Winning on a Healthy Lifestyle

Like many locals, I come from a family of UH Wahine Volleyball fans. If there were a sport that could bring my entire ohana together, it would definitely be volleyball. As part of the Love Life! Team, Mama T and I did a cooking demo for the UH Wahine Volleyball team in early May. I was excited to finally meet some of the amazing athletes from the UH Wahine Volleyball team. They were a bright and diverse group of women from various backgrounds—one of them shared beautiful stories of her hometown in Germany!

It was refreshing to sit down with these women and share my personal story on how I came to a plant-based diet. I recalled my early years as a budding vegetarian in my second year of undergrad. They were eager to learn how to make easy lifestyle changes to improve their health and their performance as a team. Mama T showed them how fun and easy it is to make green juices. Their faces lit up with joy as they all took turns trying their hands at juicing. I taught them how to make a delicious smoothie with local apple bananas, cacao, and almond butter. These simple recipes really inspired them to find ways to improve their health and their performance on the court.

I am truly humbled and inspired by these women and incredibly happy to hear that they are taking charge of their lives! It’s wonderful to see them setting an example for others to start living an active and wholesome lifestyle. My hope is that we all can make simple changes in our diets and inspire our peers to do the same!