Rose Lavelle has no trouble prioritizing rest and recovery because she loves 'doing nothing'

• US Women's National Team star Rose Lavelle is among the fiercest competitors in soccer today.
• The speedy midfielder says rest days come easy to her because she loves "doing nothing."

No one can catch Rose Lavelle on the pitch. But off the field, it's common to catch her on the couch.

The speedy US Women's National Team and OL Reign midfielder is among the fiercest competitors in soccer right now. But Lavelle said she has absolutely no qualms about taking full advantage when she finds herself with an off-day.

"I don't do really anything anyway," Lavelle told Insider with a laugh. "I don't think it was [ever] too hard for me to be like, 'Alright, I have an off-day, sit on the couch,' because I love doing that."

"Off-day vibes, I'm just like, I'm doing nothing," she added. "It's either sit on the couch with a coffee and read or sit on the couch and watch whatever sports are on."

Stars, they're just like us. Except that, even on her off-days, Lavelle has to make sure she's ready to return to the field and compete at her best.

She learned the hard way just how important "off-days and recovery" are for professional athletes. Early in her career, she suffered an injury that helped her learn how to take care of herself even in those in-between moments.

"When I first became a professional athlete, I always say I got to experience what life was like as a pro on the field the first six months," Lavelle said. "And then when I tore my hamstring, I got to experience what life as a pro was like off the field."

"You truly are taking care of your body 24/7, knowing what you're putting into your body, doing every kind of recovery modality you possibly can," she added. "That was where I feel like I learned my recovery routine."

Icy Hot has always been part of the equation, but now it's taking on an even bigger role. Lavelle, who became the brand's first female ambassador in the summer of 2021, previously told Insider that she used Icy Hot "my whole life" to recover off the field.

Lavelle also used Icy Hot just before games to help ease her pain. Now that the company has created Icy Hot Pro — an "elevated version" of the original formula — she's more than ready to give it a go.

"I'm very excited to try it because it really is for people that are pushing their body to the limit — for the weekend warriors and then for like people like me that have to do it for a living," Lavelle said. "... I think it's something that I have always lathered on right before a game to feel a little more confident if I have a little knock on me.

"Having this elevated version of something I've already been using is potentially gonna be a game changer," she added.

Lavelle and her OL Reign teammates will enjoy a rare three-game homestand as they welcome the reigning champion Washington Spirit, Kansas City Current, and San Diego Wave to Seattle over the next week.

And with plenty of National Women's Soccer League play still ahead of her and World Cup qualifiers with the USWNT on the horizon, Lavelle will take all the couch time and Icy Hot she can get.

"It feels like we are halfway through the season, but we're only three games in," Lavelle said. "So we have a long season ahead of us."