Olympian Kelsey Robinson spent a fun-filled weekend at the Shambhala Music Festival in British Columbia, Canada. The volleyball star, 31, shared highlights from the trip, including snaps of herself posing in a bikini with her husband and friends. Other pictures showed her wearing a creative festival costume and hanging out in a beautiful forest. “Bye bye summer ❤️🔥 Favorite weekend, favorite forest 🌸🌻🌞,” she captioned the post. “Omg. Amazing 😍,” a friend commented. Here’s how the athlete eats, trains, and lives her best life.
1. Maximizing Performance
Robinson treats her body with care and discipline. “As a professional athlete, my body is my job,” she says. “My days consist of four to eight hours of a combination of practice and weight lifting. And game days come with a lot of pressure and stress on performance. At the pro and Olympic level, the details make the difference in success. This is why my morning routine is all about helping my body physically and mentally feel the best it can to maximize performance. In the morning, it's essential for me to tune into my body to give it what it needs. This starts with sleep. While it might seem unattainable to most, I usually get nine to 11 hours of sleep every night. This allows my body to recover and gives me mental clarity throughout the day.”
2. Cold Showers
Robinson is a big proponent of the health benefits cold showers offer. “I take a cold shower and do my morning face routine,” she says. “The cold water not only wakes my body up, but it has so many healing properties including reducing stress and inflammation and forces me to focus on my breathing. As an athlete, breathing is my lifeline. It helps me to focus on the present in high-pressure moments. On weekends or if I don't have a morning practice, I'll go down to the beach and hop in the cold water to surf.
3. Egg Bowls For Breakfast
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Robinson loves eating protein-packed egg bowls for breakfast. "When I'm in California I use fresh avocado or maybe some leftover salsa from tacos we've had the previous night," she says. "If I'm living and playing in Istanbul, I'll use tomatoes, cucumbers and a lot of herbs. It's fun to keep this recipe dependent on the local ingredients you have. What I love most is that this provides me with sustainable energy throughout the day. It has the big four that I try to incorporate into every meal: protein, fat, fiber and greens! While I typically like to make a big portion for mornings off, you can totally make it before a morning practice or weights session and it'll power you through.”
4. Lots of Movement
Robinson tries to be as active as possible. “On my way to practice, I usually listen to some podcasts or music to get me in the mood for training,” she says. “Even when I don't have workouts in the morning, I always try to do some type of movement. Whether it's a yoga flow, walk, or foam roll. The more I can wake my body up, the better. My morning routine is all about alignment and finding balance in my high-stress, high-pressure job. But you don't have to be an Olympian to want to get the most out of your body and mind! Everyone can benefit from these small changes.”
5. Meditation Every Day
Robinson takes time for meditation every day. “Anyone who knows me knows I can’t sit still,” she says. “I sprained my ankle this year and while the trainer was trying to tell me what to do, I was too busy watching my team play because ball is life, duh. I can’t write without background noise and I can’t sleep because — Netflix. However, with the help of a nifty app Calm, I’ve become more focused in all areas of my life. Taking time to slow down and just breath deeply has done wonders to ease my anxiety and to be present. Another great app is Headspace. Find what works for you and create a daily reminder on your phone to carve out some time to center yourself.”