Back to Health: Shameka Christon�s Plan to Return to Form in 2011

In her second season with the Sky, versatile small forward Shameka Christon�s top priority for herself and the team is staying healthy. After suffering from a broken orbital bone that kept her out for most of the 2010 season, the seven year veteran is looking to bounce back and help her team in the push for playoffs. In order to do that, she knows she needs forget about last year and stay on the floor.

Missing the majority of last season had been upsetting to Christon, she acknowledges, but she won�t let it get her down.

�I really worked hard,� she says. �Even when I had a setback from an injury last year, I continued to push myself.�

Christon knows she can get results when she puts in the work. In 2009, her fifth season in the league, she was named a WNBA all-star reserve.

�It was amazing,� she says. �It�s something that no one is ever going to take away from me. It was an accomplishment to really award all of the hard work that I�ve put in over the years. It especially spoke volumes to me when the coaches voted for me and the experience is a memory that I�ll always cherish.�

Although she has fully recovered from last season�s fracture, she still wears protective goggles to avoid a similar injury, and is newly focused on doing things right to stay healthy. Primarily, Christon attributes her return to form to healthier eating habits and targeted exercise, which she also believes will be crucial for staying fit for the duration of the season.

�I definitely want to stay healthy and be at 100%,� Christon says. �I�m working closely with my strength coach and I am also making a point to eat a lot healthier.�

The biggest change to her diet this year has been including a healthy breakfast, something she hadn�t done in the past.

�I�m not a big breakfast eater and that had to change. I also try to stay away from carbs during the evening but if I do eat them, I want to eat them at least three hours before I go to bed.�

A renewed focus on staying healthy should keep Christon in the lineup and help the team win.

�Anything I can do to help my team I will do because I am just that dedicated,� she says �And staying healthy is obviously something that helps.�