English professional soccer player Rachel Daly doesn’t take a break from her training, even over holidays and vacations. Daly, 32, shared a picture of herself wearing a black workout pants, shorts, and shirt, lifting heavy weights over her head at the gym. “You’re so tough,” a fan commented. Daly works incredibly hard to be a part of the UK national team as well as the Aston Villa team—here’s how the Lioness stays fit and at the top of her game.
Daly incorporates different types of workouts into her exercise and training regimen. “If you play sport like football, you should use different fitness strategies to support and improve your performance,” she told Women’s Health. “I do several types. Running and strength are the biggest components of football, so we spend a lot of time in the gym doing weightlifting and strength training, and different kinds of cardio, too. Yoga is also a great tool we use for recovery and staying flexible.”
Daly and her teammates are on the same page when it comes to nutrition and optimum performance. “We often have nutrition meetings to learn about performance and recovery through food, and what I eat changes according to whether or not I’m training on that day,” she told Women’s Health. “A standard day might look like this: Breakfast: poached eggs and avocado on sourdough toast. Lunch: poke bowl. Dinner: this changes almost every day, depending on what I feel like and what day it is! I always make sure I get at least five varieties of fruit and vegetables a day to cover all the vitamins and minerals needed to stay fit and strong.”
Daly wants there to be more encouragement for young women to play sports both for fun and on a professional level. “There needs to be more access routes for girls,” she told Marie Claire. “Whether it’s grassroots clubs, professional teams, or academies, it’s about highlighting that it’s fun to play football and fun to be a sports person.”
Daly drinks a glass of milk and some cherry juice after every match to encourage recovery. “I use lots of different rest and recovery strategies and, admittedly, these include things like ice baths, massages, hot and cold water therapy and leg compression boots,” she told Women’s Health. “But I also find that simply going for a walk with my dog is a great way for my body and mind to relax.”
Daly has advice for anyone who wants to pursue a career in soccer. “Follow your dream,” she told Marie Claire. “If you’ve got a dream and you work at it every single day, good things will happen. It’s a tough place to be, and there are going to be ups and downs – in any career, you’re going to face challenges and setbacks. But having that passion to want to achieve something and be a part of something big is important. Just go do everything you can to make it happen.”