“In college, girls would come up to me: 'I want your calves.' It just m...” — Ali Krieger Quote

In college, girls would come up to me: 'I want your calves.' It just makes me laugh. I guess people pay a lot of money to have the types of bodies athletes have.

I know it sounds crazy, but in order to run, I need something to chase after.

My dad has always played and coached, so that's what I knew. I played other sports but always turned toward soccer and had the same love for it as my father. They never forced me to play; I always wanted to. I was always around it.

I feel like I have big thighs. My brother was always like, 'Yeah, I want big thighs! Big thighs are awesome!' And I'm like, 'Yeah, for a man!' But I've trained since I was 6 years old to play soccer, and this is just the type of body I have.

Olympic athletes are a different breed. We're not dealing with million-dollar contracts. We don't do the sport for those deals. We do the sport because we love the challenge, the battle. We love to be an American.

We come from a rich history of amazing sports and athletes here in Canada and there's been a long legacy before us that helped pave the way. And that's why I grew up believing I could go to the Olympics and stand on the podium one day.

Nutrition is also a valuable component that can help athletes both protect themselves and improve performance.

It is surprising how many professional athletes, along with their families and friends, are gaga over movie and music stars, and the reverse is true with entertainers and sports stars.