Quotes About Health

Well, I've been lucky. I've never gotten a voice polyp. I've never gotten nodes. But I do get sick, usually every tour, and to varying degrees. Sometimes it's a sinusitis.

Being on tour really takes a toll, so you have to find ways to stay healthy.

I'm no spring chicken. The same arthritis that ate up my left hip that finally got replaced hasn't stopped there... And touring is a lot of work. I'm impressed when I see people like Eric Clapton out there. Gee whiz, Eric, give me a break! I know it's gotta hurt somewhere.

I just finished touring, and I'm on a detox thing. It's a heavy detox, so nothing in my belly except water, salt, and cayenne pepper.

I used to get really sick. I would go to the doctor with all these ailments, and they would tell me I needed to be at home. I didn't even really understand what that meant because since I was a baby, I've always been moving, moving, and then touring.

Touring is hard on the body.

Sleeping on people's floors when you're 22 is fine. But when you get your life in order and have a family you want to keep and a certain level of health, touring bigger means you can keep going for longer.

I feel like I've paid a really heavy cost, a really heavy physical health cost, for the years of touring and how physical I've been onstage.

I feel like touring is a man's game. And I don't think that's sexist; I just think, on tour, you can't really take care of yourself the way you want to.

I find that touring keeps your voice in great shape.

Because of all the touring we do, our diets are all over the place.

There's a lot of processed food in America and I know that can make some tourists who're used to fresh food feel sick.

You cannot just play tournament after tournament like maybe I did when I was 23, 24 years old.

If you look at the players, they need more of a break. Some players only get as little as three weeks after a major tournament and it's straight back to the grind.

I used to not really like going to the gym when I was playing tournaments because I'd be sore and stiff. But the more you keep doing it, the less soreness you have. And you actually start to enjoy it.

Before a game, I avoid having a heavy meal so that I don't feel sleepy at the board. You eat to be healthy, and that generally takes care of everything. Also, you can't be too finicky, since at tournaments you tend to eat at restaurants here and there. But, as long as you're eating sensibly, it's all good.

You look at the guys who are winning tournaments , Ronnie, Ding, Mark Selby, Marco Fu - none of them are overweight, they are the slimmer guys on tour.

I used to feel very tired during tournaments. I was drinking four or five coffees per day and felt I needed more.

I like reading autobiographies and magazines like Boxing News and Men's Health, especially when away for tournaments.

I stick to myself now on tours. I don't go out party, drink, smoke, do drugs. It's a dry bus. No one is allowed to bring drinks on the bus.

Attitudes toward food have completely changed.

We've seen the kind of social impact a professional sports team has on a city. A team brings high-profile role models into your community who are healthy and they're great images for the city to gravitate toward, especially for kids.

Toward the end of my pregnancy, I felt really big - I gained about 40 pounds, which is a lot for my size.

Everybody needs a way out of that pain. Many people choose drugs and alcohol. Some people obsessively exercise or develop strange dietary habits, which is what I did. At least it got me toward a path of healthier living.