The buzz has started, John Williams' fanfare has begin and soon you'll be tuning in: The 2024 Summer Olympics are right around the corner, running from July 26 through August 11th. The breadth is impressive. Archery, badminton, basketball, fencing, golf, even table tennis are among the dozens of sports represented. And within each are some of the most impressive women ever to grace the field. How do they stay so fit? Simone Biles, Valarie Allman, Regan Smith and more have shared their tips in the past and here we've collected them for you.
1. Simone Biles
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Simone Biles is making her return to the Olympics this summer. She shared some of her training secrets with Women’s Health. “I eat what I feel good with and try not to overeat or stuff myself because I’m always at the gym. For gymnasts, in particular, [tracking] can lead to health problems and eating issues, so I just eat what I know I can and should.”
2. Alex Morgan
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Soccer star, Alex Morgan, shared her wellness secrets in an interview with Buzzfeed. She says that she makes sure to eat a healthy diet. “I also make sure that nutrition is a part of my daily routine. A morning protein smoothie sets the right tone for the rest of the day by providing me with the sustained energy I need to conquer whatever comes my way.”
3. Carissa Moore
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Surfer Carissa Moore shared her training routine with Red Bull. “It’s important to find the best waves to train in. My schedule always flows from trying to find good surf. If the waves aren’t good, I’ll probably go for an hour, but if it’s good, I’ll surf more like three to four hours. I usually spend 40 minutes every morning warming up, especially when I’m on the road, doing moves that activate me and make me feel good. I use a band to activate my glutes, and I do dead bugs for my core. I also do a couple sun salutations to get the blood flowing.”
4. Valarie Allman
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Discus thrower, Valarie Allman, shared some of her favorite workouts in this video on Instagram. She captioned the post, “Day 2, Week 1 of a new cycle and getting closer to COMPETING 🥳Power Snatch • 5 X 5 @ 60kg. Trap Bar Dead Lift • 4 X 5 @ 165, 180, 195, 210kg. Chin-Ups • 3 X 10. Goblet Lateral Lunge • 3 X 10e.”
5. Regan Smith
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Swimmer Regan Smith talked about handling pressure with Swimming World Magazine. “Nerves and pressure before meets is something that I’ve struggled with for most of my swimming career. I think what gives me a lot of confidence is just believing in the work that I’ve put in all season. Being with a coach and a program that I believe in and that I know I’m getting work done in helps me feel the most confident. This past year, I’ve never felt better in practice. I know I’ve never worked harder in my life and I just feel like I’ve done a complete 180 from where I was at this time a year ago.”
6. Andi Sullivan
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Soccer player, Andi Sullivan, shared her love of journaling in an interview with The Player’s Tribune. “I like to make lists, a list of things that I could do, or need to do, and even just spewing out my thoughts. Sometimes my teammates laugh at me on our Zoom calls because I have a piece of paper, and I’m always scribbling down things that people say, or thoughts that I have in the moment. I think now is the time for me to experiment with things like journaling.”
7. Naomi Osaka
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Tennis player, Naomi Osaka, shared some of her favorite products with CNN. She says that applying sunscreen is an important part of her routine. “Putting on sunscreen every morning is the most important step in my skin care routine,” she says. “Despite being a mineral-based sunscreen, it doesn’t leave a harsh white cast and instead leaves me moisturized and glowing, thanks to its sheer, caramel tint.”
8. Leah Smith
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Swimmer Leah Smith opened up about overcoming setbacks with USA Swimming. “What I learned through my heartbreak of missing the Olympic Team in 2021 and my comeback to make the World Championship Team in 2022 was invaluable, and my journey taught me so much about my team, my coaches and myself. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was looking for when I decided to keep swimming after 2021, but this past year of swimming has invigorated me, and I am excited to attack my journey to 2024 with passion and energy and a new level of gratitude for my surroundings.”
9. Rose Lavelle
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Soccer player Rose Lavelle opened up about building confidence, especially after an injury to Well + Good. “My confidence comes in ebbs and flows, so having a sports psych has been a huge part of my professional career. Anybody that goes through a long-term injury or just any injury in general, it's hard physically. However, it felt 10 times harder mentally coming back from it. My psychologist helps me keep my head above water.”
10. Alyssa Naeher
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For soccer player, Alyssa Naeher, having a morning routine is important. “Something that I found that was helpful in all the chaos of being on the move was if I could at least start my day the same way, then it would give me some semblance of normalcy,” Naeher said to Graham Hays. “For me that became waking up, having some quiet time, grabbing a coffee, doing a crossword, reading a book — just having that quiet time to myself in the morning, I can do that anywhere and that starts my day.”
11. Emily Sonnet
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Soccer player, Emily Sonnet shared her team’s typical training routine with US Soccer. “We don't often lift heavy weight, but we do get a lot of reps in. We've also did a lot of testing at the beginning of camp to measure our range of motion, agility, flexibility, etc. We really appreciate having that kind of feedback because of course want to do everything that can help us win, always.”
12. Mallory Swanson
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Soccer player, Mallory Swanson, shared her advice for young girls in an interview. “I think having that mindset of, ‘If you want to be something in life and you want something in life, just go do it.’ Push forward and push the boundaries. If you want to be something in life, go do it.”
13. Stephanie Gilmore
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Surfer, Stephanie Gilmore, shared her training routine with Vogue. “I wake up and I go through a 15-minute activation routine to wake up my body. A little yoga mixed with some breathing, just kind of waking up so that I’m not just looking into my phone for an hour, trying to get the body to know it’s daytime and let’s go—and that’s before I’m eating anything. Then we’ll go surfing. It depends what the surf’s like, but the surfing will be a good hour and a half, at least where I’m paddling heaps, catching as many waves as I can, and it’s actually a great workout. I think that the best training for surfing is just to go surfing.”
14. Lynn Williams
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Soccer player, Lynn Williams, makes sure to eat a healthy diet, and that means eating enough carbs. She shared a favorite post-game snack with Women’s Health. "I feel like we're losing so many carbs when we're running. [I] also want them to hit at the right times because the games are so long, and I found that pancakes just do the trick for me.”