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 in all places proper now: on the most recent Sports activities Illustrated cowl, on the Emmy Awards, and, after all, on Dancing With the Stars.
Along with her social media following surpassing 6.2 million on Instagram and TikTok, Maher has performed a pivotal position in bringing consideration to the U.S. Girls’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 advised Nicely+Good just lately. “This time, I wished to get pleasure from this season with my teammates, the laughs on the bus, the talks we’ve 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 thus far out of my consolation zone,” she says as she wraps up her first week of follow. “Rugby is my consolation zone; I really like tackling and operating.” And regardless of preliminary doubts, she felt compelled to hitch the present. “I had a number of reservations, however I believed it might be hypocritical of me as a result of I inform all these younger ladies to attempt rugby and to attempt one thing new and to get on the market. So if I’m simply pondering in my consolation zone, it felt like not doing what I preach.”
We caught up with Maher just lately to learn the way she begins a typical day and what retains her grounded by way of her busy schedule.
She begins each day on her telephone—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 test my telephone 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 enamel, and take a bathe. I have been utilizing Salt & Stone Bergamot & Hinoki physique wash as of late—it smells scrumptious. Out of the bathe, I exploit Secret deodorant and at all times apply SPF. After 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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After I wish to add a bit one thing further, my go-to favourite lipstick is the Maybelline Tremendous Keep 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 the whole lot. I actually belief it, which is what makes me comfy 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
Espresso for me is a bit deal with and escape—I simply like it. I simply have one espresso within the morning and usually go for a vanilla iced latte. I really like espresso with cream and sugar, and there’s this espresso store by me in San Diego referred to as Genteel Espresso Co., they usually do that chilly cream on prime. It’s simply heavy cream with a bit sugar in it, and I like 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 overestimated by listening to some music whereas I drink my espresso. When it comes to audiobooks, I really 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 cook dinner for myself—most of my meals are on the coaching middle. It’s laborious to purchase groceries once 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 really 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 approach 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 laborious sport and really technical.
That is the place I do rehab, particularly specializing in my ankles, hamstrings, and knees. I really like a very good hip flexor opener, and resistance band work is de facto vital to me, too. I’ve a 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 muscle tissue shifting after being stagnant all evening.
On days I don’t have coaching, I do CorePower sizzling yoga. I want I stretched extra, however I don’t, so I depend the yoga session as my stretching for the week.
Lastly, the true coaching begins
The primary coaching shall 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 received me into Brooks within the first place, after I noticed my bodily therapist carrying them, they usually’re my go-to for the whole lot from operating to lifting. I usually reserve my Glycerins for my sizzling woman 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 throughout the Olympics, even the primary evening I arrived, I noticed my development begin to occur. It was crucial to me to remain grounded and never let something get to me as a result of realizing 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 quite a bit, notably the evening earlier than every sport. And we actually simply sat there, did some breath counting and a few mantras and whatnot. That basically grounded me.
And is aware of that not each day seems the identical
In the mean time, my schedule’s a 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 someday I don’t do them, I really feel like I’ve tousled and may’t have a very good day. I favor to only see what occurs because it comes.
This interview has been edited for size and readability.
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