"When I went to America for the first time, it was extremely difficult for me because I was alone and I didn't know the language. People were great to me and wanted to help me with everything, but it's not the same as when you're with your own and when you talk my language. Everything was foreign and different to me. I was a bit lost at first. But, I didn't want to give up, I wanted to succeed in what I set for myself, I wanted to reach my goal and I succeeded in it. My goal was to get drafted out of college and that was it. I had a lot of ups and downs while I was there, but I didn't want to give up, it was often hard for me to be there alone, away from my family and friends, but I In the end, I wanted to endure and I'm proud of myself that I did," says Montenegrin national team player Nikola Vučević about his experience when he left for America at the age of 16.
It is one of the experiences when, he says, he managed to overcome himself and the obstacles he encountered with a healthy spirit.
He has been a member of "Budućnosti" since mid-August.
With his talent, 20-year-old Baranin is the biggest addition to "Budućnost", the eighth overall in the transfer window.
He will play for "Budućnost" until the end of the lockout in the NBA league, considering that Philadelphia chose him as the 16th pick in this year's draft.
A healthy diet and enough sleep are indispensable when it comes to a healthy lifestyle, according to Nikola.
In order for a person to lead a healthy life, he should, first of all, according to Vucevic, engage in physical activity several times a week.
"I think that people's desire to engage in some physical activities is slowly developing in our country, but it is not yet as it should be. In America, most people I know who are not athletes are involved in some form of physical activity. Here, people don't have that habit yet, because there were no conditions for it before. Now that is changing, there are more and more gyms and fitness centers and more and more people are interested in some form of recreation," says Vučević.
As for training, he says that there are two a day, in the morning and in the evening, "usually it's like that five times a week", and one day we have a match".
"I use one day a week for rest, which is also very important. You shouldn't work too much, you should also rest. Especially us athletes, because we put in a lot of effort during training and matches, and rest is important so that we can continue at that pace," says Vučević.
The basics of a healthy spirit, according to him, are "being positive in life, being persistent and having a desire for everything we do".
"I try to find something positive in everything, which is not always easy or possible, but I succeed," says Nikola.
A healthy diet is the rule
He considers healthy nutrition to be one of the most important segments of a healthy lifestyle. "Due to sports, I cut out a lot of the things I like to eat from my diet, e.g. sweets. I eat them in smaller quantities and not often. I avoid fatty and heavy food, dough. As an athlete, I have to eat food that gives me strength, food that has a lot of vitamins and proteins. I'm not a big fan of vegetables, but I eat them because they're healthy and useful," says Vučević. There must be fruit on his plate every day, and in large quantities.
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