We all have a real-life “Wonder Woman” in our circle of friends and family.  These are folks who take on the world and everything it throws at them!  Our good friend McKenzie Lyng definitely fits that model.  McKenzie is a professional golfer, a business owner, and a full-time mom.  With all of that going on, you can be sure that she knows how to balance responsibilities and tackle challenges head-on.  For her, it all comes down to one big thing: taking great care of herself, so that she can take care of... well... everything else.

The Everyday Superhero

Growing up, McKenzie had a strong drive to compete, always knowing she wanted to be an athlete.  She started off playing softball, but soon began pursuing golf because she loved the challenge it presented. At Kent State, she balanced life as a Division I golfer while also earning her degree in marketing, something she saw at the time as a "fallback plan" in case the "golf thing" did not work out.

As it turned out, golf did work out for McKenzie, and in a big way. After graduating, she moved to Arizona and toured for four years as a PGA Women's Professional. When the Canadian Tour, of which she was a part, lost funding in 2015, she decided it was time to take a new direction. Together with another professional golfer, she started her own business, Backswing Golf Events.  If that wasn’t enough, at the same time, she got married and started a family!

Behind her success as an athlete, McKenzie is an everyday superhero — by superhero, we mean that she’s taken the pressures and challenges of life and used them as a source of her strength.  It’s that strength that inspires us, and so we wanted to share it with you!

Life's Big Changes and Challenges

Surely McKenzie faced many challenges as a busy student athlete and as a touring professional on the road for 24 weeks a year. But when we asked her to describe a significant challenge in her life, interestingly she did not recall a comeback golf match or a difficult practice. Instead, she brought up the changes she faced when she began living life as a CEO and raising her son at the same time.

It was two transitions at once: the transition to being a stay-at-home parent, and the transition to being a high-level business owner. That would be enough to make anyone's head spin, but while McKenzie admits to sometimes feeling overwhelmed, she does not let herself dwell on any particularly difficult moment. Instead, she makes a plan to get everything done, and she chooses to focus on the benefits of what she's doing — the way motherhood has made her a better businesswoman, and the way being an athlete has makes her a better mom and businesswoman. 

If You Fail to Plan, Plan on Failing

McKenzie once had a coach who told her, "If you fail to plan, you can plan on failing." That's a motto she lives by to this day. You might assume that keeping up her athletic conditioning is viewed as just another responsibility on McKenzie's list, but she does not really see it that way. Instead, she looks at her health as the lynchpin on which the rest of her plan hinges. She takes good care of herself and maintains her athleticism so that she can keep up with her son — and so she can keep working efficiently.

The planning begins with her diet. Instead of leaving anything to chance, McKenzie has a very structured way of eating. Every morning starts with a protein shake. (Lately, she says she's been loving PlantFusion's Red Velvet Complete Protein blended with half a banana, chocolate almond milk, and some peanut butter.) Then it's a snack, lunch, another snack, and dinner. She makes it a priority to eat every 2 1/2 hours, and while she does try to meal-prep and have meals ready in advance, she also keeps emergency snacks on hand so she's not tempted by treats and unhealthy options. She loves the PlantFusion Ready Drinks — she keeps them in her pantry and takes them to the golf course and to meetings so that she always has a healthy meal option on-hand.

You might be wondering what the diet of a pro athlete looks like. Here's the summary: with McKenzie, there are no gimmicks. She's not following the latest keto or cabbage soup diet fad. Rather, she relies on healthy, whole foods like green veggies and lean meats. She doesn't run from carbs, but she does choose them wisely, opting for fiber-rich options like quinoa and brown rice. And as someone who can't tolerate gluten or dairy, she has come to love ingredient swaps. She uses them in dishes her whole family will love — like her infamous butternut squash mac-and-cheese. When her initial plans fall apart, as they sometimes do for all moms, she has a backup plan: protein shakes. Sometimes she has two a day, occasionally three. And she knows that her nutrient needs are being met.

With her busy life, that's paramount. If her nutrient needs are met, she feels her best. Her husband, son, and business partners get the best version of her... and with McKenzie, you get the sense that's what matters most.

“Get it Done Girl!” - McKenzie's Tips for Success

There's a lot to be learned from McKenzie's busy life and how she plans to handle the chaos. Here are a few key tips you can integrate into your own busy lifestyle.

• Believe that you're worth it! You are worth the extra dollars spent on healthier food, and you're worth the time spent planning healthy meals.
• Have a go-to meal ready at hand for those busy days. PlantFusion's Complete Protein and Ready Drinks are great choices.
• If you have dietary restrictions, find meals you can eat, but that the whole family also loves. 
• Spend more time worrying about your body, and less time worrying about everything else. A healthy body is your starting point for success.
• Focus on making small changes; a few small tweaks can make a huge difference.

So, are you ready to embrace life's challenges and be your own superhero? Here at PlantFusion, we believe it all starts by filling yourself with the highest quality, most delicious plant-based nutrition on the planet.  We call it being Full of Crop because, after all, nutrition should be fun and easy. 

If you’re inspired by McKenzie like we are, check her out online.  She currently runs golf events and clinics in beautiful Scottsdale, AZ:

http://backswinggolfevents.com/

Or follow her on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mckenzielyng/

-Chris Young