Last month we spent the afternoon at one of NYC's fitness meccas on the west side of NYC. KT Tape (an elastic sports and fitness tape designed for muscle, ligament, a tendon pain and relief support) debuted their new line of USA branded tape with an Olympic theme just in time for this summer's global games as we continue on towards the Road to Rio.
In addition to presenting the tape, Athleisure Mag chatted with Kerri Walsh Jennings, a legendary professional beach volleyball player. We have seen her compete at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics with her teammate - Misty May-Treano. Together, they were named, "the greatest beach volleyball team of all time." Together they have won 3 gold medals.
As Kerri prepares for the upcoming Olympics in Rio, she has a new teammate and has winning gold, maintaining balance and a number of exciting projects.
ATHLEISURE MAG: You're a busy mom, training for the Olympics and have a number of businesses and spokeswork. How do you find balance and get personal time for yourself?
KERRI WALSH JENNINGS: I have a pretty intense schedule, but it came down to stop complaining and simply, get it done. Now, I get up before my kids at 4:45/5:15 am so that I can have the time to check in with myself, have a coffee, write in my journal in silence.
From the time they're up, I have 3 - 6 hours of physical training. Twice a week I have weight training, Pilates 3 times a week and then Versus with SenseLabs. This is a program that trains your brain like a muscle - I did this for the London games to prepare for it. I feel that this is an essential for me to perform at my best.
AM: How is it going to the games with a new partner and how do you prepare for this as you get closer?
KWJ: I loved working with Misty and my new partner, April Ross and I competed in Rio in March to qualify for the Olympics. We won a silver and a gold and got our 100th team win together. When we're on the court, we work as one which is important as it takes a village to get to where we are.
We just fit and in coming back after my injury, it was a blessing in disguise as it broke us both down to a point where we knew we needed each other in order to get where we want to go. We rise together.
AM: Is Rio a family affair?
KWJ: Absolutely my family and I made the choice together to get our fourth gold medal. My three children and husband (Casey Jennings, a beach volleyball player) will be rooting along.
AM: Off the court, you launched 'Kerri', a clothing line in collaboration with ASICS, how do you juggle that along with everything else you do?
KWJ: Everything I do is all about a team. It's a great support and it allows everyone to do what they know how to do to create a positive result. I love being able to put my design elements into these leggings (seen on pg 81) which has my signature braid interwoven into the design of the pants. Working with ASICS is a really seamless process and one that I find great to be a part of.
Kerri Walsh/Misty May-Treanor photo courtesy of Kitagaki Jr/ZUMA PRESS.com
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