The defining characteristic of most superheroes is their duality — the peaceful coexistence of their world-saving persona and their more mild-mannered daytime identity.
Soccer phenom Brandi Chastain, forever immortalized by her sports-bra-baring, post-goal celebration at the 1999 World Cup, is one of the most recognizable faces in all of sport. Her achievements on the turf, highlighted by that famous penalty kick, catapulted her into the realm of sports celebrity and flooded youth soccer leagues in America with waves of girls looking to build their own athletic legacies. Now 41, she is every bit the abs-wielding menace on the field and in the gym that she was 20 years ago, thanks in part to smarter nutritional choices.
But for Brandi, there is also life outside of soccer. An affable and energetic mother of two, she has invested every bit of her being into helping others. While some may have tried to transform their moments in the sun into personal fame and fortune, Brandi created a foundation dedicated to empowering young women. Now a volunteer women’s soccer coach for her collegiate alma mater, Santa Clara University, Brandi is in her happy place, giving players the benefit of her decades of experience and
carpe diem approach to life between — and beyond — the lines.
So as far as superheroes go, Brandi just might qualify as one.
Q: Tell us a bit about your new coaching gig.
Brandi: I am volunteer coach at Santa Clara, which makes me very happy, since I am a proud alumna. I just stepped out of a team bonding exercise, and anytime you can share goals with people, it’s inspiring. We’re trying to get these young women to see their power and potential. For me so far, it’s been very personally rewarding.
Q: You’ve had a long and spectacular career in soccer. How much have fitness and nutrition contributed to your longevity?
Brandi: When I first went to college, nobody that I lived with was a nutrition expert. Those days, I was eating everything. And I felt it. There is a clear difference between college and the post-college time. When I started playing with the national team and became a professional, I started seeing how little things made a huge difference. The greatest gift that I can give to my two sons, and what I share with these girls, is that you are in charge of making your car go — you get to choose what kind of gas you put in your car. You can choose high-octane fuel that’ll give you good performance or just the one that’s gonna get you by. I love knowing that I’m in charge of that. I know when I’m having a good gas day and when I’m not having one. That’s empowering. People use a four-letter word: diet. And that’s so defeating. They have such a negative connotation of dieting already that eating well can be a downer. Really good habits are really uplifting. That’s why I value what I eat and drink.
Q: What was your diet like back in college?
Brandi: The biggest thing was just that I was eating everything. I’m not afraid of eating! I was an extra-mayo, extra-everything person. I didn’t understand the value of food. People don’t understand the value of calories or sugar or things that they’re putting in their bodies. Being around people that were much better at that than me helped.
Q: Do you think that better nutrition habits added years to your career?
Brandi: I know now that it’s a huge component of being active and having longevity. You know what? I like ice cream a lot — but how is that going to affect me? I have hot water, and people look at me like I’m an alien. They’ll ask, “Do you want a lemon?” No, it just makes me feel good! I think there’s a lot of people who have healthy habits that they may be embarrassed about.
Q: How much time in the weight room is required for elite soccer players?
Brandi: I think there’s been an evolution. It wasn’t always a requirement — it was an afterthought. And then there was kind of a cycle. The craze was aerobics, then water aerobics, then core, then pilates. I think that’s how weight training was before. When I was injured, I had to do a lot of it because that was all I could do. Then it moved from the thing that I had to do to the thing that I really wanted to do. Now people are realizing that to be a successful athlete, or just to play a whole season, there’s a place for it. It’s not about just being powerful — but strong, agile, and light. Everyone has their own agenda, but doing what I do, having strength and conditioning and agility and flexibility are all really important. And now looking back on my pro career, being healthy is about being complete. I want people who are my age, and living longer, to be able to explore all the things that they want to try.
Q: What other types of things did you do physically to recover between practices and games?
Brandi: The #1 priority is to eat. In sports you’re always breaking down tissue, and you have to be able to repair those things. Resting is obviously a way to do that. I haven’t had too many people in my life who don’t enjoy massage, so if you can treat yourself, go for it. But you have to be able to listen to your body. You can only push it so long before it shuts down on its own. When you’re tired, can you find a way to rest? If you can’t rest, can you find a way to push it without crashing? Start to have a relationship with your body and have good judgment about it.
Q: As an elite athlete, you have done a lot of traveling. Is it hard to get the right kinds of foods on the road?
Brandi: It’s really difficult, but you don’t have to be on the national team to know that. Preparation is key. My teammates used to give me crap all the time for having a shopping bag full of stuff. I would never be hungry. When you get hungry, you’ve already gone into deficient mode. I’m never really super hungry or super thirsty, and that’s just because I have little things that you could put in your purse or gym bag, like a PowerBar
® Performance Energy bar, because it can go anywhere and get smashed or whatever. I always have one in my car or my purse. On top of that, it’s good to have some things that taste good and are good for you — almonds, raisins, any type of fruit. I will also do something like making a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich. And I always have a container that I can carry some water in.
Q: Tell me a bit about Brandi’s World (www.brandisworld.com) and what you’re doing for young women there.
Brandi: Brandi’s World is really about finding that special inner quality in each one of us, and exposing it and taking that potential and doing something great to inspire or encourage other people. The idea is that if you’re taking care of right now, 20 years from now will be special. You’ll move in positive ways, you’ll have confidence — you don’t have to worry about what’s gonna happen because you’re living right now.
Q: What is your organization’s general philosophy on how kids should eat and stay healthy?
Brandi: In general, it’s about encouraging each other. It’s hard not to be cool and go along with the crowd that’s eating whatever. I want to encourage young kids to make good decisions about what you feel is right and good. In terms of nutrition, we want them to be consistent, have a plan, and not worry about what other people are doing. It’s like on the field — if you take care of the little things, it’ll become second nature.
Brandi’s Fuel
Ahead of a big match or grueling practice, Brandi focuses on consuming foods that will provide both quick and sustained energy. Here are the choices that have fueled her decades-long career.
- 1 peanut-butter-and-honey sandwich on wheat bread
- 1 banana
OR
- 1 PowerBar Performance Energy bar
OR
- 1 PowerBar® Nut Naturals Energy bar
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