Sarah Thomas never fails to be prepared. The first female Super Bowl referee, she also holds down a day job as a pharmaceutical sales representative in addition to officiating games during the football season. The mother of three from Brandon, Mississippi, who will make history as the first woman ever to officiate Super Bowl LV on February 7, 2021, is also the spokesperson for Activia's "It Starts Inside" (open in new tab) campaign, which celebrates women overcoming hurdles She is also the spokesperson for Activia's "It Starts Inside" (open new tab) campaign, which celebrates women overcoming hurdles. What Thomas does best

Here's a look at her typical match day and how she centers herself, gets ready, and does it every step of the way.

She wakes up before 7:00 AM in the city where the match is scheduled, gets out of bed, and heads to the devotional around 7:15 AM. Having time to connect with his spirituality is important to Thomas.

She then has breakfast (usually Activia yogurt). Then she goes to her room, changes into her work clothes ("It's my profession," she says), applies her makeup, and grabs her uniform to change into later at the stadium.

Three hours before the scheduled kickoff time (often 9 or 10 a.m.), Thomas and his fellow referees take a bus to the stadium. Some chat along the way, she says, while others like to quietly go into "game mode." For Thomas, this is a bit of "me time." Her secret weapon is coffee, usually hazelnut. She says, "I can't drink it fast, so it's calming for me."

"I like to have a cup of coffee with me," she says.

If there's something going on at home, she'll send a text to remind the kids about their tutor or to check in on them. He knows my schedule before games and respects it."

"He knows my schedule before games and respects it.

Once at the stadium, she fills out the basic requirements on the foul scoring sheet (which she will use again later) and goes to find the home teaching coach to check in.

Next, Thomas changes into her uniform, puts her hair up in a ponytail, and goes to the locker room to do quick crunches and push-ups (150 for the former, as many as possible for the latter) to get the blood flowing before kickoff.

Thomas says. And then, of course, there is the physical work. Estimates are that referees run six to seven miles per match.

By this time, it is usually evening. She grabs a plate of food provided by the stadium, washes off the sweat she has worked up, and changes her uniform. Then she returns to the bus and completes her foul report before boarding the plane home. On the plane, he says, "I always watch the game I just played to critique myself."

Thomas also looks up daily data from a fitness tracker provided by the league and snaps it onto her jersey. She says, "They send me reports on how much I've exercised, what my heart rate is, what my stress level is. And I always want to be green!"

After Thomas lands, she heads home, usually arriving around 11 pm. Ensuring that everything gets done is important to her: "I have two jobs that I love, but I also have three beautiful children and I want them to succeed," she says. I have inner strength. I have inner strength.