I got a taste of what it’s like to speak in front of 200 complete strangers in a Visalus business meeting. I was asked to say a few words about how drinking Visalus shakes helped me during all my training. I was called to the front of the room and I was surprised that I didn’t feel intimidated in front of so many adults that I’ve never met before.
Here is my story…..
Before the World Championships I was training approximately 30 hours a week plus I was playing for a Provincial level soccer team which was an additional three practices a week plus had 70 minutes of gym class every day.
As you can imagine I was burning a lot of calories every day and I really needed to make sure I had a high level of nutrition not only for energy but also for maintaining a strong body to help stay injury free.
In many ways I’m the typical teenager. I hate vegetables and I don’t like eating breakfast since I’m usually running out the door for school after going to bed very late after training the night before. I also don’t like packing a lunch for school and the food in the cafeteria is disgusting.
Since I train right after school for soccer and then go directly to Taekwon-do until about 10:30 at night it’s very difficult for me to get the nutrition fit into little meals throughout the day.
I started to drink a Visalus shake every morning and one at every lunch. I was feeling really good but to be honest I didn’t really give much credit to the shakes. I just thought I was getting stronger and fitter through my training. I wasn’t drinking the shakes to lose weight so I would also eat a meat sandwich and some fruit with it so I wouldn’t be hungry.
Last November I competed at Nationals in Vancouver and I didn’t take any shakes with me since I really didn’t think it would make that big of a difference. I was shocked after about 3 days I was really missing the shakes. It was like my body was saying ‘Kayla, you need a shake’. I quickly learned that when I was drinking them regularly my body worked better and it wasn’t until I didn’t have them that my body missed them. My body is like a car, if I put bad fuel in it, it won’t run properly. I can now tell immediately if I’ve eaten the right types of food before I train. That is why I like the Visalus shakes so much. I know how I will perform on them.
Recently a soccer team mate saw me drink one and I gave her a sip. She now drinks them on a regular basis since she also hates vegetables and exerts a lot of energy. I’m sure it won’t be long before several of my team mates will be drinking them as well. We all travel together to Toronto almost every weekend during the summer and the shakes are really convenient, they taste great and you feel better while it’s part of your daily diet. My friends at school always ask for some of my shake at lunch and want to start drinking them just because they taste so good and are convenient. My older brother in university also drinks them everyday while he is running between classes and work.
As an athlete, I have to ensure that I get enough rest, training, healthy mind set and the best nutrition possible. Thank you Visalus for helping me reach my goals.