LOVE & HEALTH & HAPPINESS
A peek into Pro Snowboarder JP & Roberta Walker's happy healthy lifestyle.
Follow JP & Roberta on Instagram: @therealjp and @beingberta
40 year old JP Walker "The Don" is still going strong as a pro snowboarder (since 1996!). His wife Roberta is a former pro snowboarder herself. Together they share their secrets for LOVE, health, fitness and happiness!
How did you meet?
RW: We met through snowboarding. I was at a photoshoot at Brighton Resort in SLC in the winter of 1995 for my board sponsor Rev Snowboards. JP’s best friend Mitch Nelson rode for Rev so he was out hitting the jump with us. That summer Rev snowboards had a house in Whistler for the team to stay at. JP came up with his Mitch and we all spent the summer together.
RW: We met through snowboarding. I was at a photoshoot at Brighton Resort in SLC in the winter of 1995 for my board sponsor Rev Snowboards. JP’s best friend Mitch Nelson rode for Rev so he was out hitting the jump with us. That summer Rev snowboards had a house in Whistler for the team to stay at. JP came up with his Mitch and we all spent the summer together.
Describe what you do.
RW: For the past two years I have been working in local politics in Environmental Policy and Community Relations. Outside of work I LOVE to be physically active, surfing, snowboarding, cycling, yoga, running, snowshoeing, hiking and weight training. I am addicted to activity and being outdoors!
RW: For the past two years I have been working in local politics in Environmental Policy and Community Relations. Outside of work I LOVE to be physically active, surfing, snowboarding, cycling, yoga, running, snowshoeing, hiking and weight training. I am addicted to activity and being outdoors!
JP: I am a professional snowboarder and I spend the winter chasing the snow. I like to start my winter focused on urban riding, which means riding street features like handrails and wall rides, similar to skateboarding. I typically go out to Finland every year to hit the streets and to east coast cities in the US and Canada. Around mid-winter I change my focus to backcountry, and I head up to British Columbia where I access the backcountry on a snowmobile to ride natural terrain, cliffs, jumps, windlips and powder. I focus on one video project that all my footage comes out in, and photos of my adventures are found in international snowboard magazines.
When and why did you each become interested in a healthy lifestyle?
RW: Being an athlete you are naturally focused on a healthy lifestyle to be able to keep up with the demands of your sport, so it has always been a priority. I really got serious about my health and the food I was putting in my body after JP’s father passed away in January 2008. I began to focus on a whole food diet, more plant based, organic foods and nutrient dense supplements.
RW: Being an athlete you are naturally focused on a healthy lifestyle to be able to keep up with the demands of your sport, so it has always been a priority. I really got serious about my health and the food I was putting in my body after JP’s father passed away in January 2008. I began to focus on a whole food diet, more plant based, organic foods and nutrient dense supplements.
JP: Snowboarding and being the best I can be has always been my focus and putting my health first has always been a priority. When I was younger that meant I didn’t drink or do drugs but as I got older, I realized that healthy foods and balancing out snowboarding with Yoga were just as important.
Both of you travel a lot (surf trips, snowboarding shoots, etc.). How do you maintain health on the road?
RW: Traveling and staying healthy can be a challenge. I always bring a travel roller and yoga mat with me. You can stretch, roll out or do yoga anywhere, even in an airport during a layover! Luckily access to healthy whole foods while traveling is getting easier but it can still be challenging. Having the Renew Me pills is a must and the Blue Majik and BrainON single packs are perfect to add to juice, smoothies and coconut water for a healthy boost!
RW: Traveling and staying healthy can be a challenge. I always bring a travel roller and yoga mat with me. You can stretch, roll out or do yoga anywhere, even in an airport during a layover! Luckily access to healthy whole foods while traveling is getting easier but it can still be challenging. Having the Renew Me pills is a must and the Blue Majik and BrainON single packs are perfect to add to juice, smoothies and coconut water for a healthy boost!
JP: I try to bring as much healthy food as possible with me like almonds, oranges and Blue Majik, but some trips stretch longer than I can pack for. Its mostly snack stuff that I bring because if can grab a heathy snack instead of just something sugary at an impulse it helps to keep me from completing falling off a good diet on a long trip.
Besides snowboarding, what is your favorite fitness activity?
RW: That is a hard one. Surfing would be next.
RW: That is a hard one. Surfing would be next.
JP: Surfing and Skateboarding.
What is your go-to healthy meal?
RW: Kale salad with fresh lime juice, carrots, tomatoes, wakeme, sunflower seeds and avocado.
RW: Kale salad with fresh lime juice, carrots, tomatoes, wakeme, sunflower seeds and avocado.
JP: It’s kinda cliche but if i can have a good breakfast then it helps set me up for the rest of the day. If I didn’t have a big enough one I find myself looking for snacks before its even lunch time. I like to make eggs with breakfast potatoes but I use coconut oil in the pan and it gives it tropical flavor.
How do E3Live products help with your athletic performance?
RW: I feel more energized and focused when I use E3Live products.
RW: I feel more energized and focused when I use E3Live products.
JP: I am able to maintain a high level of performance all day.
JP how did you earn the name "The Don?"
JP: Some of my younger snowboard friends just started calling me that on a trip once. I think I was just based on the fact that I had a lot of past experience and knowledge about the area we were filming at. People just started referring to me by that name after and it stuck.
JP: Some of my younger snowboard friends just started calling me that on a trip once. I think I was just based on the fact that I had a lot of past experience and knowledge about the area we were filming at. People just started referring to me by that name after and it stuck.
What's your secret to healthy loving relationship?
RW: Unconditional love and support. JP and I were good friends for 3 years before we started dating so we had a really solid foundation. We’ve always supported each other’s dreams and ambitions. We love spending time together but we’re also both very independent. We have our own lives, friends and hobbies. Being with JP makes me happy but I am able to be happy on my own and doing my own thing.
RW: Unconditional love and support. JP and I were good friends for 3 years before we started dating so we had a really solid foundation. We’ve always supported each other’s dreams and ambitions. We love spending time together but we’re also both very independent. We have our own lives, friends and hobbies. Being with JP makes me happy but I am able to be happy on my own and doing my own thing.
JP: I just try to support and help Roberta to accomplish the things she wants to do and she does the same for me. I think that supporting each others goals is a major part but there a lots of other things too.
FITNESS & HEALTH TIPS
from JP and Roberta Walker
from JP and Roberta Walker
JP and Roberta both lead busy active lives. Since they travel frequently, they need a solid foundation easy to take on the road. These daily rituals help the Walkers maintain a healthy lifestyle. Here they share a few of their TOP fitness and health tips.
RW:
- Stretching is so important. I do yoga but I also do specific stretching for the activities I do. As I have gotten older I have realized how important stretching is.
- Keep moving!! Whatever makes you feel good, just keep doing it. As you get older it’s harder to get going but if you never stop moving it’s easier.
- 30 days to form a good habit. It’s always hard to start a new fitness routine but if you dedicate 30 days to something it will become a habit.
- Building a solid foundation is key. If you are starting something new take lessons so you can start out right with proper form or focus. This will set you up on the right path for fitness success. You want to get into weight training, start with a personal trainer for a month. Thinking about pilates, take some private lessons first.
JP:
- Good breakfast.
- Lots of stretching. I try to do it everyday but I probably average 4-5 days a week.
- Balance in activities. I snowboard tons in the winter so I try to offset that in the summer with yoga and more traditional gym exercises.
- Know when to push it and when to back off. I try to have reasonable expectations of what my limits are. Sometimes I go beyond that when I have to. For example when I’m trying to learn a new trick of get something on video for a movie I will go to the full limit but I know that I can’t perform like that everyday of the winter.
- Quailty sleep and food.
- Lots of water.
- Try to listen what your body is saying and give it what it wants. Whether it's a certain food, or rest, or even one activity over another.
FEATURED RECIPE
Raw Cilantro Lime Dip with E3AFA
by Roberta Walker
Roberta is quite the wiz in the kitchen and always coming up with delicious and nutritious recipes. Here is an easy to make yummy "superfood" dip with E3AFA.
- 3 C sunflower seeds
- 1/2 C + 2 TBSP lime juice
- 1/4 C Coconut Water
- 1/2 C water
- 3 TBSP of fresh parsley
- 1 tsp Himalayan salt
- 1/2 tsp Black pepper (or to taste)
- 1/8 tsp Chili (or to taste)
- 1/4 tsp Cumin
- 1 serving of E3AFA
- 3 large bunches of cilantro, 3 C packed
preparation:
- Place your sunflower seeds, lime juice, water, spices and E3AFA into a food processor fitted with the s blade and process until smooth.
- Chop up the cilantro and add until you have your desired consistency. I usually like to go for a pretty smooth dip for this one with just small flakes of cilantro throughout.
Use it as a dip for chips, in a stuffed pepper, in a nori sushi roll with veg or simply as a side to a salad. If you’re looking to reduce your nut and seed intake, you can always half the seed portion or double the cilantro portion.
Stored in a sealed glass container in the refrigerator Cilantro Lime Dip will last for 2 - 3 days.
Check out other nutritional creations by Roberta Walker on her fun, healthy lifestyle blog, beingberta.com.
