Texas A&M forward Adaora Elonu may have been born and raised in Houston, but her childhood was also influenced by more than just the Texas culture—specifically, her family’s Nigerian roots and her parents’ desire to raise their five children as Christ-followers. Now a senior with the defending NCAA National Champion Aggies, Elonu is working to establish a legacy of her own—one of both basketball brilliance and spiritual impact.

It’s a simple phrase, yet one that means everything to former two-sport Baylor University star Melissa Jones, who ends every email with those encouraging words.

Over the last four seasons, “MJ,” the Big 12 Conference 2011 Female Sportsperson of the Year, was just as comfortable sharing Christ’s love with others as she was distributing the rock to her teammates. Her work ethic, athleticism and faith shined both on and off the court—even as darkness, quite literally, crept in.

I recently downloaded an app for my iPhone called “Eat This, Not That!” It’s the official app for the bestselling weight loss book series by the same title, which offers simple food and drink swaps we can make when eating out, grocery shopping and cooking. While not all of their swaps are necessarily “healthy.” they are always better options than the popular choices listed.

If you want to perform better on the field—and in life—sleep might just be your secret weapon.

I recently came across a study conducted by sleep expert Dr. Bill Dement from Stanford University in which he evaluated 11 players from the university’s men’s basketball team. For the study, the athletes were asked to sleep normally according to their habits for two to four weeks and then spend the next five to seven weeks sleeping 10 hours per night. While most of the athletes still slept fewer than nine hours per night, the results were eye-opening.