Jewell Loyd is a WNBA player who’s reached icon status. She currently plays for the Seattle Storm. Loyd is also an avid pickleball player. She recently hit the court, and photos of her were posted on Instagram in a collaboration with Joola Pickleball. They captioned the post, “Jewell Loyd can ball.” How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Jewell Loyd stays in shape and the photos that prove they work.
In an interview with The New York Times, Loyd talked about why she and her brother decided to purchase their childhood gym. “It’s really for the community,” she says. “I want to make sure that people have a chance to do what I’m doing, and it starts with a dream. And if you can build that dream in a place that you get constantly reminded that you can achieve it, I think that’s the beautiful thing about the building.”
Loyd broke down her daily routine to Women’s Health. She says that she makes sure to stay hydrated, and she starts first thing in the morning. “Immediately, I like to drink my water. I’m trying to get close to a gallon a day, so I start with half that amount and then refill my bottle for the rest of the day. Luckily one of the features on my new Samsung Galaxy Watch5 is a water tracking feature, so I can set goals for daily water intake and it reminds me to hit those each day.”
Loyd revealed to Women’s Health that she tracks a lot of her wellness routine, and makes adjustments. She says that how much sleep she gets is one of the things she tracks. “I’ve just gotten a Galaxy Watch5, and it’s really cool to see all of my sleep data. For example, for my first 90-minute cycle, I saw that the first half hour was light sleep, then REM for 30 minutes, which is the most impactful sleep. I think it’s important to track data like how quickly you fall asleep and how much quality sleep you’re actually getting. With that kind of information, you can make adjustments like: I need to go to bed at this time, so I can make sure I get enough good rest.”
Loyd shared her workout routine with Women’s Health. She likes to do a variety of workouts to stay in shape. “Sometimes I’ll lift weights in the morning, but usually, it’s basketball first to just kind of get my body moving,” Loyd says. “If I’m starting with lifting, I try to get a nice sweat and get tempos in my lifts, but it doesn’t take me super long to get warm. I always focus most on my shoulders. It’s a weakness of mine, I’ve had some shoulder injuries, so I make sure that’s always primed. I know my trainers will be happy to hear that. Then, I start with basketball workouts on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, it’s pickleball, and that’s a two-hour workout of technique stuff. Lately, I’ve been playing pickleball every day, getting ready for a tournament.”
Loyd tells Women’s Health that she is pushing herself when it comes to wellness. “When you push yourself at least a little bit, you can take on anything that comes your way, whether it’s errands or hitting a big goal. For me, I’m so competitive in everything I do, I need the challenge of going outside my comfort zone so I can learn from that, and my Samsung Galaxy Watch5 is helping me look at my training for both basketball and pickleball through a holistic data lens so I can plan my days based on the its insights on my sleep, heart rate, water intake, and workout performance and recovery. When you’re waking up early and working on these goals for yourself, then it sets you up for the whole day.”