NKO Club | Vol. 3 The Fall FRENZY 🍁

01 Wellness Spotlight

TENNIS = A LONGER LIFESPAN?!

Apparently 9.7 years longer to be exact. Multiple studies, including this one performed in Britain discovered that racket sports, especially tennis, significantly increase life expectancy as it positively correlates with better cardiovascular ability and higher HRV for those who participate.

I myself have just begun to take up the sport, and by that I mean having my incredibly talented and adept boyfriend teach me the basics as someone who has never really touched a racket in her life. I can already tell how impactful and what a wonderful addition the sport is to any workout routine, especially given its focus on rotational power and lateral movement- two things that have been in short supply for those of us who spent many years on stationary bikes or truly just working within the frontal plane of our bodies.

Tennis is about mobility, balance, power and especially mental toughness as it is a sport where YOUR mind can play just as significant of a role as your ability. Further, time FLIES by when you are focused on challenging brain and body in developing new neural pathways and movement patterns. Finally, it is a heck of a workout with short bursts of energy under longer durations of sustained elevated heart rate (to those of you who know your “zones” consider this sport holds you from Zone 2 to short bursts at your Zone 4-5 max).

If watching the US Open (cheering on all the Americans climbing through the bracket this year) is giving you the itch to try something new: check out some USTA beginner tennis clinics and classes near you. I’ll see you on the court—- maybe not making the best contact but enjoying the sweat and the damn cute outfits.

SCHEDULE YOUR RECOVERY & WORKOUTS:

It’s been a tornado of a week! There is something about the turn form summer to fall, especially in NYC where the US Open, NYFW and every other form of networking event makes the first week post Labor-day an absolute whirlwind (and to think I am not even a parent with kids going back to school)!

Treating your calendar like a guidebook is ALWAYS the best decision. At the top of the week (aka a way to beat the Sunday Scaries) I always look at my week ahead and set time blocks especially for the non-negotiable aka moving my body & recovery. Make a calendar invite, in a color you love, and set 30 min to 1 hour a day at an achievable time to dedicate to yourself. Put the phone on DND if possible and stay committed to present movement or recovery for that segment of the day.

Do I always hit that goal time? Candidly, no. But by blocking out my workout in a time block in the afternoon it has helped me significantly shift my productivity and ensure I make some time for movement or a recovery session— yes I am typing this from my infrared sauna blanket currently.

In case of emergency (and one of those wild, non-stop hamster wheel days) try a 5 or 10 min meditation, I am a big fan of Insight Timer when I am in a bind. Allowing yourself to reset and ground into your body will do wonders even in the frenzy.

03 Nutrition

Lemon Orzo Pasta

Lemon Orzo Pasta— this one is a KEEPER and is powered up by cooking the Orzo in BONE BROTH!

Lemon Orzo Pasta

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp Olive Oil

• 1 tbsp Butter

• 1/2 Onion Chopped

• 4 cloves Garlic minced

• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper additional to serve

• 1 cup Orzo

• 2 cups Chicken Bone Broth

• 1 Lemon Zest and Juice

• 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, additional left to serve

• 3/4 Cup Whipped Cottage Cheese 2% Fat

• Heat the 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter in a large pasta pot or high-rimmed pan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the chopped onion and minced garlic and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Add freshly cracked black pepper and cook for another minute.

• Mix in uncooked orzo and toast for 2 minutes. Pour in chicken bone broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, until the orzo is cooked through and most of the liquid is absorbed. Add additional bone broth or water throughout the cooking process if the liquid absorbs before the orzo is finished cooking. This can take 10-15 minutes.

• Once the orzo is close to cooked through, mix in the zest and juice of 1 lemon (or about 1 tbsp zest and 3 tbsp of juice).

• Turn off the heat and mix in the 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese until melted and well combined. Pour in the 1/4 cup of whipped cottage cheese and stir until well combined.

• In a small pan toast bread crumbs in a tbs of olive oil until crispy and fragrant. Set aside.

• Divide orzo among plates or shallow bowls to serve. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top to your liking. Optionally you can serve with an additional protein or as a side dish!

04 Shopping
NEW LULULEMON DROP! featuring what I was wearing for the new Fall campaign, US Open Fall Fit, the best fall foot/heel refresh (quality over quantity y’all), and some staple transitional basics for the season.

Shop my LTK site for more.

05 WHAT I’M READING

06 NKO CLUB SPOTLIGHT

🏆NOMINATE A KNOCKOUT

This NKO Club Newsletter is JUST the beginning for what we have planned ahead to support this special community mentally, physically and to thrive in our lives. We want to hear about YOU, and what keeps YOU Never Knocked Out.

Follow @NKOclub on IG and send us a DM to share your “Never Knocked Out” Story as well as a picture. You are also welcome to nominate someone who you think has a journey that can inspire, connect and bring joy to this community. We are in this fight together, so let’s honor each other along the way. xx