How Rugby Player Ilona Maher Gets Ready in the Morning

Celebrated rugby star Ilona Maher has captivated the general public over the previous three years along with her athletic prowess, vibrant persona, and candid glimpses into her each day life. She’s all over the place proper now: on the newest Sports Illustrated cover, on the Emmy Awards, and, in fact, on Dancing With the Stars.

Along with her social media following surpassing 6.2 million on Instagram and TikTok, Maher has performed a pivotal function in bringing consideration to the U.S. Ladies’s Rugby Sevens workforce and successful a bronze medal on the 2024 Paris Olympics.

After a tricky quarterfinal loss on the 2020 Tokyo Video games, Maher says she approached the 2024 Video games with a refreshed mindset. “The final Olympics, my focus was simply getting there and being referred to as an Olympian, so I didn’t benefit from the moments earlier than,” Maher instructed Properly+Good not too long ago. “This time, I needed to take pleasure in this season with my teammates, the laughs on the bus, the talks we now have within the locker room, and simply attending to play the sport. Not making [the Olympics] being my entire factor was actually sensible for me and helped me put together myself extra mentally game-wise.”

Now, the 28-year-old is tackling a brand new problem: Dancing With The Stars. “I’m up to now out of my consolation zone,” she says as she wraps up her first week of follow. “Rugby is my consolation zone; I like tackling and operating.” And regardless of preliminary doubts, she felt compelled to affix the present. “I had a variety of reservations, however I assumed it might be hypocritical of me as a result of I inform all these younger women to strive rugby and to strive one thing new and to get on the market. So if I’m simply considering in my consolation zone, it felt like not doing what I preach.”

We caught up with Maher not too long ago to learn how she begins a typical day and what retains her grounded by way of her busy schedule.

She begins day-after-day on her cellphone—yup.

I don’t have that inspirational morning routine. I get up at about 6 or 6:30 a.m., and I hate to say it, however I examine my cellphone first.

Then, she will get prepared for the day

I usually have about half-hour to get out the door, so my mornings are easy. I put in my contacts, brush my tooth, and take a bathe. I have been utilizing Salt & Stone Bergamot & Hinoki body wash as of late—it smells scrumptious. Out of the bathe, I take advantage of Secret deodorant  and at all times apply SPF. Once I’m preparing, I’m usually carrying both a giant T-shirt—I simply like to be swallowed up in a 3XL shirt—or I’m carrying a Skims gown and Ugg slippers.

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Once I wish to add a little bit one thing further, my go-to favourite lipstick is the Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick within the shade Self Starter. That is the lipstick I put on to play rugby—it genuinely stays on by way of tackles, by way of my mouth guard, by way of every part. I actually belief it, which is what makes me snug sufficient to put on lipstick whereas I play as a result of I belief that lipstick a lot.

Subsequent, she picks up espresso on the way in which to coaching

Coffee for me is a little bit deal with and escape—I simply adore it. I simply have one espresso within the morning and usually go for a vanilla iced latte. I like espresso with cream and sugar, and there’s this espresso store by me in San Diego referred to as Genteel Coffee Co., they usually do that chilly cream on prime. It’s simply heavy cream with a little bit sugar in it, and I adore it on an iced espresso.

She makes use of her commute to coaching as ‘morning me time’

I at all times like to have my espresso on my experience to the coaching middle. The coaching middle is about half-hour from the place I reside, so for me, that type of turns into a time the place I simply get to loosen up.

I take heed to an audiobook or get myself puffed up by listening to some music whereas I drink my espresso. When it comes to audiobooks, I like romance books and enjoyable books that I’m not going to study something from simply to let my thoughts escape. If I’m attempting to get myself in a very good temper, I’ll take heed to some pump-up music like Chappell Roan or Sabrina Carpenter.

These half-hour are my very own “me time” earlier than beginning the day and earlier than getting in with my teammates.

As soon as she will get to coaching, she eats breakfast

It’s simply fundamental—like eggs on toast. I typically have my eggs both fried or as an omelet with some greens in them.

I usually don’t prepare dinner for myself—most of my meals are on the coaching middle. It’s exhausting to purchase groceries after I know I’m solely going to eat dinner at dwelling as soon as (and eat dinner three different days on the middle). So I actually simply exit to eat someplace like Cava (I like bowl locations), or I’ll eat on the middle.

After breakfast, it is time to get to work

After breakfast, it’s straight into what we name “ramp-up,” which is only a manner of getting our our bodies prepared for the day by doing workout routines, stretches, and even plyometrics. There’s at all times a time for us to actually heat up and get our our bodies prepared for the day as a result of rugby’s a really exhausting sport and really technical.

That is the place I do rehab, particularly specializing in my ankles, hamstrings, and knees. I like a very good hip flexor opener, and resistance band work is actually vital to me, too. I’ve a little bit routine I do, just a bit static stretch routine for about six minutes, to actually prime myself and let my physique know it is about to begin working. I additionally at all times hop on the bike for at the least 5 to 10 minutes to get my muscular tissues transferring after being stagnant all night time.

On days I don’t have coaching, I do CorePower scorching yoga. I want I stretched extra, however I don’t, so I rely the yoga session as my stretching for the week.

Lastly, the true coaching begins

The primary coaching might be round 9:30 or 10 a.m. I’m carrying Brooks sneakers from the second I arrive at coaching, usually both my Levitates or my Glycerins. The Levitates are what acquired me into Brooks within the first place, after I noticed my bodily therapist carrying them, they usually’re my go-to for every part from operating to lifting. I usually reserve my Glycerins for my hot girl walks, however they’re simply as versatile.

She prioritizes psychological well being each day

I don’t use any meditation apps, however I do work carefully with a sports activities psychologist. Particularly through the Olympics, even the primary night time I arrived, I noticed my progress begin to occur. It was crucial to me to remain grounded and never let something get to me as a result of understanding I had hundreds of thousands of eyes on me, it is regular to fret about dropping the ball, embarrassing myself, doing one thing unsuitable, or lacking a deal with.

I met with my sports activities psychologist rather a lot, significantly the night time earlier than every recreation. And we actually simply sat there, did some breath counting and a few mantras and whatnot. That actually grounded me.

And is aware of that not day-after-day seems the identical

In the meanwhile, my schedule’s a little bit completely different with Dancing With The Stars preparation. Coaching for the present begins at 9 a.m. every day. However even earlier than this, I’ve by no means favored having an excessive amount of of a routine or rituals as a result of I get so afraid if sooner or later I don’t do them, I really feel like I’ve tousled and may’t have a very good day. I want to simply see what occurs because it comes.

This interview has been edited for size and readability.