Soccer Star Tobin Heath in Two-Piece Workout Gear is "Stoked"

Professional soccer player Christen Press missed out on the 2023 World Cup due to an ACL injury—but fans will be glad to know the athlete is clearly on the mend. Press, 35, shared a video of herself wearing shorts and a jacket, doing exercises out on the pitch. “Look out world she’s on the move!” she captioned the post. “I will cry when you get back on the pitch bc I know how hard you worked to get there. Can't wait, We are rooting for you ❤️,” commented a fan. Here’s what Press’ diet, exercise, and wellness routine looks like.

1. Yoga for Soccer

Press uses her yoga practice to support her soccer skills. “The most important poses in my practice for training purposes are hip openers, shoulder openers, and hamstring lengtheners,” she told Yoga Journal. “These poses help me release some of the tension in my back. I enjoy balancing sequences with Tree Pose, Warrior III, and Half Moon Pose. And Rabbit Pose is a new addition that really helps release my neck.”

2. Vedic Meditation

Press does Vedic meditation twice a day. “Practicing yoga makes me a happier soccer player,” she told Yoga Journal. “Sometimes, thoughts freeze you. When I’m able to play thought-free, I am more dynamic and natural. This thoughtlessness is something that yoga and meditation instilled in me. There is also a core group of the national team that regularly practices yoga together during camp.”

3. Protein and More Protein

Press focuses on protein for a healthy, balanced diet. “The most essential nutritional need is just finding the right balance,” she told Healthy Living. “I, personally, have a hard time getting enough protein, so I focus on that. I take quite a few supplements, especially during high intensity periods of my life. And I try to find as many nutrients in whole foods and in my daily diet as possible.”

4. Fitness Tips

Press says fitness should be fun—so find an activity you actually enjoy doing. “Find something active that you love,” she told Healthy Living. “It doesn’t have to be a struggle. Join a team! Kickbox! Being active feels awesome. The more you do it, the more you’ll love it. Respect and give love to your body. It carries you around all day; it deserves to be cherished. Who better to do that than you? In my life, there is a balance between being so disciplined (with diet, free time) that you become deprived. I like to recognize how feeding my soul with healthy but fun things actually helps me be my best!”

5. Inclusivity In Soccer

Press is passionate about making soccer accessible to more women of color. "I feel really, really lucky for the trajectory that I've been on in all of the amazing skills and tools that soccer has given me," she told Popsugar. “When I think about my identity and my personality, soccer has cultivated so many of the skills and assets that I am so grateful to have now as a business leader, as a professional player, as someone who's fought for equality on behalf of a lot of different marginalized groups. So much of that strength has come from what I've learned on the field, and I think that that's what makes it so important to continue to ensure that there is inclusivity, so that more people can have that type of experience."

WNBA star Breanna Stewart went into 2024 with good intentions and lots of gratitude. Stewart, 29, shared a picture of herself wearing a blue shirt and gray shorts, beaming with happiness as she posed on the court. “How I’m entering 2024… with love, happiness & my people,” she captioned the post. “Happy New Year Stewie! 2024 is going to be even more amazing, if that’s possible 😜,” commented Rennae Stubbs. Here’s what Stewart’s diet, training, and recovery regimen looks like, and the home-cooked meal her fellow athletes go crazy for.

1. Basketball Training

Stewart says basketball is the best workout. "I don’t really know any other speed than basketball. I’ve just been playing it forever,” she told Red Bull. “It’s a stop-and-go game. You can be running up and down for a while, then stop, then you have to go again. We don’t do much conditioning work during the season, because we’re playing almost three games each week. But during the preseason we do some sprints on the court, and riding the Airdyne bike, which really sucks—whether you’re in shape or not, you’re dying on that thing. And a lot of different cardio machines and kinds of cardio exercises. And just playing—nothing compares to it."

2. Weight Training and Pilates

Stewart uses weights to build strength and muscle. "I need to make sure that my body is ready and that means getting in the weight room,” she told Red Bull. “I just work everything—upper and lower body. I also do Pilates to make sure that my core is strong. When I’m on the court, I’m using everything, so I want to make sure that my whole body is ready to go. I usually spend an hour in the gym, then we spend about two hours on the court for practice. I do drills—like I’ll work on my post game. It helps to have someone to work with you to make sure you’re getting pushed. After practice, I do an hour of shooting drills. I like to have a schedule and keep things consistent.”

3. Spicy Rigatoni For the Team

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Stewart’s mother makes incredible rigatoni noodles for her teammates. "My mom makes these chicken riggies that are off the chart,” she told Sports Illustrated. “She usually makes it when I have a team over or my family gets together because it's a bigger dish. It's rigatoni noodles with chicken and a tomato sauce. She can add red pepper flakes to make it spicier. She puts diced tomatoes in it, and she can add peppers and all types of things. I made it for my team when I was at UConn because they'd had it before—my mom would bring me leftovers that she'd frozen, and the team came to my house one time and she made it. I don't want to say it was as good as my mom's, but they all approved."

4. Pre-Game Meal

Stewart loves asparagus, which is low in calories yet packed with nutrients. "[I had a] pre-game meal of penne with meat sauce, brown rice, mashed sweet potatoes, and of course, asparagus," she told USA Today. "I could eat asparagus pretty much every day and not get tired of it."

5. Steam Room and Cold Tub

Stewart knows how important recovery and rest days are for athletes. “My muscles get really tight, so I’ll get them worked on before and after practice,” she told Red Bull. “I like going in the steam room and the hot tub; that makes my body feel good on the day after games. And doing yoga and really all the recovery things—the foam rolling, muscle flossing, the list goes on and on. I’ll go in the hot tub before practice and the cold tub after. The cold tub helps get the lactic acid and everything out of your legs. I try to make sure that I’m doing everything I can to keep my body feeling good. I want to stay ahead of letting my body break down, which allows injuries to happen.”

Former professional soccer player Carli Lloyd isn’t allowing retirement to slow her down—instead, she has pivoted into different fun exercises. Lloyd, 41, shared pictures of herself playing golf at the Annexus Pro-Am, wearing black pants and a red shirt on the green while dealing with dramatic weather. “Shot at Glory on 16th ✅ Hail ✅ Downpour ✅ Lightening ✅. Second one in the books! Only able to get in 6 holes due to the weather but still had a great time,” she captioned the Instagram post. Here’s what Lloyd’s health and fitness regimen looks like.

1. High-Protein Diet

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Lloyd enjoys a high-protein diet with plenty of steak, salmon, egg whites, yogurt, vegetables, fruit, and green salads. “Focusing on a clean diet has completely changed my outlook on my overall health and well-being,” she told PEOPLE. “I know that when I eat better, I feel better. You don’t put regular gas into a Ferrari!”

2. She Loves To Run

Lloyd genuinely loves running for cardio and the mental health benefits. “Any type of exercise such as running, training or doing body weight exercises makes me feel better," she told Baylor College of Medicine. "Running makes me happy and feels great! If I am traveling I scope out my surroundings. Sometimes I run up the hotel stairwells or find a patch of grass nearby and get a workout in. I tailor my workouts to the amount of time I usually have and go off of that.”

3. Resistance Training

Lloyd’s soccer training was understandably intense. “We’ll do ball stuff. I’ll spend time doing upper-body strength, body-weight exercises,” she told The Cut. “I do push-ups and sit-ups, and I’ll do the TRX. I’ll do [battle] ropes, resistance bands, boxing. Anything that’s not weights. James likes to say there are no dumbbells or barbells on the soccer field, so everything we do is soccer-specific. You need to be lean and agile, and the body-weight stuff works for me.”

4. Rest and Recovery

Lloyd makes sure to allow herself proper recovery, which means making healthy choices. “I think recovery is around the clock,” she told The Cut. “Are you sleeping enough? Are you hydrating enough? Are you stretching? Are you eating well? Pretty much everything that I do is a reflection of how I’m going to feel on the field. I take great pride in getting in an ice bath after training and just taking care of myself.”

5. Mental Preparation

Lloyd has her own method of dealing with stress and being mentally prepared. “Mental preparation comes from my on-the-field training and off-the-field training,” she told Baylor College of Medicine. “What I have realized is that if the mind is strong the body will follow. I prepare days ahead of time to make sure I am blocking out all outside distractions and zoning into what I need to do in the game… I often times find myself taking on a lot. I like to keep busy and get a lot accomplished but I also realize that I need to do a better job of managing how much I push myself. I get routine massages and I make lists of what I need to do.”