ATHLEISURE MAG NOV 2019 | BACK TO THE HILLS WITH WHITNEY PORT

This summer, many of us enjoyed seeing The Hills: New Beginnings which brought back our favorite reality stars from The Hills as well as new castmembers to con- tinue this MTV classic. One of our faves that we have interviewed previously on Athleisure Mag is back on the show, Whit- ney Port. We wanted to know more about her decision to bring her personal life back to the screen, projects she's working on and how she continues to lead a normal and full life even when a migraine hits!

ATHLEISURE MAG: Like many, we were glad to see you in the reboot of MTV The Hills Beginnings. We were fans of the orig- inal and loved you on this current season. What was it like for you to come back and what was your decision to do so?

WHITNEY PORT: I honestly wasn’t so sure about it at first. I was nervous to come back and to put my life and everything going on with my family back on TV. Then I just thought, it sounds fun, I’m in a good place with everybody and why not recon- nect and give people something that’s nostalgic and something that they en- joyed watching. I do think that I had some nervousness about not knowing what people were going to be like or to start – you never know with Reality TV people. Are they just going to start drama out of nowhere? You have to be nervous and you have to have your guard up a little bit. But ultimately, I felt that the show was a huge part of my life and that it was a platform that allowed me to do everything that I do now so I thought, “why not?”

AM: Well it was so fun to see you again and are there other projects that you have go- ing on that we should keep an eye out for?

WP: Yes for sure! Today, I’m talking about Excedrin Migraine – not that it’s a proj- ect, but this condition is something that I have suffered with for quite awhile. I feel that it’s my duty to talk about Excedrin because it’s the one thing that I can do to make them go away so that I can be pres- ent and can take care of all the things that I want to do and am passionate about,

you know? It can be hard, especially as a mom, when you’re hit by one. Recording my podcast or my collection with Rent the Runway coming out in April – so there all these exciting things that I want to do that are dreams, goals and passions and keeping myself healthy and that I’m mi- graine free is really important to me.

AM: There are a lot of people that suf- fer with them. Do you have certain kinds of triggers that kick in with you that you know that it’s going to happen? What makes a migraine so different then a reg- ular headache?

WP: I mean a migraine is all consuming. I start to not be able to see straight, I get sweaty palms, a lack of energy, I just get a pounding pain in my head and when these things start to happen – I know it’s coming. If I can drink a full glass of water, take my Excedrin and get a little protein in me those are usually the things that help them to go away before it gets to a place where I just can’t handle it.

AM: Why did you decide to partner with Excedrin and why is it so good for migraine conditions?

WP: I decided to partner because it’s what I was taking. I talk about my migraine is- sues on my podcast and on my social. I would talk about Excedrin and that it was something that helped. Naturally, they reached out and said that they wanted to work together because they saw that it was something that was a part of my life in a big way. In terms of what is in it – I’m not a doctor. But I know that what is in there with its ingredients that when it comes together it’s combined strength allows me to function!

AM: In terms of your partnership with Ex- cedrin, what does your partnership look like with them whether they are things on your social, events etc?

AM: As someone who is so busy, as a mom, wife, entrepreneur and Reality Star, what are 3 things that you like to do to take time for yourself?

WP: A couple of things I do for myself are: I take a hot yoga class. It changes my whole mood and it’s an hour to myself where I am sweating out so much – I’m energized and I’m ready to get back to the grind on my career as well as being a mom! I am a huge proponent of massages! I know that they are a luxury, but I use the App Soothe which comes to your house. Once I put Sonny down for the night, I will or- der a massage and it’s pretty affordable and I don’t have to leave the house and can do it while Sonny is sleeping. You can tell the therapist that you have a migraine issue and they can work on certain areas to help like around the jaw, head or neck. Then, another thing is just trying my best to fill my body with things that are going

to be good fuel for it instead of just empty calories. I drink these really good smooth- ies from Kreation that have turmeric, Kreation Juice, coconut and all of these good anti-inflammatory type things. I try not to eat a lot of processed sugar and I try to have a healthy dose of greens everyday and definitely meat, protein etc. My hus- band in the morning before my yoga will scramble me 2 eggs with a little grated cheddar in there for some extra protein. I think that physical activity, something lux- urious and feeding your body with good stuff will set you up for success. Also tak- ing time to just listen to good music and taking some deep breaths can make a big difference. A lot of us have a commute whether it’s in cars or buses – putting in my earpods, listening to some calming music and taking some deep breaths can really ground me and put me back into a present mind space.

@WhitneyPort