HONORED to be a Nike Speaker

i was asked to speak at the NIKE women's pro camp in June at USC

as their nutritional reference

FLATTERED i sit here and wonder the best way to connect.

i have an abundance of thoughts & emotions flying through my head

when i think about speaking to impressionable teenage, girls

........it is all in the approach

thankfully, in this room of up to 150 young women

will be athletes, open minded and passionate

if they leave with just one new piece of information i give

then i will have done my job well

knowing what i know now

i wish i could speak to myself, as a freshman in high school

when your body is changing and you CANT eat whatever you want anymore

along with weight gain, and self conscious thoughts, come struggles

struggles with self esteem and relationships

not only relationships with your family and friends, but with tangible things

such as FOOD

i decided that as an aspiring runway model

i needed to not eat as much as i used to

so what did i do?

i threw myself a pitty party, and only ate ho hos

just for lunch..... but i would probably have a normal dinner........

WHICH MADE IT OK?

i would try to not eat for as long as long as i could but i always caved in the cafeteria

after school from about 245 until 930 i was at gymnastics practice then straight to dance

burning more calories than i could imagine

i started to get sick all the time

and couldnt understand why things werent working out in my favor

i have made it a point for myself to make sure

that the lives of kids i can reach dont get to that point

excessive exercise or restricted caloric intake

or even worse

FOOD NEEDS TO BE USED AS FUEL

not to mask feelings, or deprive yourself

we should be taught in a way that makes sense to us, how to protect our bodies

if i & most teenage athletes would have nourished and rested

imagine the possibilities

but that is the true test

what are you willing to do to be that star athlete

sometimes, raw talent isnt enough

the dedication must be in all facets of life

a big clean breakfast

healthy/filling snacks

lots of water

and plenty of protein

sleep

& good genuine relationships

allow yourself to feel as good as you possibly can

always be at the top of your game

and enjoy yourself

still be a kid, but know that you can help your future with smarter choices

those choices may just be asking for help

i plan to talk about

fuel,

food relationships,

and getting the most out of each day.

respecting you body,

and knowing that if you are fulfilled & healthy

the sky is the limit!

choose a role model for who she is

not how she looks

but how hard she tries to exceed her fullest potential

know that you too can be whoever you choose to be

but you must take the steps to get there & have integrity

DECIDE TO BE THAT ROLE MODEL FOR THE NEXT GENERATION

we need more strong women

and less of those that will take the easy way out

fight hard

play hard

work hard