LEAD STORY
LOVE & HEALTH & HAPPINESS
A peek into Pro Snowboarder JP Walker and wife Roberta's happy healthy lifestyle
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
What is your favorite E3Live product?
How do E3Live products help with your athletic performance?
RW: Blue Majik!
How do E3Live products help with your athletic performance?
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.
Any new snowboarding movies or fun adventures planned?
JP: Videograss’s new Flick,
Visitors.
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.
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.