Top-notch athletes need not compete in full-contact sports to experience the physical demands thrust upon their bodies and minds during competition. PGA golfers, amateur track stars, and WNBA professional basketball players may not get hit by 300-pound linemen in their respective sports, but they nevertheless take a pounding - physically and mentally - each time they swing a club, clear a hurdle, or run the court.
In an increasingly competitive sports world, athletes know hard work and proper nutrition are the keys to performing at their peak and maintaining an edge over rivals. That's why world-class athletes rely on USANA products to augment their stringent training programs.
USANA sponsors more than 150 professional athletes and Olympians. It powered the U.S. and Canadian speedskaters at the 2002 Winter Games and was the official supplier of nutritional products for the former Utah Starzz WNBA women's basketball team.
Track star Tom Chorny, who captured the 2001 U.S. Championship in the 3000-meter steeplechase, praises USANA supplements for keeping him healthy and giving him the energy needed to compete in one of sport's most grueling events. Described by some as pure agony, the 3K steeplechase includes nearly two miles of running peppered with three-foot high barriers and a 12-foot long water pit.
"I have learned much about what excessive exercise does to the human body, and running 80-plus miles a week is definitely excessive," says Chorny, who joined the USANA family in early 2000. "I won't go a day without my USANA!"
PGA golfer Brad Bryant explains that the products keep him focused as his tour schedule requires him to be on the road frequently.
"Traveling like we did was very hard on our bodies," says Bryant, a 20-year PGA Tour veteran, who adds that his wife and children often accompany him at events and also benefit from USANA products. "I feel that I stayed much healthier because of the USANA supplements.
Samantha Hughes says "I never forget to take my Essentials', CalMag Plus', and CoQuinone®, and I believe it is through these excellent nutritional products that my results and running has improved," says Hughes, a leading Australian marathon runner. "Training involves running about 160 km a week, swimming and strength sessions, as well as working out each day."
Derrick Brew relies on bursts of energy in the shorter but equally as strenuous 4 x 400-meter relay.
"I feel as though I am getting more quality rest time," says Brew, who ran on the winning relay team at the 2001 World Championships. "After workouts my energy level comes back sooner than normal. I am refreshed and relaxed."
Another 4 x 400-meter relay gold medalist, Debbie-Ann Parris, says that USANA supplements kept her healthy and on track to perform at her peak while representing Jamaica at the 2001 World Championships.
"I rested much better while traveling and competing," says Parris, who's ranked third in the world in the 400-meter hurdles.
In addition to helping individual competitors, USANA was the official team nutritional supplement supplier for the former WNBA's Utah Starzz. The team played 35 games in a compact three-month schedule, which doesn't leave much time for muscles to recuperate, energy to be replenished, or diets to be watched.
But with USANA taking the guesswork out of health and nutrition, it's easier for athletes to focus on developing skills to become the best in their fields.
"For me USANA has been like finding a driver that will hit it 300 yards down the middle every time," PGA golfer Bart Bryant, Brad's brother, explains. He's found the right nutritional supplement. "Now if I could only find that driver," he concludes.