SPECIAL SECTION: HEALTH & FITNESS
Forward Mitchell Duke on longevity and mobility
Mitchell Duke’ s journey to Socceroos veteran started early. Born in Sydney’ s south-west as one of nine kids. He says his dad“ saw something” in him early on and acted accordingly.
“ He’ d wake me up before school to make sure I was doing, like, 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups a day, before he would leave for work,” he says.“ I look back at it now and I really thank him because I feel like he’ s really given me a good core bit of strength.”
It also instilled in Duke, a forward who debuted for the Socceroos 11 years ago in 2013, a routine he believes is important for anybody who wants to improve their health and fitness.“ I think it’ s just knowing who you are as a player, what your strengths are, how to keep your body in good condition,” he says.“ You figure out what’ s good, what food’ s good for your body.”
He tailors his diet to his training and match schedule.“ It’ s a healthy routine, obviously, what you put into your body. You can eat pastas, fish, rice, certain proteins. As for me, a night before a game, for instance, I’ ll eat a nice pasta.”
Sleep, too, is vital, he says, and he aims for seven to eight hours a night.
It’ s a routine that’ s kept him among football’ s elite for over a decade, starting with his debut for the A-League’ s Central Coast Mariners in 2010, through to 31 appearances for the Socceroos and four for the Australian Olympic football team.
During the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Duke scored the Socceroos’ only goal in a 1 – 0 win over Tunisia, bagging the Aussies their first World Cup victory since 2010.“ There’ s only a very small group of players that have been able to score at the World Cup for Australia, and it feels pretty special to be part of that group,” Duke says, nominating it as the proudest moment of his long career.
Duke has played in Japan for several years, most recently signing with J2 League club Machida Zelvia. But now, his focus is on the AFC Asian Cup 2024, where the Socceroos will return to Qatar determined to make their mark.“ The team that we’ ve got and the players that we have, we can definitely get the job done and go all the way and win it when you look ahead.”
COSTCO CONNECTION
Find a wide range of healthy foods and quality exercise equipment in warehouses and on Costco. com. au.
COSTCO CONNECTION JAN / FEB 2024 | 25