Football fans are familiar with the red-faced, gesticulating, collar-up figure of Steve Evans on the touchline who is constantly arguing about something. It’s an unforgettable picture. But he was being negatively impacted by more than just the referees. The years were, too at some point the weight began to accumulate to the point where even he was unable to continue making jokes about it.
Evans, now 62, has moved to Peterborough and appears to be a different person by most accounts. Since departing Rotherham United in March of this year, he has shed six and a half pounds. That’s about 41 kg lost in about half a year.
Not via a celebrity endorsement or a diet plan on television. By swimming distances, riding a bike, eating meals that are scheduled, walking dogs going to bed early enough to prevent them from raiding the biscuit tin. It sounds almost embarrassingly unremarkable, which may be precisely why it was successful.
A visit to a cardiologist marked the start of the shift. Evans has been quite candid about his concerns. Managing a professional football team comes with a lot of stress. Intense scrutiny, restless nights ongoing pressure to succeed.
He described other managers under pressure, saying, “No doubt they are going home at nite having not won, sitting in the lounge at two in the morning, the family asleep upstairs”. It’s difficult to avoid thinking that, not too long ago, he was partially describing himself. Before returning to the game, he made a family decision and sat down with his wife, Sarah kids to make a commitment to improve his health.
Anyone who thot football managers spent their days watching tape and eating pasties would be surprised by his new daily routine. Evans gets up, walks the dogs then goes to the gym to swim 50 to 80 lengths of the pool, or about 2.5 kilometers, before riding the exercise bike and relaxing in the sauna. Most mornings, two and a half hours.
He began with just ten lengths, which he found to be genuinely challenging and gradually increased. It’s the kind of modest, incremental development that obviously produces results but doesn’t make for exciting television.
The structure of the diet has been the same. High protein, fewer calories planned lunches and dinners. He told Sky Sports, “I go to bed early because I do not want to be in the fridge”, which seems like the most relatable thing a football manager has ever said.
He has given up the late-night fridge wandering. When he began quoting the phrase “body is a temple”, his wife Sarah, who had previously heard his claims about self-improvement, apparently rolled her eyes. He acknowledges that his appearance has changed. He claims that for the first time in years, he feels “mentally and physically” fit.
Evans‘ motivation is intriguing because it wasn’t just professional or conceited. It seems that everything was anchored by his four young grandchildren. “I would like to be there when they are 25 or 30. I hope they have children. Without the football context, it’s a sentiment that anyone could identify with. After doing the math, a sixty-year-old man decides to alter the equation.
There is also an unresolved business aspect to all of this, Evans being Evans. As a manager for five different teams Stamford, Boston, Crawley, Rotherham Stevenage he has nine career promotions he has publicly expressed his desire for a tenth.
Grandchildren aren’t the only reason for the fitness drive. It’s also about being mentally and physically prepared for the dugout once more. He claims to be near that point right now. Over the summer, there were discussions with Motherwell, but the timing wasn’t ideal. His family wanted him to finish the health journey first.
Evans’ metamorphosis may resonate because it isn’t aspirational in the refined, influencer sense. No miracle supplement exists. A worried man, advice from a cardiologist, a loving family a lot of early mornings at the pool are all present. The health chapter alone seems worth watching, regardless of whether he gets that tenth promotion.