Chronicle Editor
So how does a 36-year-old act, look and play like a 26-year-old? What’s Cristiano Ronaldo’s secret of eternal youth?
Good diet is the key. The best cars need the right fuel and for Ronaldo that means six high-protein, high-grain, low-fat mini-meals a day, all recommended by a personal dietician who has been with him since his Real Madrid days.
“Eat regularly,” says the Portuguese ace. “It’s important to keep energy levels high.”
He favours cheese, ham and low-fat yoghurt for breakfast and particularly likes fish, plenty of fruit and veg, and it’s always fresh.
He doesn’t drink alcohol, only water, and definitely no sugary drinks or snacks.
Eight hours sleep a day? That’s so last year — he prefers five 90-minute naps, always on fresh sheets, to keep him fresh.
And when Ronaldo is not kipping, he’s either training or working out on his own.
At home he has a £50,000 cryotherapy chamber — three minutes in there at -160°C gets the blood pumping — and he swears by Pilates, regular swims and five trips to the gym a week.
Diet
His typical daily meals:
Breakfast: Cheese and ham, low-fat yoghurt
Brunch: Chicken and salad
Lunch: Tuna, olives, egg and tomato
Snack: Fresh fruit, avocado on toast
Supper: Fresh swordfish and salad
Dinner: Steak and calamari
Workouts
Ronaldo supplements squad training sessions with a personal workout plan. His five weekly trips to the gym include 25-30 minutes of cardio, high-intensity sprinting and targeted weights to increase muscle strength. In total, he works out for three to four hours a day.
Rest
The superstar naps five times a day. “Proper sleep is really important for getting the most out of training,” he says.
“Sleep helps muscles recover which is really important.”
Physique
A test found he had the body of an athlete 14 years his junior, with 7 per cent body fat — (the average footballer’s is 11). He has 50 per cent muscle mass. — www.dailymail.co.uk
Bongani Ndlovu