Archives for July 2012

Six Star Pro Nutrition announced today the signing of 22-year-old tennis star Victoria Azarenka. In a press release, Azarenka said, ““This partnership gives me the opportunity to reach out and inspire more young women to pursue and achieve their goals.” Read the entire release below and for more info on Victoria “like” her facebook page.

SIX STAR PRO NUTRITION® SIGNS MULTI-YEAR ENDORSEMENT WITH TENNIS STAR VICTORIA AZARENKA
Azarenka to Represent Six Star® as Brand Ambassador.

Oakville, ON (July 10, 2012) – Six Star Pro Nutrition®, one of the USA’s leading sport supplement brands, has announced the signing of the world’s #1 ranked female tennis player, Victoria Azarenka, to its elite roster of endorsers. She’ll join NFL® New England Patriots® tight end Rob Gronkowski, NBA® Oklahoma City Thunder® All-Star Russell Westbrook, MLB® Miami Marlins® outfielder Giancarlo Stanton and UFC® Heavyweight Brendan Schaub as the company’s athlete spokespeople.

Azarenka will be featured in an integrated Six Star® marketing campaign that combines print and digital media, in-store point-of-purchase material, and multiple social media platforms that engages her expansive fan base.

“Despite her young age, Victoria’s already had a string of successes on the court, including the #1 ranking in women’s tennis,” says Iovate Health Sciences International Chief Marketing Officer Vito Sanzone. “But we know that this is only the start of what will be a promising career and we’re proud to be a part of it!”

Victoria Azarenka is the 2012 Australian Open™ singles champion and a twelve-time WTA® Champion. Nicknamed ‘Vika,’ the 22-year-old has spent 20 weeks as the world #1 and recently reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon®. Azarenka will represent Belarus at the upcoming games in London this summer.

“I’m extremely excited to be a part of the Six Star® team and be an advocate for a brand I believe in,” says Azarenka. “This partnership gives me the opportunity to reach out and inspire more young women to pursue and achieve their goals.”

Six Star Pro Nutrition® products are available nationwide at Walmart, CVS/pharmacy, Walgreens, Rite Aid/GNC and other fine retailers.

For more information, visit www.sixstarpronutrition.com and follow Six Star® at Facebook.com/sixstarnutrition and on Twitter @SixStarPro.

Photo via https://www.facebook.com/SixStarNutrition

Gina Aliotti hasn’t competed since the 2009 Figure Olympia. She was the runner-up at the Olympia three times but took top honors at the 2008 Figure International. Many felt she was positioned to be the next Figure Olympia champion before she stepped away from the stage. She’s one of the few who have left the competitive stage on top of their game to pursue other interests. Gina passed on the 2010 Figure International and instead exchanged wedding vows with Michael Silva. Fast-forward to today and Gina shares with us this exclusive interview on her latest news. Gina and Michael are expecting their first child in January. Check out what the champ had to say about the big news and what’s ahead.

First, Congrats! How far along are you?
Thank you. Just over 12 weeks… We are due on January 17th.

Was this a “planned” addition?
Yes, my husband and I have been talking about it for a while and thought the timing was perfect! I wanted to spend a little bit of time, after competing to live and enjoy our first years of marriage and now we are excited and ready.

Do you know what the sex of your baby or want it to be a mystery?
We definitely want to know and will find out late in August at 20 weeks.

Do you have your names picked out?
We are tossing around a few names but not sharing any yet…

So it’s like a fitness routine – top secret until the big day?
Exactly!

So no plans of returning to the stage or will we see you after the baby is born?
Never say never but as of now stepping on stage is the last thing on my mind and enjoying my baby and all the joy he/she will bring is #1. As of now, I honestly can’t see how I would juggle a new born, contest prep, running my business and being a wife but hey, I know there are tons of super moms that do so I will never say never! My hat goes off to all those mothers because as of now, not sure how I would balance all of that! No matter what, my biggest priority is to ensure that I don’t put too much on my plate and I maintain balance in all areas of my life. I just want to live in the moment and see where motherhood takes me. If it is to the stage, that is where I will go but not making any plans now, just enjoying my journey!

Do you still follow the industry despite not being active on stage?
Absolutely! I have girls that compete and I love living vicariously though them! I am still very active at the Jon Lindsay’s NPC shows and love seeing the girls display their hard work and dedication. Being on stage is only a small part of the industry. What I love now is seeing it from a different point of view and being able to be hands on with my clients who have the dreams and goals that I once had! It has been really fun to be on the other side of the fence!

Tell the ladies what you’ll be doing to journal/document your pregnancy and where they can find more about it.
I will continue to post on my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/GinaAliotti) and blogging my “Beautiful, Healthy, & Fit Pregnancy” on The Gina Aliotti Fitness Network. I will be sharing my daily log with workouts, nutrition, how I am feeling, possible cravings, and just how my pregnancy journey is unfolding! I am excited to share my journey with you! I would love people to get involved, share their stories and be an active part of my pregnancy!

Besides the baby – what else have you been up to?
I have been really busy with my personal training and nutrition consulting business. Both in person and online I spend my days helping men and women, of all walks of life, bettering their health and fitness. My clients keep me really busy and I love every moment of it. I have also been busy creating my NEW Lifestyle Balance Diet Plan. I am excited to have completed this new project and have been really happy with the results people are getting! It is a downloadable Diet and Training plan that offers 85 pages of my tools and tips to get in the best shape and maintain your results for life. People are calling it their “Fitness Bible”, which is pretty cool because I created it to be used as a solid foundation for longterm results. On a personal note, Michael and I have done some traveling and spent lots of quality time with friends and family! I have really enjoyed some downtime, after 7 years of competing. 🙂

What’s been the biggest challenge since leaving the stage?
I would say, finding that balance again. Competing took so much of my life for so long and after stopping, it took me some time to get back to reality, finding that balance of normal life, training, etc. Ever since I was 19, I ate, breathed, and drank competitions. After deciding to take a break and move on with the next chapter of my life, it took me some time to reestablish goals, off the stage, discover what was going to work for me, how I wanted to train, etc. It has been quite a journey and taken me some time to get back to Gina Aliotti off the stage but with time, I reestablished myself, my goals, my dreams and what initially led me to competition and that is my absolute love for everyday health and fitness. Competition takes you to a completely different level of fitness, physically and mentally. I believe it takes time to regain your idea of reality and what is “normal”. I would say taking on the competition journey is a big challenge but then easing off the competition train is yet another big challenge in itself.

I am really excited to share my exciting news and Beautiful, Healthy and Fit Pregnancy with everyone!

Congrats Gina and all the best to you, Michael and the little one on the way!

Proctor & Gamble is getting behind the Olympic Games in a variety of ways. One of the most memorable and inspiring ways is through their “Thank You Mom” Campaign. They showed their continued support of moms and what matters most to them, their children, by providing USA Gymnastics with a $75,000 grant. This has the potential to help millions of kids. The USA Gymnastics Fitness Program encourages kids ages 6-16 to engage in physical fitness through training, exercise and nutrition awareness.

Procter & Gamble Announces Support of USA Gymnastics Through $75,000 Grant as Part of USOC’s P&G Team USA Youth Sports Fund
Grant Will Benefit up to One Million Kids as Part of Company’s Youth Sports Initiative for London 2012 Olympic Games

CINCINNATI, June 28, 2012 – Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG), a Worldwide Olympic Partner, continues its support of moms and what matters most to them – their children – by providing USA Gymnastics a $75,000 grant to support youth sports development, which has the potential to benefit up to one million kids.

The grant will be used to benefit the USA Gymnastics Fitness Program, which encourages kids ages 6-16 to engage in physical fitness through training, exercise and nutrition awareness. This is the first of several grants that will be awarded to National Governing Bodies (NGBs) to help encourage youth to engage in sports.

“Participation in youth sports was a driver to get me to where I am today. All kids should have the opportunity to reach their dreams like I have, and youth sports can help do that,” said Shawn Johnson, Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics. “I am proud to be working with P&G and look forward to watching the positive impact P&G and its brands will have on the sport of gymnastics.”

Kids who participate in the USA Gymnastics Fitness Program will benefit from the program’s year-round goal of helping youth achieve a physically active lifestyle. Through lessons, training exercises and charts to track participants’ progress at home, this program found on the USA Gymnastics website at www.usagym.org/fitness will assist children in providing a solid foundation for becoming physically fit and healthy.

“On behalf of USA Gymnastics, we are thankful to P&G for its grant of $75,000 that will be used to support our youth development programs such as the USA Gymnastics Fitness Program,” said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. “P&G’s commitment to youth sports will help to further develop the next generation of gymnasts from recreational to elite.”

P&G and its beauty brands like Venus®, Olay®, Secret, Pantene and COVERGIRL® are encouraging consumers to help support the USOC’s P&G|Team USA Youth Sports Fund. Consumers across the country can participate by redeeming the P&G brandSAVER coupons from the Sunday, July 1 newspaper. For each coupon redeemed, 2¢ will be donated to the USOC’s P&G|Team USA Youth Sports Fund.

Consumers also have the opportunity to contribute to the Youth Sports Fund by following @thankyoumom on Twitter. For every new follower, P&G will donate one dollar to the USOC’s P&G|Team USA Youth Sports Fund, up to $50,000. Additional Twitter donation information can be found by following @thankyoumom.

“We have been a proud supporter of USA Gymnastics for many years through our beauty brands,” said Jodi Allen, Vice President of North American Operations and Marketing at P&G and herself a mother of four. “We are also the proud supporters and sponsors of moms to help them make their children’s lives the best they can be. Through this grant, moms can help their athletes reach new heights. We are thrilled to continue our support of USA Gymnastics and youth sports as part of the company’s global effort to raise more than $5 million.”

For more information and assets related to the campaign, visit www.facebook.com/thankyoumom.

About P&G
P&G touches and improves the lives of about 4.4 billion people around the world with its portfolio of trusted, quality brands. The Company’s leadership brands include Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Fairy®, Gain®, Pringles®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun®, Fusion®, Ace®, Febreze®, and Ambi Pur®. With operations in about 80 countries, P&G brands are available in more than 180 countries worldwide. Please visit pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

About USA Gymnastics
Based in Indianapolis, USA Gymnastics is the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States. Its mission is to encourage participation and the pursuit of excellence in the sport. Its disciplines include men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline and tumbling, acrobatic gymnastics, and group gymnastics (also known as Gymnastics for All). For more information, log on to www.usagym.org.

About the USOC
The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the sole entity in the United States whose mission involves training, entering and underwriting the full expenses for the U.S. teams in the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games. In addition to being the steward of the U.S. Olympic Movement, the USOC is the moving force for support of sports in the United States that are on the program of the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games. For more information, visit TeamUSA.org.
Photo courtesy of P&G.