I had a really successful meet, I did exactly what I was set-up to do on my path next year to the Olympic Games, as a team, I think we did a really fantastic job. We kept building every single day and we got closer as a team and had a lot of fun swimming as well.

Natalie Coughlin

Categorized in : Sports

I live in a swimsuit so I'm really comfortable with my body.

Natalie Coughlin

swimsuits comfortable body

Without goals, training has no direction.

Natalie Coughlin

training swimming goal

I actually love swimming but I just hate jumping in the water.

Natalie Coughlin

swimming jumping hate

I generally wake up at 4:30, have breakfast No. 1, then get to the pool by 5 a.m.

Natalie Coughlin

pool wake-up breakfast

Leading a healthy, active lifestyle is all about momentum. If I'm in the middle of training it's easy for me to keep that up. It gets tough when I'm on a break. I just try to start my day with a good breakfast and a quick walk, something simple that gets the day off on the right foot. The more I do that, the more I make healthy choices that reflect the good choices made earlier.

Natalie Coughlin

choices-made simple feet

I'm up before 5 a.m., I have breakfast, then swimming, Pilates, weight training, and physical therapy. I'm constantly going from one thing to the next. Everyone is busy, but that's my busy.

Natalie Coughlin

training swimming weight

When I was little, I wasn't so little. I had a big old round belly and I was really clumsy, but I was super confident.

Natalie Coughlin

belly bigs littles

There's an adage that a lot of coaches have, that I completely disagree with, is if you make the Olympic team too early you become complacent.

Natalie Coughlin

complacent adages team

Cooking a fantastic meal is therapeutic. I like the entire process-the chopping, the stirring. At the end, hopefully you get to enjoy a great meal with a friend or loved one.

Natalie Coughlin

loved-ones meals cooking

I like to take mustard baths. I combine 4 lbs Epsom salts, 3 oz mustard powder, 12 oz powdered milk, and 1/2 cup baking soda, add in 12 drops each of rosemary and eucalyptus essential oils, then whisk it and pour 1/4 cup of the mix into the tub while warm water is running.

Natalie Coughlin

essential-oils running water

The pressure of the Olympic Games is real overwhelming.

Natalie Coughlin

real pressure games

I was tempted my junior year to go out of college and forgo my eligibility. I had broken several world records. I did have a lot of people telling me that I should go pro.

Natalie Coughlin

college people years

I don't have any superstitions, but what I always travel with is my pillow and my coffee.

Natalie Coughlin

pillow superstitions coffee

Pilates is an awesome cross-training exercise for any sport because it focuses on functional movement.

Natalie Coughlin

training exercise sports

I was the official wedding photographer at one of my best friends' weddings. Fortunately she was one of the most easygoing brides ever, so she made it easy for me.

Natalie Coughlin

wedding my-best-friend photographer

I very much looked up to Janet Evans and Summer Sanders.

Natalie Coughlin

summer

I hate how late we have our Olympic Trials, always have.

Natalie Coughlin

i-hate hate trials

There are always things that are beyond our control at the Olympic Games and this is just one of them, they're giving us all the information so that we can make a fully educated decision.

Natalie Coughlin

healthcare

I'm comfortable in the locker room situation, so whatever.

Natalie Coughlin

room whatever situation comfortable

You see a lot of us lingering around. We'll just stand there on the edge of the pool and kinda psych ourselves up into getting in.

Natalie Coughlin

stand see you pool