A Day in the Life of a Professional Athlete

April 07, 2015

A Day in the Life of a Professional Athlete

It isn’t uncommon to see a professional athlete perform and wish you were them. After all, they seem to have it all. However, switching your life with theirs may not be as fun as it seems—especially when you consider what their typical day looks like.

Most pro athletes will tell you that their alarm clock goes off very early (between 4 and 6 AM on average) because every little bit of training they can do has the potential of enhancing their career. Grabbing a light snack on their way out the door, their first stop is the gym, where they will spend a few hours focusing on cardiovascular and strength training workouts designed to help them improve their performance, boost their speed, and increase their endurance.

After subjecting their body to a grueling workout, they generally stop for a breakfast that is high in carbs to replenish their energy and high in protein to give their muscles what they need to repair and recover. From there, it is off to the field or court to engage in drills specific to their sport of choice, listening to the coach as he or she shouts out what needs to be done.

Lunch is the next item on the agenda, again refueling the body after the intense physical exercise that it has endured all morning. If they are lucky, they will have an hour or two of down time, then it is back to practice to work together as a team and learn some of the best offensive and defensive plays to help them get one step up against their competitor.

The day ends with a healthy dinner which consists of carbs, proteins, and vegetables that are loaded with nutrients to keep them strong. A couple hours of relaxing and then it is off to bed fairly early, just to get up and do the same thing again the next day.

So, what do you think? Are you ready to be a professional athlete?