Natalie Coughlin Quotes

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

Without goals, training has no direction.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

The pressure of the Olympic Games is real overwhelming.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.