Shaken from his sleep, Maíra Liguoris father had barely opened his eyes as she shouted for him to get out of bed.
Javier Baez Jersey . It was Christmas morning in Atibaia, Brazil, and an 8-year-old Liguori had beaten Santa Claus to the drop-off.Stuffed between a wall and a sofa in the living room was a bicycle in a big cardboard box.The sun was only just started shining through the curtains, but she wanted to ride it. Her father, Matheus, rose from his slumber and assembled the bike for Liguori, planting the seeds for what would become a lifelong passion.That bicycle was my first love, Liguori says. People would joke that I was head, shoulders, knees and pedals.Liguori, now the director for Think Olga, a Brazilian NGO aimed at challenging gender stereotypes and empowering women through information, rode her bicycle everywhere as a girl.As she grew older, the sense of fun and freedom that riding symbolized in her life was buried under the pressures of being a teenager. Being drenched in sweat after an afternoon of bicycling with the boys was no longer normal.She moved away to study at the Pontifical Catholic University of Sao Paulo, where she earned a bachelors degree in journalism in 2002. The city of 11 million people was less conducive to cycling, and by then Liguori was struggling with body image issues and insomnia. The advertisements in the streets and the trainers in her gym told her getting fit would help her feel beautiful and strong and that it would make her doubts about her body disappear.Through endless yoga and spin classes, swimming and running, the uneasiness in the pit of Liguoris stomach remained. The treadmills and yoga mats became instruments of an oppressive environment. But Liguori wasnt working out to find a boyfriend or fit into a bikini. She just longed for the peace she felt as a little girl racing down streets on her yellow bike.Sport is too big to only be about fitness and beauty, Liguori says. I exercise because I love my body, not because I hate it -- not because it is a problem that needs fixing.At the age of 27, Liguori and her husband, Ricardo Kenski, moved away to Barcelona, Spain, where she worked in marketing research while finishing a masters degrees in business communications and anthropology.One day, she was on her way to the university but didnt have money for the subway, so she decided to rent a public bike on the street. As soon as she pedaled off and felt the wind hit her face, the memories came flooding back. She rushed home that night and told her husband: I will never stop riding again.At Think Olga, we always say we work with a burning passion inside of us, says Juliana de Faria, founder and one of Liguoris closest friends. Maíra embodies that passion perfectly.***In August, Liguori received confirmation that she would become the fifth Brazilian woman to participate in the U.S. Department of State and espnW Global Sports Mentoring Program (GSMP). With the aim of growing the impact of her work with Olga Esporte Club, Liguori was partnered with Julie Eddleman, global client partner at Google.Eddleman previously mentored three Brazilian women in the program and has a long resume of accomplishments as a former marketing director and mentor at Proctor & Gamble. Its been her mission to help Liguori condense her ideas and create a long-term strategy that will make Olga Esporte Club, which is the sports branch of Think Olga, financially and programmatically sustainable.You hear these legends about Brazilians having this incredible passion and this zest for life, and its been absolutely true with all of my mentees, Eddleman says. Im here to offer a little inspiration, a lot of connection and a way for them to take those steps toward a long-term, strategic vision.Thanks to her mentor, Liguori has met with leaders at both P&G and Google, as well as innovative thinkers such as David Knox, chief marketing officer of the digital innovation firm Rockfish, and Kash Shaikh, chief executive officer of Besomebody, a mobile app that connects people with similar passions, which earned Shaikh a spot on the popular ABC television show Shark Tank.Liguori calls the GSMP one of the deepest experiences of her life and knows it will lead her forward in spreading the idea of sport for empowerment and social change across Brazil.Before I was living my life trying to make things happen, Liguori says. Now I am changing my life to come to the U.S., meet new women, engage in something I never wouldve dreamed of before, in order to make my dreams with Olga Esporte Clube come to life.Her husband, one of her biggest supporters, is a witness to the impact the program has made in Liguoris life. The two have been together for three World Cups and one Olympics, he says. Fourteen years, if youre counting.A producer for HBO Latin America, Kenski realizes the importance of his wifes work as he deals with questions from others during her time in the U.S.Sometimes even the women at work try to provoke me with questions about feminism, Kenski says. Its bizarre. Men will say to me, How are you changing (their 15-month old son) Toms diapers? Its not a radical thing to change diapers, man.Ultimately for Liguori it comes down to that basic element: awareness. Whether it happens when a woman clicks on a link to one of Think Olgas articles, or when a man challenges the stereotypes that women should look and act a certain way at work, or when a little girl rides her bicycle freely down an empty neighborhood street -- when the light bulb goes off, there is no way to stop the movement.Editors note: Brian Canever is the digital content manager for the Center for Sport, Peace, & Society at the University of Tennessee, and works closely with the GSMP participants.
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http://www.cubsauthentic.com/cubs-kendall-graveman-jersey/ . The Islanders dealt Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens after less than a year on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Oilers dealt long-time sniper Ales hemsky to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a third-rounder in 2015. Chances are youve heard of Spartan race, Tough Mudder or Warrior Dash -- and maybe youve even done one. Obstacle course races (OCR) have become all the rage the past few years. Just last year, an estimated 4.5 million Americans participated in one, according to SportsBusiness Journal.Whether obstacle-course races are your forte or youre toying with the idea of trying one for the first time, youll want to fuel up differently than you do for a typical race.We spoke with Bob Seebohar, MS, RD, CSSD, a sports dietitian, exercise physiologist and owner of eNRG Performance in Littleton, Colorado, about the ins and outs of OCR nutrition. Here are his tips for maintaining your energy from start to finish.Balance your prerace mealEveryone is different when it comes to fueling before a race. Some people can have solid foods and be fine, while others need only liquids so they dont upset their stomachs.Whether you choose to go with solids or something like a smoothie, you must have a good source of carbs, a slightly lower source of protein and an even lower source of fat, said Seebohar, who is also the nutrition coach for Clif Bar.Think 50 percent carbs, 30 percent protein and 20 percent fat.?You could have anything from oatmeal with protein powder and some nut butter to a smoothie (for those with a more sensitive stomach) thats fruit based, with unsweetened almond milk, coconut oil and protein powder, he said.Eat your normal food all weekAnything you eat, from the time it enters the body until it exits, takes about two to three days to pass, Seebohar said. That means if youre racing on a Saturday, something you ate on Wednesday or Thursday can wreak havoc on you on race day if you arent used to it.Dont do anything extremely different from your typical meal plan, like eating foods you never have before a race, says Seebohar said. If youre traveling, try your best to replicate your normal eating patterns. You may just have to up the amount and density of your portions.
Brandon Kintzler Cubs Jersey. Plan for longer distancesWhether your race is 3 miles or 8 miles or 13-plus makes a big difference in your fueling plans. With a short race, a good breakfast and water are all youll need. But youll need more if youre on the course for several hours.For a longer race, after every two to two-and-a-half hours, you need to be thinking, OK, now I need more calories, Seebohar said.Because of the heart-rate spikes caused by obstacles, youll burn through more energy than you would in a steady race such as a half-marathon, so plan to consume 80-100 calories an hour.What to eat when youre midrace? I think gummies are great because theyre easily digestible and individual, Seebohar said. Unlike a gel, where you have to consume the whole pack at once and generally cut it with water because it has a higher carb concentration, gummies allow you to partition calories more approximately.Remember to hydrateEach race is different, but normally, you should be drinking enough so youre going to the bathroom every two to three hours, Seebohar said.Its extremely important that it becomes a part of the cognitive process a couple days before the race, he said. Ask yourself, Am I carrying my water bottle? and even the morning of, be sure youre drinking water.Replenish the nutrients you sweat outNot only is it important to remember your carbs, protein and fat, but you also need to be getting your full electrolyte panel: sodium, calcium, magnesium and potassium. Its key to replenish these along the route as well.If you have a higher sweat rate, chances are youre probably losing more sodium, Seebohar said. Some races will have a water station with an electrolyte formula in the water, but otherwise, take an electrolyte capsule to help replenish what you lose in sweat and avoid cramping. ' ' '