Health_Fitness_UK_July_2017

inspiration
‘MY LIFE
IN A DAY’
Alex Scott, England footballer
The Arsenal Ladies player and member of the
England squad for the UEFA Women’s EURO 2017
championships, 32, talks about life on the pitch
Alex in her England kit
WORDS:Yanar Alkayat PHOTOGRAPHY: iStock
Arsenal Ladies football club at the age
of eight. I used to play football in my local
neighbourhood with my brother and the
‘Ijoined
other boys and that’s when I was spotted.
I started training after school, four or five times
a week. I didn’t really care about other sports – I
used to do the 100m and they tried to get me to
do long-distance, but I was having none of it – it
was always football for me!
‘Now, I start the day around 7am
to walk the dog as it really helps me
wake up. As an athlete, I know how
important sleep is to help recharge
for training. After a protein shake,
Protein for
I head into Arsenal Training Centre
breakfast
[near St Albans, Herts]. We can
grab a tea or coffee before training
begins – the team will then gather
for a meeting to discuss the
training session ahead. We’ll
always have a pre-activation
session, which is all about getting
the muscle groups warmed up and
we do this as a team. Conditioning
comes next. We’ll wear heart-rate monitors
to check how much we’re working in the red
[high-intensity] zone – during some training
sessions, we might have to hit different zones for
a certain amount of time. On other days, our training
might have more of a focus on drills, such as game
tactics or passing skills. The most challenging thing
is when you get injured as it stops
you doing what you love.’
‘Every player
has her own
individual gym
programme’
A TOUGH ROUTINE
‘We’ll have lunch as a team and
this is served at the training
ground. All our food is prepared
to help us recover and replenish.
It might be soup, then chicken and salad with
potatoes or rice. We’ll hit the gym afterwards, but
every player has her own individual gym programme.
This will also vary throughout the year and season.
At the moment, I’m doing squats, Romanian
deadlifts for glute and hamstring strength, hip
thrusters, box jumps, core exercises and bench
lifts. The sequence and drills we’re given depend
on whether we’re in a strength or a power phase.
She’s learning
Spanish
Alex walks her dog
post training
‘After that,
we need to
have plenty of
recovery, so I’ll grab
another protein shake
before it’s time to relax. I’ll walk
the dog and have dinner, which is
normally something like salmon and
salad. Then we do it all again the
next day, seven days
a week. Sometimes
our manager will
allow us a day off to
recover, but that’s
his call if he feels
the team needs it.
‘When I get a day off, I’m usually
so tired from games or training
that I just like to spend some time
around the house and do nothing
really. It’s nice just to catch up.
I play the guitar and am trying to
learn Spanish, so that’s also my
wind down before I go to sleep.
‘Over the last couple of years,
I’ve also been working with the
‘I’d like to do more TV presenting – at 32 I’m
nearing the end of my football career’
BBC, presenting on The Premier League
Show with Gabby Logan, plus London
Live, Soccer AM and Premier League
Productions’ FanZone programme.
‘I did my degree in 2012 in professional
sports writing and broadcasting and
graduated just before the World Cup, so
TV has been a natural progression over
the last few years. Eventually, I’d like to
do more presenting work – at 32 I’m in
the latter years of my career. Women
footballers are usually pushed into
coaching or to become managers, but that
doesn’t interest me. I want to stay involved
in football and this path opened up. It
allows me to engage in conversations and
bring out the personalities of the players on
camera. For now, though, I’ll be focusing
on the Euros. I’m so lucky I’ve got to live
my dream and my hobby has become my
profession, I’ve made lifelong friends and
got to travel the world along the way.’
WATCH THE ACTION!
● England kicks off its Euro 2017
campaign against Scotland in Utrecht
on Wednesday July 19 live on Channel
4 at 7.45pm. You can join the
conversation using #Lionesses,
and for more information visit:
thefa.com/England.
Health & Fitness 13