Dallas Mavericks guard and BYU alum Kyle Collinsworth is a man of many talents. The second-year swingman earned himself a three-year contract in February 2018 with the Dallas Mavericks. He was given the contract based upon his successful tenure with the Mavs while playing on two 10-day contracts and also what the team saw when he played for the Mavericks G-League affiliate Texas Legends.
But, being a 6-foot 6-inch guard who has the ability to battle with big men for rebounds and control an offense isn’t the only thing that he is good at. Turns out, Collinsworth has other passions that he excels in, including educating others on the importance of fitness and nutrition.
Collinsworth turned his passions of fitness and nutrition into two eBooks in order to help others embarking on their fitness and health journey achieve their goals. The eBooks, Born to Be Strong and The Power of Food: Body, Mind, and Spirit, are packed with workouts, recipes, and steps to eating healthy that teach a healthy lifestyle, not a diet.
Dallas Sports Fanatic recently caught up with him at Dirk Nowitzki’s Heroes Celebrity Baseball Game to talk about what inspired him to share his experiences and knowledge of fitness and nutrition.
Q: What inspired you to branch outside of your profession and try to help other’s fitness journey with your books?
Collinsworth: After my sophomore year in college I tore my ACL. I wanted to make it back in six months for the next year. So I got really into nutrition and I just saw a great power, not only in changes in my body, but also how I felt mentally. I thought more clearly and it was a big improvement in my life. That was 5 years ago and gradually in that time I got better and better with my eating and it is something that when you come across something great you just want to share it with others.
Q: As a professional basketball player you go through rigorous workouts and a strict diet regimen. Are there lessons you have picked up from your playing career that you included in the books and if so what are some of those lessons?
Collinsworth: I just think in general that as an athlete when you aren’t healthy you can’t perform. It is the same in life. When you are sick all you can think about is being sick. So it’s not just about when you get sick trying to get better, it’s about preventing getting sick. In sports, we try to prevent injuries. Same with eating healthy, we try to prevent sickness before we get sick.
Q: This year players such as Kevin Love and DeMar DeRozan spoke about the importance of mental health. To you, how important is mental health to our physical fitness journey?
Collinsworth: Super important. In the sports world, in general, we have a lot of responsibilities. We are all trying to provide for our families and there is a lot on each person. To me, it is important to meditate every day, to just get away and catch my breath and calmness in my life because there is a lot of anxiety sometimes with life. So it is important to me to spend 20 minutes a day of just breathing and meditating and getting away for a little bit, re-centering.
The fitness and health savant is also active in social media and engages with fans frequently. He often talks about nutrition and fitness on Twitter (@bigrussia5) with his followers. Recently, he discussed the ever-growing controversial subject that is sugar in the diet.
Sugar is the most addicting substance, yet we embrace the idea of eating it in "moderation" sugar is a silent and deadly killer!
— Kyle Collinsworth (@bigrussia5) June 2, 2018
Q: You engage with fans on Twitter quite frequently. Recently you spoke on the addiction that is sugar. How have you treated sugar in your diet and how do you think the general population should approach sugar in their diets?
Collinsworth: “I think number one is awareness. That’s all I’m trying to do, I’m not trying to call anyone out. I mean, sugar is a huge part, it’s in everything. So I’m just trying to create awareness how dangerous it is first off and how it’s in everything. Then giving the people the option to decide what they want to do, if they want to improve their life. Sugar is really dangerous, it’s addicting. It has been a downfall for the health of America. So I think as a country we need to eliminate it from our diets and create better health for ourselves.”
Both of Collinsworth’s eBooks can be found online at his website, teamcollinsworth.com, or by clicking here. They are available in individual or bundle options and feature extras including video tutorials, food charts, and recipes.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login
You must log in to post a comment.