Ilona Maher and Sister Olivia Stun On Vacation
Last year, Ilona Maher became America's sweetheart. She was a member of the US rugby team that won a bronze medal at the 2024 Olympics. She finished in second place on Dancing With The Stars. And her charming personality has led her to get thousands of followers on social media, and start a podcast with her sisters. Ilona and her sister, Olivia, are currently enjoying a beach vacation, and shared a highlight reel on Instagram. In it, they went for a run, went swimming, and climbed on the rocks. Olivia captioned the post, "Exploring a bit of the island." Here are five of Ilona Maher's wellness secrets.
She Has A Healthy Approach To Eating
Ilona broke down some of her diet secrets with EatingWell. In it, she emphasized the importance of having a healthy approach to eating, and not thinking you have to restrict yourself. "When I hear 'diet,' I don't think, 'Oh, I'm going on a diet and I can only eat this, this and this,'" she said. "I think 'What's my diet? What do I eat to fuel my body?' It's a good way to change it because I don't think I've ever been on a diet in my life. That's just something that doesn't resonate with me. To me, diet is what you eat."
She Stays Hydrated, And Avoids Sugary Drinks
Ilona makes sure to keep herself hydrated each day, but she also makes sure to grab water or seltzer instead of sugary beverages. "If I could, I would only drink sugary drinks and fruit juices because I love that, but I shouldn't drink big quantities of that," Ilona told EatingWell. "So sparkling water and seltzer is a good way for me to get my hydration in. I love working out, [and wanting] water when you're working out is so fun. I wish I was better [about drinking water]. My sister has a water bottle on her at all times and is always refilling it."
She Makes Sure Her Meals Have Protein, Carbs, And A Veg
When it comes to Ilona's meals, she tends to include a protein source, a carb, and a vegetable in each. She gave an example in her EatingWell interview. "Starting with breakfast, eggs are so great with the amount of protein they have so I'm always eating eggs. I love bacon—it gives me joy—so I'll eat some bacon with it and a piece of toast or some other carb, whether it's oatmeal or potatoes. But I do love toast with butter and jam. I always drink coffee in the morning, I wish I could get my day started without it but I'm unable to!"
She Does Yoga
Ilona broke down her typical training routine and favorite workouts with Well + Good. She says that on her days off, she loves doing yoga as a low-impact workout. "On days I don't have training, I do CorePower hot yoga. I wish I stretched more, but I don't, so I count the yoga session as my stretching for the week."
She Works With A Psychologist
Playing live sports can be intimidating, which is why Ilona turned to a sports psychologist. "I don't use any meditation apps, but I do work closely with a sports psychologist," she told Well + Good. "Especially during the Olympics, even the first night I arrived, I saw my growth start to happen. It was very important to me to stay grounded and not let anything get to me because knowing I had millions of eyes on me, it's normal to worry about dropping the ball, embarrassing myself, doing something wrong, or missing a tackle."
