Hello, who are you and what sports/fitness routine do you play?

My name is Diego Tonatiuh, I am a footballer (soccer player). I like to say I started my career at 15 as that was when I knew I truly wanted to pursue this professionally.

Now, at 20, I still am pursuing a pro contract but have been blessed to enough to travel to some beautiful countries in pursuit of this venture (Uruguay, Portugal and Malta to name a few).

How do you get ready to train for your sport/how do you train?

I like to view training not as just what is done on the field and in the gym but also what is done outside (recovery) and in the mind (mental training). I have especially learned the importance of recovery over the years of sustaining many injuries, so Ice/Heat therapy is a major part of my routine along with active recovery and mobility routines. One thing I can attribute a lot of athletic improvements to is an emphasis on ‘natural’ training: barefoot work in nature is a great way to reconnect my body. 

After a workout/game, how do you recover your body? What do you do to get your body in shape? What type of diet do you eat?

I follow a plant based diet and I feel that contributes significantly to my recovery (reduces time spent recovering from stress on my muscles caused by high volume training) due to the naturally high anti inflammatory and antioxidant content in common plant based whole foods. A lot of animal products contain endotoxins which build up in the body's bloodstream which your system combats with an increase of inflammation. Apart from diet, hot mineral baths and dips into the ocean/river help me greatly when it comes to recovery.

How do you prevent injuries when you’re training? What type of stretches do you normally do? What’s your routine looking like?

The most important aspect of training could quite possibly be the injury prevention work that most athletes tend to neglect as it may not correlate directly with their sport. I have learned the hard way though and now incorporate injury prevention exercises into every training session I run. Stretching is critical as well, so I resort to either slow or active yoga as a means to both stretch and strengthen my muscles.

If there was someone wanting to get to your level, what type of advice would you give them?

Patience and habit building is the key. If I ever find myself losing focus and drive to stick to healthy habits I will restart the habit completely and implement it (small) step by step until it becomes a personality trait vs. something that is only done out of necessity. Take small steps as success is not something that can be gained healthily in a short period of time (not that I have achieved my version of it, yet).

How do you structure your day now? What projects are you busy with?

My days have become increasingly filled as the projects and goals I have been working on are slowly starting to bear the fruits of the time put in. A secondary passion of mine is creating content on my various social media platforms which goes hand in hand with my ambitions as an athlete as both benefit from the other. I am currently working on growing my YouTube channel by documenting my adventures around the world attempting to sign with a football club and start my pro career.

How has your journey on social media been like? Future plans?

I have only been doing social media seriously for the past two years and I have fallen in love with the process. Filming and editing is a truly fulfilling way to express my creative needs apart from football (soccer). I generally like to keep the details of my ambitions and how I plan to reach them to myself, however expect to see me collaborating with the biggest creators in my space, me myself becoming one.

Anything else you would like to share?

One of the best aspects I've created in my life is having another outlet (that compliments) my primary focus. Simultaneously furthering me towards my goals in ways that I couldn't have imagined and also providing a mental release from the stresses that do come from pursuing a career as an athlete. I coil is not recommend enough for anyone feeling overwhelmed in life to start acting on that one passion of hobby that they have always wanted to as it will create balance- which I believe is absolutely necessary for success and fulfillment, not only in your career professionally, but also as a human being.

How can our audience find you online? 

My handle on every social media platform is @diegotgl. My primary outlets are Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Twitter.

Instagram is a more well rounded perspective of myself and my journey whereas Tiktok is a more sporadic one.

Youtube is for documentation and longer form content and twitter I use to output my thoughts, self improvement tips and lessons I learn along the way (not always directly related to fitness and my sport).

Link to Diego's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diegotgl/

Diego Tonatiuh is a social media influencer and a footballer (soccer player). His secondary passion is creating content on my various social media platforms which goes hand in hand with my ambitions as an athlete as both benefit from the other. He's currently working on growing his YouTube channel by documenting his adventures around the world attempting to sign with a football club and start his pro career.