mbg Magnificence Director
mbg Magnificence Director
Alexandra Engler is the wonder director at mindbodygreen and host of the wonder 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
July 15, 2024
We love celebrating girls on high of their sport. In our new collection Recreation On, we’re interviewing high athletes about their well-being routines—protecting every little thing from vitamin that makes them really feel sturdy to the moments that deliver them pleasure.
Heading to the 2024 Paris Olympics to symbolize Group USA in seashore volleyball is a famous person duo often known as TKN. Final week, we chatted with one-half of that pair, 27-year-old Taryn Kloth—and right this moment, we get to meet up with the opposite half, 26-year-old, 5-foot-6-inch athlete Kristen Nuss.
The duo heads into the Olympics with plenty of buzz: They presently rank second on the earth and effortlessly clinched the primary spot on Group USA with practically three months left to spare through the qualifying timeline.
With visions of gold within the not-so-distant future, Nuss chatted with me all about how she’s making ready her physique for the highway forward, how she finds psychological readability, and what equipment she should have together with her on the sand.
mindbodygreen: You are preparing for the Paris Olympics. The brightest highlight on the most important stage. How do you mentally put together for giant matches?
Kristen Nuss: My method could also be totally different than most. I’ve discovered over time that if I get tremendous targeted and “locked in” that I truly do not carry out effectively. So I attempt to be a little bit extra laid again.
Taryn most likely talked you thru our routine of listening to the identical AirPod [ed. note: In Kloth’s Game On interview, she shared that they listen to the same music by sharing AirPods during warm-ups to help them get in the same mindset]. So, in warm-ups, I simply attempt to hold it enjoyable and relaxed. Yow will discover me jamming out to no matter track is taking part in in my head. Chatting with our coaches.
I am not tremendous targeted—maintaining it very mild. It is simply having enjoyable. As a result of, actually, that’s what I discover I must carry out my greatest.
mbg: What do it’s important to have with you on the sand? What are your game-day necessities?
Nuss: In seashore volleyball, we do not have a ton of apparatus. We get on the courtroom, and we’re in our bathing fits. However an absolute necessity is sun shades. I couldn’t play this sport with out sun shades.
We put on Zenni Optical Sport Performance Sunglasses. We like them as a result of they’ve plenty of choices for competitors sun shades with totally different lenses and types. It is nice to have the ability to have enjoyable with it—even with the ability to match the colour of our lenses with our fits. Or relying on what the solar is doing that day, we’ll choose lenses to assist efficiency. The totally different lenses will assist with visibility primarily based on the sunshine.
For instance, if there aren’t any clouds and it is simply pure solar, among the lenses are higher for that. Or different lenses do not block as a lot of the daylight. Some lenses will assist regulate the colour you are seeing—so it is a little bit yellow or a little bit darker. Loads of that will depend on your private choice.
Oh, after which sunscreen and my hat. That is just about it. That is just about all of the gear and every little thing that I must carry out through the competitors.
Picture by mbg Inventive / courtesy of supply
mbg: How do you sleep earlier than a giant match? As a result of lots of people wrestle with sleeping earlier than one thing large—nonetheless one thing just like the Olympics or a giant international competitors!
Nuss: Sleeping points earlier than one thing large is for certain a factor. There’s been numerous nights earlier than a giant sport or a championship match laying in mattress, and I am identical to, Fall asleep, fall asleep, fall asleep. However I can’t shut my mind off!
If that is the case—if it is a type of nights—I are likely to deal with my breathing. I simply take actually deep breaths, out and in, and actually simply hone in on that. Then I am going to additionally simply begin counting and I am going to simply rely. It provides my mind one thing to do apart from take into consideration that one factor—the match. It makes my mind deal with one thing apart from, OK, what is going on to be the climate tomorrow? What is the play? How am I going to carry out?
Apart from that, earlier than I’m going to mattress I prefer to get off my telephone. I learn a e book earlier than—which once more is absolutely useful if it is the evening earlier than a giant sport and I do know I’m going to wrestle to sleep. Studying simply helps me relax and get off the display.
mbg: What meals enable you to really feel strongest and gasoline your physique?
Nuss: Actually, earlier than a giant sport—and particularly relying on once we play—a superb ol’ peanut butter and jelly sandwich. That could be a stable pregame. It is the proper snack to provide the vitality and carbs that you just want. We [Kloth and I] eat them rather a lot once we journey.
Everyday, I comply with a high-protein weight loss plan. It is nearly consuming a ton of protein in each meal that we get. I personally love doing larger protein, decrease calorie, and plenty of amount as a result of I’m somebody who enjoys that feeling of fullness.
Excessive protein. Low calorie. Excessive amount. That is the aim.
mbg: How do you construct up resilience?
Nuss: I give a ton of credit score to our coach. He constructions apply the place there are some days that it is simply stepping into to get reps—however then there are the times we simply get after it.
You need apply to be more durable than the sport itself. That is the place the resilience will get constructed—in these apply moments whenever you’re in a extremely onerous drill, he is simply crushing balls at you, then you definitely’re having to do some kind of serve obtain and always simply execute. You get to the purpose the place your mind is like, Go, go, go—however your legs are dying and simply cease working.
I really feel like in the event you can push by means of that in apply, then you definitely’ll be OK. In a sport you could have adrenaline pumping by means of you, so you recognize OK, I can get by means of this. That is straightforward.
mbg: What’s your favourite exercise that has nothing to do along with your sport?
Nuss: Do you think about strolling?
mbg: Oh yeah, completely.
Nuss: Properly, I completely love simply happening a stroll. It is also simply good for the psychological facet of issues—simply leaving the telephone at residence and simply going for a stroll.
Particularly once we’re at these tournaments internationally and we’re at these occasions set in these wonderful locations. It is so enjoyable to discover! That is one thing Taryn and I actually take pleasure in doing—simply going out and exploring.
mbg: I am so taken with teammate dynamics and what makes a superb teammate. Seaside volleyball is exclusive as a result of you could have one teammate, so I am curious—what makes a superb teammate?
Nuss: I believe for me, an amazing workforce is somebody that is going to instill confidence in you and construct you up. Particularly in seashore volleyball, you want your different half on the courtroom to achieve success.
I’ve seen conditions the place somebody may get a foul set, and the teammate will roll their eyes. It is like, Why are you tearing down your companion? Your companion is the one one that you want probably the most to succeed at this.
So I believe a superb teammate is somebody who instills that confidence and belief in you throughout these onerous instances, like say, whenever you aren’t taking part in your greatest sport. A very good time goes to be somebody who continues to be there they usually’ll nonetheless have utmost belief.
I believe that’s one thing that Taryn does a lot for me. I do know that she trusts me a lot that in onerous instances she nonetheless believes in me. And that perception is one thing that is onerous to come back by.
mbg: What recommendation do you could have for younger girls or women who wish to play volleyball?
Nuss: Dream large—no dream is simply too large.
I am a little bit undersized in comparison with most different seashore volleyball gamers. Each single time I turned on the TV, nobody appeared like me height-wise. I might lookup the heights of gamers and everybody was a minimum of 2-3 inches taller than me. However I simply saved on going.
Do not let anybody inform you that you could’t.
