Kiki Rice is modeling and her followers are loving it. In a new social media post the UCLA Bruins basketball star shows off her amazing body in workout gear. She shared the images via Instagram. “Um okay at this point become a model,” one of her followers commented. “So pretty kiki😍,” added another. How does she approach diet, fitness, and self-care? Here is everything you need to know about her lifestyle habits.
In a YouTube video detailing her day, Kiki explained that she has a light breakfast in the morning. Prior to working out, Kiki will fuel up on an Acai bowl, because she doesn’t want to eat anything too heavy before exercising.
She will then do some stretches, “so I don’t get tendonitis in my knees and I keep my ankles strong. She also stretches right before a game. “Stretching keeps the muscles flexible, strong, and healthy, and we need that flexibility to maintain a range of motion in the joints,” says Harvard Health. “Without it, the muscles shorten and become tight. Then, when you call on the muscles for activity, they are weak and unable to extend all the way. That puts you at risk for joint pain, strains, and muscle damage.”
Next up, lifting and conditioning. She does a variety of exercises including lifting weight, box jumps, planks, and resistance using exercise bands. According to the Mayo Clinic, strength and weight training help reduce body fat, preserve and increase lean muscle mass, and burn calories more efficiently. Strength training may also help you:
- Develop strong bones
- Manage your weight
- Enhance your quality of life
- Manage chronic conditions
- Sharpen your thinking skills
Kiki likes to cook her own food to ensure healthy eating. One of her favorite meals? Beef tacos. During her day in the life she reveals that she alone will eat at least a half pound of the meat for the protein alone. According to clinical trials, consuming more protein than the recommended dietary allowance not only reduces body weight (BW), but also enhances body composition by decreasing fat mass while preserving fat-free mass (FFM) in both low-calorie and standard-calorie diets.
Kiki spends hours a day playing basketball. “Basketball promotes speed, agility, strength, power and endurance. It [has] also been shown to increase flexibility and motor coordination. As a result, basketball is uniquely oriented to improve fundamental motor skills that are shown to be beneficial in promoting general health,” Koco Eaton, M.D., orthopedic surgeon, founder of Eaton Orthopaedics and a former basketball player, tells Nike.