Senior Magnificence & Life-style Director
Senior Magnificence & Life-style Director
Alexandra Engler is the senior magnificence and way of life 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 Artistic / courtesy of supply
September 02, 2024
We love celebrating ladies on the high of their sport. In our new sequence Sport On, we’re interviewing high athletes about their well-being routines—protecting the whole lot from vitamin that makes them really feel sturdy to the moments that convey them pleasure.
Throughout her remaining 12 months taking part in basketball at Stanford College, Cameron Brink grew to become a family title. It was a watershed 12 months for girls’s basketball—one by which the NCAA championship match garnered record-breaking views and younger athletes grew to become immediate superstars.
And whereas Brink’s fame appeared to occur in a single day, it was clearly the results of years of exhausting work and a formidable faculty profession. Her staff 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 Yr awards, a three-time Related Press All-American, WBCA Defensive Participant of the Yr award, and extra. And earlier this 12 months, she grew to become the second overall pick in 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 12 months 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 sport 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 sport. I additionally wish to take heed 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 very good beverage available helps fulfill that. My favourite one is Watermelon Lime. I want issues that give me pleasure on sport day, as a result of they are often so irritating. It’s about attempting to stability all of it out.
mbg: I can think about sport days are irritating. How do you mentally put together going right into a sport?
Brink: I’ve been performing some long-term work main as much as the video games by working with a sports activities psychologist. Via the WNBA now we have some nice individuals to work with, which has been superior. However that work takes extra time.
Within the second, I wish to take a while to do breathwork. It is essential 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? However it’s grow to be my largest device! The video games will be such a loud, loopy surroundings—so something that you need to use to settle down at the start will get loopy is necessary.
Don’t get me incorrect, I additionally take heed to music and we’ll dance as a staff—so it is a mixture of each. However I am positively a extra anxious particular person, so to prepare for these kinds of environments it’s necessary to cool down.
mbg: talking of settling down—I can think about sleep will be exhausting earlier than large video games. What’s your sleep routine?
Brink: The very best factor I’ve realized is to simply construct your habits to allow them to be constant. That manner once you do it earlier than mattress, it simply feels such as you’re going by means of what you’re doing each night time—even on the nights earlier than large occasions.
I am going by means of my complete skincare routine—I like skincare—after which my boyfriend and I’ll watch a present collectively. You’re actually not speculated to be on screens earlier than mattress, so we no less than attempt to put our telephones away.
Total, it’s simply protecting each night time as regular as doable. I bear in mind in faculty earlier than a nationwide sport 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 that I get my fundamentals.
I’ll do a bowl or one thing the place I can eat advanced carbs like a candy potato, wholesome fat like an avocado or olive oil, and a very good quantity of protein. Earlier than video games, it’s extra carbs.
And like I mentioned I’m an enormous candy deal with particular person—so I get that when a day often.
mbg: What’s your restoration routine? How do you take care of your physique after a sport or observe?
Brink: My favourite restoration model is Hyperice by far. They’ve the most effective restoration boots. I used to be given a pair which can be moveable—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 all places has been nice.
It’s all about getting the blood flowing, particularly once you’re on a airplane. It’s actually unhealthy to simply be sitting and being so sedentary.
mbg: What are some stuff you stay up for off the courtroom? I do know you’re recovering proper now…
Brink: I’ve actually form of leaned into being a girly woman, 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 very good woman and pets are really 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 might evaluate merchandise.
mbg: You possibly can nonetheless do it!
Brink: You understand, 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 night time I did, and once I awoke, it nonetheless regarded 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 wonderful second in sports activities proper now by which ladies’s sports activities are getting a lot extra consideration than they’ve up to now, which I feel is nice for little ladies to see. Women have so many extra position fashions to look as much as! What recommendation may you’ve for them?
Brink: I really hold a camp for younger ladies in Beaverton, Oregon. It is in all probability my fourth 12 months doing the camp now. It’s only for Oregon ladies now, however it’s all about giving again to them.
And my principal messaging is simply to remain concerned in sports activities! Or even when your passion is just not 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 necessary to really feel such as you’re rising every single day. These actions are additionally necessary for constructing bonds and friendships.
I really feel like basketball is simply such an important alternative for that. In the course of the camp, we clearly undergo quite a lot of ability work, however my favourite half is the lunch Q & A. We simply sit down and now we have frank conversations. I am an open e-book. I inform them they will ask me something, and now we have 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 important teammate? How do you present up to your staff?
Brink: [Since my ACL injury] I really feel like my position on the staff has modified. I really feel prefer it’s given me the chance to pour in all the way in which into being an important teammate and being there for my individuals. Sport days look completely different for me proper now, however I can nonetheless sit on the bench and be an important cheerleader for my teammates.
I really feel like within the WNBA, there’s a stigma of veterans solely searching for themselves. Or that the individuals are solely there for the paycheck. However my staff is admittedly particular.
So whereas it sucks being out, I get quite a lot of pleasure pouring into them and being there.
mbg: You understand, taking part in basketball professionally is attention-grabbing as a result of it’s clearly one thing that you just love and have beloved your complete life—however 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 12 months for me, however I can really say that I’m so fortunate to play this sport for a residing as a result of every single day is full of so a lot of these little pockets of pleasure. Strolling into the fitness center with my new pet. Speaking with my teammates. Making these bonds. I additionally discover quite a lot of pleasure on sport days.
I really feel prefer it’s what you make it. So it’s necessary to have a optimistic mindset.