mbg Magnificence Director
mbg Magnificence Director
Alexandra Engler is the sweetness director at mindbodygreen and host of the sweetness podcast Clear Magnificence Faculty. Beforehand, she’s held magnificence roles at Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, SELF, and Cosmopolitan; her byline has appeared in Esquire, Sports activities Illustrated, and Attract.com.
Picture by Dwell Media Publishing Group / Alamy Inventory Photograph
August 09, 2024
We love celebrating ladies on prime of their recreation. In our new collection Recreation On, we’re interviewing prime athletes about their well-being routines—overlaying every little thing from diet that makes them really feel robust to the moments that carry them pleasure.
Thirty-one yr previous seashore volleyball star Melissa Humana-Paredes simply took house the Silver medal for Canada through the 2024 Olympics in Paris alongside her companion Brandie Wilkerson.
I received the prospect to talk with Humana-Paredes main as much as the video games, and after our name I felt refreshed, rejuvenated, and impressed.
To begin, Humana-Paredes is on a journey to encourage: It is her mission to make sports activities and the Olympics extra eco-friendly and produce consideration to the local weather disaster. As one of many founders of EcoAthletes (a set of athletes, coaches, and different professionals that intention to assist change sports activities for the greener), she’s on a mission to carry the local weather disaster to the forefront in any manner she will be able to.
She’s additionally simply personally inspiring: Following within the footsteps of her father (who performed for the Chilean nationwide volleyball workforce earlier than immigrating to Canada, fleeing a navy dictatorship), she’s been keen about volleyball since she was a younger woman.
And now, she has some recommendation for younger ladies who would possibly wish to comply with in her footsteps.
Over the 45-minute video chat, we received deep into her routine—together with her intensive complement lineup, how she cares for her psychological well being, and what recommendation she has for younger athletes like she as soon as was.
Mindbodygreen: I wish to hear every little thing, however let’s begin off with a number of the extra well being centered questions first. What are your sleeping ideas, particularly the night time earlier than a giant match?
Humana-Paredes: I’ve positively been in conditions the place the thoughts races—however it’s very true earlier than huge moments in life and high-pressure conditions. I’ve been by that have the place I’m simply making an attempt to go to sleep, however all of the situations are working by my head. In some unspecified time in the future, you simply hit the time the place you’re counting down the hours til the alarm goes off.
I am not myself after I do not get the right quantity of sleep. I do know I want optimum sleep to have the ability to carry out.
Now, I’ve been by that state of affairs sufficient to know learn how to utterly forestall it. I’ll do every little thing to keep away from it, and that begins with the lead-up to mattress. My night routine begins just a few hours earlier than mattress.
For me, it is so arduous to only make that swap. So I feel you actually must be sending these messages to your thoughts and your physique, sooner than you suppose to have the ability to begin really shutting down.
I’m very huge on temper. As soon as dinner is over, and we’ve recovered from the day, I flip off overhead lighting and light-weight a candle or do some kind of temper lighting. I’ll placed on comfortable music or some chill podcast. I all the time journey with my very own favourite teas. I have to have some type of chamomile tea or another wind-down tea.
About an hour earlier than I really wish to go to sleep, I often take some kind of sleep enhancement to time it out.
The opposite factor I do is that function on the iPhone that reduces blue mild. I began doing it and observed the largest distinction. I didn’t understand how a lot blue mild was affecting me till I switched it off. It’s additionally nice as a result of if you wish to do this final minute scroll of instagram earlier than mattress, it’s not as entertaining when it’s all pink. It makes you set the cellphone away.
Then I’ll begin with my skincare routine. As soon as I begin my skincare routine, meaning it’s time for mattress. I’m washing the day without work. I’m getting within the zone.
Then after I’m about to knock out, I’ll placed on my Manta Sleep Masks and earplugs. I swear by them. I’ve tried so many alternative eye masks, and these are the winner for me.
If I’m feeling a bit extra anxious, I’ll go to sleep to a guided meditation and do a psychological physique scan to chill out the physique and thoughts. Truthfully, I often go to sleep in the course of that.
mbg: what meals provide help to really feel strongest?
Humana-Paredes: Once I consider a meal that makes me really feel the strongest, I consider breakfast. Breakfast makes me really feel the strongest as a result of it is the very first thing that my physique will absorb and provides me gasoline for the entire day. Immediately within the mornings we have now coaching, so if I’m not getting that gasoline in the beginning of the day, I do know I’m going to really feel fatigued. I often have two breakfasts. One earlier than my coaching session after which instantly after my coaching session.
I’ve various kinds of breakfast choices—candy and savory. And I wish to alternate between the 2. One in all my favorites is the traditional greek yogurt, granola, berries, flax seeds, chia seeds, peanut butter—it is simply so versatile.
Then for one thing savory, I like toast with eggs, avocado, greens, and potatoes. That is going to be slightly bit hearty as a result of not solely do I want fueling for the remainder of the day, however I additionally have to replenish what was misplaced in coaching classes.
These are my two go-to meals. They’re so that they’re adjustable to your wants they usually hit every little thing. You have got your carbs, fat, and protein.
I do know protein has change into such a giant dialogue, particularly with ladies, as a result of there have been so many misconceptions about how a lot protein we really want. Personally, I’m very protein acutely aware as a result of I’ve to restore my muscle mass. In each snack or meal I’ve, I want protein. What’s nice is that there are tremendous fast fixes like, Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are actually nice methods to get protein for a snack. For meals, I gravitate in the direction of rooster and fish.
And there’s no disgrace in having a protein shake as a fast answer. That’s one thing I’ve between classes the entire workforce. Typically after a coaching session, I’m exhausted and I can’t actually even take into consideration meals. I want time earlier than I can eat a meal, however I do know I want protein. And a shake meets all my wants.
mbg: what’s the most intense factor you’ve tried within the hopes of optimizing your efficiency?
Humana-Paredes: Chilly plunging actually takes a whole lot of psychological turmoil to organize to get into, however. It’s been wonderful. It saved me within the Tokyo Olympics, which is the most popular Olympics ever recorded. Earlier than and after each coaching session and recreation, we’d be within the chilly tub. I’d stay up for it as a result of I simply wanted my physique to chill down. So there are occasions after I’m like, I want this, even when it offers me a complete physique visceral response.
mbg: Do you have got any favourite day by day habits?
Humana-Paredes: Oh, I do have a giant complement routine.
mbg: Let’s hear the highlights.
Humana-Paredes: The three day by day capsules I take are vitamin D, Omega 3s, and probiotics. After all it’s a must to have day by day vitamin D, though I play seashore volleyball and I am within the solar, I nonetheless want vitamin D dietary supplements.
For powders, I do creatine, a greens powder, and collagen. I additionally take tart cherry and turmeric for restoration. I additionally completely love electrolytes. I received’t go anyplace with out them.
I additionally love adaptogenic mushrooms within the type of teas to assist calm me down for the nighttime.
Once I journey, my suitcase is half full of dietary supplements. Some folks suppose I’m loopy, however I feel it’s a necessity.
mbg: What exercises do you like that don’t have anything to do along with your sport?
Humana-Paredes: Just a few years in the past I found Lagree Pilates on the reformer. It’s so totally different from my sport, and it’s so humbling. It’s one of the vital humbling exercises I’ve ever achieved. I really don’t like telling folks I’m knowledgeable athlete or an Olympian after I’m there as a result of I can’t maintain these poses.
It simply works all of the little muscle mass that we do not work. We’re utilizing our huge muscle teams—our quads, our hamstrings, our glutes—and these go deeper than that. It’s an important praise to what I am doing as a result of it hits these muscle mass that I am not paying a lot consideration to and makes me stronger.
mbg: Okay—clearly you do a whole lot of work to prep for video games. Let’s speak about what comes after: What’s your restoration routine?
Humana-Paredes: Instantly after a recreation—inside half-hour—we’re getting our vitamins in by way of shake.That begins the restoration course of. That diet piece is commonly forgotten.
If we’re fortunate, we’ll have a physiotherapist on tour, so we’ll do a session. It’s often some type of comfortable tissue work and dealing by sore factors. We’ll additionally do Normatec as nicely, that are these air compression boots. They’re improbable between video games to present your physique a lift and a few lymphatic drainage. I additionally journey with therapeutic massage weapons.
If there’s a chance, I’m going right into a pool or do some type of water remedy. Not too lengthy as a result of I don’t wish to loosen up an excessive amount of if I’ve a recreation the subsequent day. After which I’ll do a chilly plunge—towards my will, however I will do it.
However after all the last word restoration is sleep. I can not compromise on that. And that is the one factor I prioritize. I’ll scrap different issues in my routine that I simply talked about with a view to get extra sleep. If physio goes to take me too lengthy and minimize into my nighttime routine, I will push it and ensure I am getting sleep.
These different modalities are going to present you that 1, 2, 3% edge, however many of the restoration goes to be coming from sleep and meals.
mbg: I feel resilience is such an necessary a part of being a prime athlete. I’m additionally all the time so interested in how athletes construct resilience—as a result of it’s one thing that you would be able to domesticate inside you with time.
Humana-Paredes: Particularly on the stage that I play at, all people has the bodily attributes. Everybody’s match. Everybody can play volleyball. Everybody has the abilities. But it surely’s the psychological half that makes the distinction. It’s about the way you’re going to have the ability to bounce again.
Everybody has totally different routines. One in all our most necessary workforce members is our sports activities psychologist. We would not be capable to journey with him on a regular basis, however we have now entry to him, whether or not it is textual content messages or cellphone calls. And it is actually necessary to have that useful resource—to have somebody to share your insecurities, your doubts, and your fears with. It’s necessary to have somebody who you possibly can stroll by all that with.
Athletes have moments of weak point and insecurities that we’re all combating by. Even within the moments the place they give the impression of being essentially the most calm, they may be combating one thing inside.
A variety of the work that I do is psychological imagery, which helps construct resilience and confidence. It is self-talk. It is actually simply what you are saying to your self and the way you see your self more often than not. You must converse to your self kindly, such as you would a pal. As a result of what you say, you’ll internalize.
It takes time and it takes observe to have the ability to handle these unfavorable ideas and handle these insecurities. And, after all, they’re okay to have. Among the finest instruments I take advantage of is when one thing comes up in my head, I simply thank it, acknowledge it, however then transfer on to one thing else.
It’s all encompassing. It is a 24-7 job and the psychological piece is essentially the most exhausting and essentially the most draining, however essentially the most rewarding as soon as you are feeling it working.
mbg: I do know in seashore volleyball, your teammates imply a lot extra as a result of it’s solely the 2 of you. What makes a very good teammate to you? How do you present up to your teammates?
Humana-Paredes: Yeah, in seashore volleyball there’s just one different particular person there—they usually’re relying on you. So I do really feel a bit extra accountability to be my finest self.
I have been so lucky. I’ve had so many alternative nice teammates in my life. The teammate I’ve proper now could be particularly necessary to me and we have got a extremely good thing going. And I feel what makes this actually particular is that there’s identical to an underlying basis of respect and admiration.
We all know the place one another has come from—from our childhood to how we received to the place we at the moment are. There’s full on appreciation and admiration for our paths. And so they’re utterly totally different paths of how we each received to this place that we’re in collectively.
Compassion and respect will get you very far in life with folks that you simply work with.
However I feel an important factor in a very good teammate is vulnerability. I don’t suppose you possibly can construct belief or that basis with out vulnerability.
It’s scary to type of present your true colours. However once you’re on this journey collectively—and it’s a giant journey, with huge targets—you have got to have the ability to get into the nitty gritty.
You must speak about huge, scary issues: What are you afraid of? What makes you tick? When issues are going dangerous, what’s the easiest way to speak to you and provide help to? What are the belongings you want?
It takes some self-awareness, however should you can verbalize that and be trustworthy and weak, that creates a basis of belief.
mbg: What recommendation would you give younger ladies and aspiring volleyball gamers—or aspiring athletes of any sort?
Humana-Paredes: It took me some time to study this, however it’s necessary to consider who you’re surrounding your self with. And you’ll solely be vital about that after who you’re, what your targets are, and what your non-negotiables are.
Everyone has a unique checklist of issues that they are searching for in sports activities. Some folks wish to simply get higher and attempt to attain their true potential. Another person may need a unique objective, they usually simply wish to win completely every little thing. They’re placing their head down and that is their solely objective. Or somebody simply desires to go and be a extremely nice chief and actually good teammate.
Everyone seems to be totally different, however you want to discover out your why. What do you wish to get out of this? What do you wish to go away behind? These are actually necessary inquiries to ask. It can maintain you clear in your path and grounded. And I feel after getting that, you can know who you wish to encompass your self with and what are the qualities and folks that you simply wish to have round you.