Why Venus Williams swears by veggie-fueled mornings—and dandelion cleanses

Imagine being on a tennis court and having to utilize your utmost physical and mental strength in a game as literally millions of eyeballs watch. It takes a ton of work, a lot of healthy habits, and an immense amount of stamina to reach that point.

Venus Williams is one of the top tennis players in the entire world, so it’s no surprise when she tells me that her life is “absolutely geared towards wellness.” Despite traveling around the world and having to stay on top of her fitness game—not to mention having to compete against her sister—the athlete-slash-badass remains impeccably collected.

So how does she stay in ridiculously good shape and deal with the stress of competition? Williams, who’s expanding her career beyond the court by partnering with American Express and running her own activewear line (EleVen, with a new collection called Epiphany), shares the healthy habits she swears by for staying on top of her game—literally.

Keep reading for Williams’ wellness secrets.

Eat your veggies—in the a.m.

The first thing I do when I wake up is have a green drink, and that fuels me right through practice. After practice, I usually eat something like fruit.

Give your liver some love

I start my morning with supplements—the ones I take depends on my goal at the time. Sometimes I’m doing a cleanse, other times I’m going for building up my gut health. My favorite for cleansing is dandelion—which is for cleansing the liver. I also love oregano oil for cleansing your system from bugs, parasites, and things like that. The issue is that when it spills, that stuff is strong. I was walking through the airport once like, “I know I smell like oregano oil, I’m sorry!”

Do cardio that you actually enjoy

My whole life is cardio. I would definitely say plyometrics are my favorite—anything that’s exciting. Sitting there running a mile for me is torture, but doing sprints for 30 seconds on and off or jumping, those sorts of things really float my boat. I need to be entertained when I work out and I recognize that.

Mix in some woo-woo wellness

I really do believe in different kinds of therapies. I’m really into frequency therapy and light therapy [which are esoteric healing approaches based on the theory that specific energy vibrations can be therapeutic]—a lot of people may not believe in it, but for me, it’s about trying to be as holistic as possible when healing my body.

Keep it serene  

You learn through your mistakes and figure out how to control yourself and your mind. I do everything I can about a situation to make it positive and successful, and if I can’t do more, I won’t worry about it. It’s the best way to be because as long as you know you’re doing your best, it’s all you can do—that’s helped me over the years to have peace of mind.

Skip the late-night Instagramming

I hate going to sleep—it’s my least favorite thing. I’m a night owl. But in order to train, you have to sleep—so I recommend not looking at your phone at night. Don’t eat too late. You have to shut down your mind.

Meditate in your own unique way

I have a hard time sitting still—that’s one of the main reasons I haven’t meditated. But I think there are different ways to do it. I think what I do on the court is very meditative. Doing the same thing over and over, there’s something meditative about that. Or you can get into a meditative state when you’re running.

Be kind to yourself

My main habit is just balance. To me, the answer is that you should aim on being good most of the time, and sometimes take a day off of working out and eat your favorite food. You don’t have to be a saint everyday.

As for her sis, these are Serena Williams’ super-healthy pregnancy cravings. And this is how to snack like a pro athlete.