September 02, 2024
Senior Magnificence & Way of life Director
Senior Magnificence & Way of life Director
Alexandra Engler is the senior magnificence and way of life director at mindbodygreen and host of the sweetness podcast Clear Magnificence College. 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 mbg Inventive / courtesy of supply
September 02, 2024
We love celebrating ladies on the high of their recreation. In our new collection Sport On, we’re interviewing high athletes about their well-being routines—protecting every thing from diet that makes them really feel robust to the moments that convey them pleasure.
Throughout her remaining yr enjoying basketball at Stanford College, Cameron Brink turned a family identify. It was a watershed yr for girls’s basketball—one through which the NCAA championship event garnered record-breaking views and younger athletes turned on the spot superstars.
And whereas Brink’s fame appeared to occur in a single day, it was clearly the results of years of laborious work and a powerful school profession. Her group was the 2021 NCAA champions and four-time Pac-12 champions from 2021 to 2024. Brink herself has earned a number of Pac-12 Participant of the 12 months awards, a three-time Related Press All-American, WBCA Defensive Participant of the 12 months award, and extra. And earlier this yr, she turned the second general decide within the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks.
I used to be in a position to snag a while with Brink whereas she’s recovering from an ACL harm, and we chatted about what this previous yr has been like for her, how she’s adjusting to her routine within the WNBA, and the way she cares for herself.
mindbodygreen: what are your recreation day necessities?
Cameron Brink: I am nonetheless getting my routine down [now that I’m in the WNBA], however one factor I discover important is a nap. I didn’t was a napper, however now I take one earlier than each single recreation. I additionally prefer to hearken to a meditation on my cellphone. For me, it’s nearly taking time for myself.
I additionally love having an Ollipop. I’ve a candy tooth—I’ve to have a candy deal with every single day—and having a superb beverage available helps fulfill that. My favourite one is Watermelon Lime. I want issues that give me pleasure on recreation day, as a result of they are often so irritating. It’s about attempting to steadiness all of it out.
mbg: I can think about recreation days are irritating. How do you mentally put together going right into a recreation?
Brink: I’ve been doing a little long-term work main as much as the video games by working with a sports activities psychologist. Via the WNBA we’ve some nice individuals to work with, which has been superior. However that work takes extra time.
Within the second, I prefer to take a while to do breathwork. It is crucial for me to have that point to recenter.
I used to be such a skeptic of it earlier than. I used to be like, Actually? My breath goes to do all that? But it surely’s turn into my greatest software! The video games will be such a loud, loopy surroundings—so something that you should use to calm down in the beginning will get loopy is vital.
Don’t get me incorrect, I additionally hearken to music and we’ll dance as a group—so it is a mixture of each. However I am positively a extra anxious particular person, so to prepare for these varieties of environments it’s vital to cool down.
mbg: talking of settling down—I can think about sleep will be laborious earlier than large video games. What’s your sleep routine?
Brink: The most effective factor I’ve discovered is to only construct your habits to allow them to be constant. That means whenever you do it earlier than mattress, it simply feels such as you’re going via what you’re doing each evening—even on the nights earlier than large occasions.
I’m going via my entire skincare routine—I really like skincare—after which my boyfriend and I’ll watch a present collectively. You’re actually not presupposed to be on screens earlier than mattress, so we no less than attempt to put our telephones away.
General, it’s simply preserving each evening as regular as attainable. I bear in mind in school earlier than a nationwide recreation I attempted to do all these loopy, various things. However I feel the nights you turn it up, you find yourself being extra anxious.
mbg: what meals make you are feeling strongest?
Brink: I am not a choosy eater—I am additionally not the healthiest eater. However after all, I be sure I get my fundamentals.
I’ll do a bowl or one thing the place I can eat complicated carbs like a candy potato, wholesome fat like an avocado or olive oil, and a superb quantity of protein. Earlier than video games, it’s extra carbs.
And like I stated I’m an enormous candy deal with particular person—so I get that when a day normally.
mbg: What’s your restoration routine? How do you take care of your physique after a recreation or observe?
Brink: My favourite restoration model is Hyperice by far. They’ve the very best restoration boots. I used to be given a pair which might be transportable—not those you plug into the large battery—which is nice as a result of we journey a lot. Having the ability to convey them with me in every single place has been nice.
It’s all about getting the blood flowing, particularly whenever you’re on a aircraft. It’s actually unhealthy to only be sitting and being so sedentary.
mbg: What are some stuff you sit up for off the courtroom? I do know you’re recovering proper now…
Brink: I’ve actually type of leaned into being a girly lady, particularly this season. I like to buy. I love to do my make-up. I love to do my skincare. I really feel prefer it’s tremendous meditative for me, preparing for issues.
I even have a model new pet. She’s been the sunshine of my life proper now. She’s such a superb lady and pets are actually remedy.
mbg: You’ve talked about magnificence twice now so I’ve to ask—what merchandise are you loving proper now? I’m a magnificence author myself, so I’ve to know…
Brink: I really feel like in one other life I’d evaluation merchandise.
mbg: You’ll be able to nonetheless do it!
Brink: You already know, you are proper—I want to complete my undergrad first although.
Like for instance—I by no means sleep in my make-up, however final evening I did, and once I wakened, it nonetheless seemed good. I’m a real testomony to the truth that you possibly can sleep in your make-up and it’ll nonetheless look good.
mbg: We’re on this actually superb second in sports activities proper now through which ladies’s sports activities are getting a lot extra consideration than they’ve previously, which I feel is nice for little women to see. Ladies have so many extra function fashions to look as much as! What recommendation would possibly you could have for them?
Brink: I truly maintain a camp for younger women in Beaverton, Oregon. It is most likely my fourth yr doing the camp now. It’s only for Oregon women now, nevertheless it’s all about giving again to them.
And my principal messaging is simply to remain concerned in sports activities! Or even when your pastime isn’t a sport—possibly on the finish of the day, you’re identical to I actually don’t like sports activities—simply keep concerned in one thing the place individuals problem you. It’s vital to really feel such as you’re rising every single day. These actions are additionally vital for constructing bonds and friendships.
I really feel like basketball is simply such an incredible alternative for that. In the course of the camp, we clearly undergo a whole lot of ability work, however my favourite half is the lunch Q & A. We simply sit down and we’ve frank conversations. I am an open guide. I inform them they will ask me something, and we’ve nice conversations.
I’m large on giving again in what little methods I can.
mbg: Talking of creating bonds—being a teammate is clearly such an enormous a part of basketball. What makes an incredible teammate? How do you present up in your group?
Brink: [Since my ACL injury] I really feel like my function on the group has modified. I really feel prefer it’s given me the chance to pour in all the best way into being an incredible teammate and being there for my individuals. Sport days look totally different for me proper now, however I can nonetheless sit on the bench and be an incredible cheerleader for my teammates.
I really feel like within the WNBA, there’s a stigma of veterans solely searching for themselves. Or that the persons are solely there for the paycheck. However my group is admittedly particular.
So whereas it sucks being out, I get a whole lot of pleasure pouring into them and being there.
mbg: You already know, enjoying basketball professionally is fascinating as a result of it’s clearly one thing that you just love and have liked your entire life—nevertheless it’s additionally a job. And a irritating job at that. In what moments can you discover that child-like pleasure once more?
Brink: It’s been such a loopy yr for me, however I can actually say that I’m so fortunate to play this sport for a residing as a result of every single day is stuffed with so a lot of these little pockets of pleasure. Strolling into the health club with my new pet. Speaking with my teammates. Making these bonds. I additionally discover a whole lot of pleasure on recreation days.
I really feel prefer it’s what you make it. So it’s vital to have a optimistic mindset.
