Kevin De Bruyne Quotes

A player needs recovery time, and it isn't possible to recover from one race in an hour.

To be a top-class athlete, you have to train hard, you have to eat right, you have to get enough rest. I feel the way golf is going nowadays, you have to treat yourself as an athlete.

I've had one very bad ankle injury but otherwise I've been incredibly lucky with my fitness. I've worked hard at it and I've always been fit even compared to other players. That sustains you through various parts of your career, but I am 36.

People don't realize the amount of stress you put on your body both physically and mentally from just the wear and tear of a season.

During a packed season, maintaining fitness becomes tough because you can't put too much effort into it. You're constantly monitoring workloads.

I do know when my body is ready or when it's going to perform best for me.

As much as it hurts to work out after a game, it helps that much more.

When you've only got two days between games the recovery process is key.

Eating cleaner has helped me with recovery, to keep my body in position to play as many minutes as my team needed.

We have to look after the health of the players. Quality suffers with too many games.

No matter whether you're hurting or it's just a precaution, you gotta eat right, make sure that you're protecting your body because 82 games and all those road trips - it's going to be a lot.

Recovery after hard work is key for any athlete.

I've got to take care of the knee to finish the season healthy.

I wouldn't say you worry about your health when you run. I would say a quarterback as an obligation to protect yourself as a runner, whether it's getting out of bounds, sliding or getting down, whatever it might be.

It's a lot tougher to play soccer and make it look believable. But in boxing, it was easier for me. I got injured a lot more in the soccer world. In soccer, I pulled muscles. I thought boxing was going to be tougher.

Beside the brand-ambassador elements of the modern racing driver, the evolution of the athlete has mandated that as drivers, we are very committed to fitness.

My body's feeling it a little bit. But one good thing, my back is in good shape, and that's my main concern. I know that my legs are going to take awhile to get back to where I was a few years ago, but as long as my back is solid, I feel that I can play many years.

After my first day of competition I put on compression socks. They help me recover for the next day.

Nutrition is also a valuable component that can help athletes both protect themselves and improve performance.

When I was playing I felt tired all the time. My recovery period was a lot longer than the other players. They'd be ok after an hour - I'd have to stay in bed till the next session.

Even when I was young, playing college football, and I injured my knee, I bounced right back.

The knee just isn't 100 percent. It's hard to be out there when you know that you can't play at your best and could potentially make it worse.

A lot of times, the press guys ask why I take an hour and a half to come to the interview room, but if you don't do the massage and the ice baths and the stretching and the cooling down and the eating, and your opponent is doing that stuff, they already have an advantage.

Now that sports science is more advanced, we know that there are so many off-pitch factors that can affect how good you can become. If people are telling you to sleep a certain number of hours, eat specific foods, and drink a certain volume of fluids, then you have to be prepared to listen and learn.

What I'm doing with my body and with my golf game, I'm trying to extend the longevity of my career.