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The Three Simple Things This Athlete Does Daily To Max Her Wellness

AFLW player Emma Swanson, of the GWS Giants, is keen on self-improvement – and she's sharing her simple boost-your-self tips with you - by Emma Swanson
  • 04 Sep 2017
The Three Simple Things This Athlete Does Daily To Max Her Wellness

Photography: Daniel Boud.


Being an athlete in the first ever AFLW season definitely has its perks. Finally, I’m being paid for doing something I would do every day of the week for free. BUT… I now find myself trying to balance full-time study, part-time work, meal prep, training, rehab and recovery. I all of a sudden have a huge appreciation for my mum, who could have easily joined a circus, now that I think back to how much she was able to juggle while I was growing up. The thing is, self-improvement is important to me – I’ve always been passionate about being the best version of myself every day. But since I don't have spare hours for meditation and mindfulness, I've come up with simple ways to weave self-improvement into my day.

Got it done today ✔ with a double whammy - smashing a circuit and boxing sesh #preseason #2016 #battleropes @madelinejane7

These are the three steps I take every day to balance self-improvement and my busy lifestyle...


Step 1: Make use of your shower time

I mentioned that the idea of mindfulness is great, but it can be hard to find the time. Getting in a 15-minute meditation in isn’t always practical (especially if you’re a juggler like my mum). So for me, I’m mindful in the shower. Hear me out...

Sometimes it’s the one time in the day I’m actually by myself. I take the time to stand there and leave my current state of mind – using some music helps with this. I use Buddify, a mindfulness app that pretty much allows for meditation any time, anywhere.

I feel like this is the most important part of my day. It symbolises the end of a day, the turning of a page, and from there I feel refreshed and ready to tackle anything that’s thrown at me tomorrow. (It’s also been fantastic for my sleep!)

Spam... because I LOVE my @_barefootrunner tees... and I love seeing home! 😍🍃✌🏽*** ORDER NOW 🙈 #lifesbetterbarefoot

Step 2: Flick your thankful switch in the AM

Don’t underestimate the power of just being grateful. It makes you feel better, it makes you a better person and it rubs off on those around you.

For me I try to be consciously grateful three times a day. I always do this when I’m either riding my bike to uni first thing in the morning or driving my car to training at the crack of dawn. I use the time to look around me and just be grateful for something. This morning I was grateful for the sunrise. It was so beautiful and although my bed was warm and it was hard to get up, I’m so glad I did.

When your looking so hard to find the weekend... can't wait to head ⬆️to Brisbane with the galllls @gwsgiants ✌🏽 #neversurrender

Step 3: Pick up a piece of rubbish

I spoke about trying to be a better version of myself every day. Well, here’s the simplest way to make it happen. Doing something for someone else is great, highly recommended. But take your self-improvement one step further… do something for the environment. This is the easiest step of the three because, I promise you, you will walk past some rubbish on the ground today. Pick it up and box ticked.

I like to make little goals for myself when it comes to this step. For example, today I stopped on my ride home and picked up 10 pieces of rubbish in the park. On the other hand, yesterday I was flat out – didn’t even take a sec to think about what I was walking past. So instead I took an enviro bag into Woolworths, and walked out of there plastic bag-free and feeling like Captain Planet!

Usually Sunday is a day of rest not play... but when round 1 is 6 sleeps away, you gotta do what you gotta do! #neversurrender @gwsgiants @aflwomens #sweatstain 🤓💦💪🏽

My three steps are simple, but I’ve really found that doing these little things every day has made me a happier, better, more balanced person. Try them!



Emma Swanson plays AFL for the GWS Giants and is the creator of lifestyle apparel brand Barefoot Runner (barefootrunnerclothing.com). Read more about her here.

If looks could kill 👀 💣 Congratulations to these legends and especially our él Capitano Fridge @amandafarrugia7 for the leadership selections. We mean business 💥👊🏼

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