Ilona Maher In Swimsuit Celebrates "Launch Day"
Ilona Maher isn't just an amazing rugby player and podcaster, she has become an inspiration for many girls out there. She shares a lot of posts on Instagram reminding women to be comfortable in their bodies, and that they don't have to conform to society's standards. Ilona recently appeared in the new addition of Sports Illustrated, and posed in a brown and black striped bikini. Ilona's impressive figure was on display. She captioned the post, "It's @si_swimsuit launch day! RAWR!" How does she keep herself in shape? Here are 5 of Ilona Maher's wellness secrets.
She Fuels Her Body
Ilona talked about the importance of eating fueling food with Women's Health. "The most important thing is just to eat and have sustenance on-board that'll get you through," she says. "That's made me so successful and so powerful in sport is that I'm not afraid to be big and powerful and give my body exactly what it needs. Sometimes women are afraid of getting too big or getting too strong, but I truly believe that's what's best for me."
She Works Hard
Ilona opened up about her decision to go to Dancing With The Stars to Women's Health. "I've never been like someone who's just going to half-ass something," she says. "If I decide to do something and I decide I want to do it well, I put my all into it. That was the reason I was even hesitant to join Dancing With the Stars. I knew that this would be hard and if I started doing it, I would want to do the best I can."
She Eats High-Protein Snacks
Ilona shared some of her favorite healthy foods in an interview with EatingWell. She says that she tends to snack more when she's training, and that protein is a big part of her diet. "I snack a little more than I used to. I love having a protein source in that snack, whether that's an apple with peanut butter, beef jerky, cold-cut meat, but I don't really like protein bars."
She Does Pull-Ups
Ilona shared some of her favorite workouts in this video on Instagram. One thing she is seen doing in it is using the pull-up bar. Ilona captioned the post, "That little girl you once were dreamt of being as strong as you are now. Make her proud." Pull-ups have a lot of benefits. NASM states, "Pull ups use the lats, rhomboids, traps, shoulders, posterior deltoids, and brachialis. Because of the overhand grip, your lats will do the majority of the work since they are getting less help from the biceps."
She Runs
Ilona does a lot of running to keep herself in shape. She shared this video on Instagram of herself going on a run in Los Angeles while spotting a coyote. Ilona wrote in the video, "Just a typical day in LA." She wrote in the caption, "Mans trying to get a good workout in." Running has a lot of health benefits. According to FloTrack, "Running and jogging is an aerobic exercise, and you're working out both your heart and lungs while doing so. This will also lead to a lower resting heart rate, lower bad cholesterol in your blood and lower blood pressure."
