Elena Delle Donne enjoys time outside and playing games that put her in the moment, captioning her video on Instagram, “she didn’t hook one! @craggygames #cheers #beer #beerstagram #summervibes” she said. The Olympian and Chicago Sky forward focuses as much on family time and spending time outdoors as she does training and dedicating her life to winning championships and playing on the Olympic Women’s Basketball Team in the past. How does she fit in all this training and working on her health and wellness? We did some research to find out what she adds to her busy schedule to stay fit.
1. She plays basketball
This one should be fairly obvious! Of course Donne plays basketball to stay fit. It's essentially in the Chicago Sky forward’s blood being 6 '5"! According to the Mayo Clinic, “basketball-specific movements cause resting heart rates to rise to levels needed to improve cardiorespiratory fitness; higher values are strongly associated with reduced risk of mortality from cardiometabolic diseases.”
2. She enjoys eating healthy
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Healthy eating isn’t a chore for her, she genuinely enjoys it and it helps her manage her Lyme disease diagnosis. “Eating healthy is really important to me in managing my Lyme disease,” she said. According to the Global Lyme Alliance, “The Lyme Diet can be defined in a few different ways. Most doctors would agree that it involves no sugar or gluten. This is because those foods can weaken the immune system, cause yeast overgrowth (candida), and cause inflammation. Many doctors also suggest eliminating dairy, since it can be inflammatory. In her book The Lyme Diet, Nicola McFadzean (Ducharme), ND lists these foods as the biggest problems for Lyme patients. She also stresses food allergy testing, dietary supplements, sticking with organic foods, and creating an individualized approach for each patient.”
3. She takes time to recharge
Taking time to recharge your batteries is important when you have a busy schedule. Posted on @App_doso on Instagram, “even the best athletes need time to recharge and refocus. Elena Delle Donne, WNBA superstar, takes time out of her busy schedule to use DoSo's mindset exercise app to meditate and build her mental game. Don't underestimate the power of mental preparation. Try DoSo and take your game to the next level. #mindfulness #meditation #sportspsychology #DoSo #mentalgame #athlete #WNBA #ElenaDelleDonne.”
4. She won’t give up her pizza days
She’s originally from Delaware, but loves Chicago style Pizza now that she lives in Chicago. Although she aims to eat mostly gluten-free and extremely healthy majority of the time, being around Chicago deep dish, you just have to splurge sometimes. “I love to indulge in Chicago’s deep dish joints and steak houses,” she said.
5. She tries to eat gluten free
She aims to maintain a gluten-free diet. “I try to eat gluten-free as often as possible,” she said. This can include plenty of eggs and salad for her meals, especially to start the day, and she mixes things up a bit for dinner. “One of my favorite dishes to make for dinner is a pesto chicken with sautéed onions,” she said.
