second of it.  “I feel like I’m catching up on a lot of things that I wasn’t able to do because I was always training,” she told Cosmopolitan. For once, her time is entirely her “own”, and she’s seizing it with both hands.

Remember when she married NFL safety Jonathan Owens in 2023? The couple didn’t go on their honeymoon right after the wedding. Because Biles was busy with training for Paris and Owens with his football commitments, they waited nearly two years before finally taking a proper honeymoon trip this year to South Africa. But it didn’t end there.

“Like, I’ve never been to prom or homecoming or the football games any of that stuff. And now I feel like I’m doing all the sporting events, going to all of my husband’s football games and checking those off the bucket list,” she said. The Olympic champion is taking spontaneous girls’ trips, experimenting with fashion, embracing life as a WAG, cooking, horseback riding, learning ice skating, and yes, even enjoying herself in ways she never had time for before.

“I’ve never had the opportunity to do these because I was always in the gym 24/7 training, so it does give me a little bit of freedom,”  she said.  And yet, her love for gymnastics hasn’t faded. “I still find myself turning on and watching the girls and the guys and being so excited for Team USA. I have a great relationship with gymnastics. I’ve always loved it… But obviously life looks a little different right now, as I’m currently taking a break.”

While Simone Biles savors this new chapter in her life, her fans are left wondering whether she will return to competition at the 2028 Olympics.

Could we see Simone Biles back on the mats again?

Simone Biles has always been open about how physically demanding elite gymnastics is, and how that affects her decisions around training as she ages. She’s even joked once about “aging like fine wine.”

“I went back to the village I took the elevator… my body literally collapsed… sick for 10 days,” she said. “The other day we were sprinting in the garden with friends, I had aches and pains for three days. So, I honestly don’t know. We’ll see.”

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Despite the challenges, Biles is already thinking about the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, though she hasn’t made any final decision.

“I’m not sure what 2028 looks like, but I will be there in some capacity,” Simone Biles said. “I just don’t know right now if it’s on the floor or in the stands. But I definitely want to go and be a part of that movement.”

So why isn’t she back in full-time training yet?

Simone Biles says it’s all about balance. Her priority is aligning her physical health with her mental health before committing to serious training. “Currently I am taking some time off from the gym because I think it’s really important that your physical health matches your mental health,” she explained. “That’s why you saw so much of my success in Paris, because the mental and the physical were right on par. They were right on track with each other.”

Mental health has always been Simone Biles’ top priority. After the Tokyo Olympics, when she withdrew from events due to the “twisties,” it was a powerful message that even the greatest athletes need to listen to their minds and bodies. As for LA 2028, Biles is cautious. “I’m taking it one step at a time, one day at a time, before I make any other decisions surrounding LA 2028,” she told Cosmopolitan.

Though she has not closed the door on a return, it is unclear whether she will compete. But what is crystal clear is that when Simone Biles makes her return, it will be on her own terms, when both her body and mind are ready for the challenge.