Month: August 2024

Abbott

Our biggest goals are unlikely to come easy.

That means late nights and early mornings — with loads of dedication in-between.

But even with plenty of hustle in store, there are also savvy ways to tackle some of the biggest challenges ahead.

Whether you’re an athlete racing to the finish line, an entrepreneur getting your idea off the ground, or a rising star in your profession, there are smart ways to approach your ambitions to get to the top.

Just ask Meghann Featherstun about her hustle. The marathoner and sports dietitian is celebrating the ultimate prize: winning her Abbott World Marathon Majors Six Star medal. The Six Star medal was introduced in 2016 to honor the runners who complete all six major marathons, and Featherstun earned hers after running the TCS London Marathon. From Berlin, Tokyo, Chicago, Boston, New York and now London, Featherstun has learned a lot about herself and her best nutrition along the way.

She’s breaking down how to get into a runner’s mindset by sharing six things she’s learned for six stars.

Take it Step by Step

Looking 10 steps — or 10 marathons — ahead can make it easy to get nervous about the challenges that you’ve yet to encounter, said Featherstun who ran her first marathon in 2009.

But taking these small steps adds up. The 16-time marathoner is one of the fastest in her age group, improving her time — and her nutrition — nearly every time.

Featherstun, who turned 40 years old this year, now runs marathons in under 2 hours and 50 minutes. (For context, the average marathon finish time for all runners is estimated to be around 4 hours, 30 minutes.)

“At first, you’re thinking, ‘I just have to get out there and run,’ ” she said. “But then you can look back and realize just how far you’ve come.”

There’s Always Room for Improvement

Featherstun doesn’t allow herself to become complacent when it comes to accumulating wins. And she’s learned to not only refine her training regimen but also her marathon nutrition strategies.

In recent races, that’s meant planning her hydration in the days leading up to the event, finetuning her carb-loading schedule and determining the optimal fuel throughout the run.

“Running marathons means we have to take our nutrition to a place that no one has taught us before,” she said. “Performance nutrition is not even on most people’s radar and can take a lot of attention.”

There’s Not One Right Path

Featherstun, who guides others looking to compete in long-distance running and improve their own nutrition is careful when it comes to giving advice. The mother of two shaved off 30 minutes off her time between her first and fourth marathons by tweaking her own marathon nutrition.

That said, instead of prescribing a one-size-fits-all approach, she encourages athletes to listen to their bodies when it comes to exploring different strategies — and to keep going. “When I work with clients, I actually help them understand some of their personal pain points,” she said.

Find Your Rituals

Whether it’s stocking bagels for some extra carbs or sipping an electrolyte drink like Pedialyte Sport in the days before a long run, Featherstun recommends building your own comfort-focused routine. For her, that means eating a few graham crackers before her morning run to replenish her glycogen stores without sitting down to a full breakfast.

When traveling across time zones — like she did to Berlin, London and Tokyo — she’s also careful to stash her favorites in her carry-on rather than focus on diversifying her nutrition. “It’s about packing those old trusty foods,” she said. “And it’s OK to have a little more of what works.”

Build a Community You Trust

No matter the industry — or the sport — becoming part of a supportive community can make it easier to get through the ups and downs. Finding mentors and others willing to share their insights on long distance running has helped Featherstun understand how to move forward when she’s feeling stuck.

When running the major marathons, Featherstun swears by showing up and mingling at the various events throughout the weekend. “It’s all about meeting people and seeing what worked for others,” she said.

Back home in Ohio, she often works with fellow runners to understand how much fuel they need in the days running up to their longest runs. Many runners don’t realize how much energy they burn on those days and how tough it can be on the body.

“Under-fueling is really dangerous, but you don’t have to learn the hard way — you can gather this intel from the running community and peers,” she said.

Enjoy the Journey

Running the Abbott World Marathon Majors didn’t just make Featherstun faster or stronger. If you look for it, marathon running transforms the people who take on the challenge beyond their physical capability. Featherstun described how performance running changed the way she saw herself and what she was capable of — running her fastest marathon at 40 while juggling being a mom and business owner.

It even changed the way she sees food, now seeing how food is the fuel our bodies need to be our best selves.

When you stop and look around — running a marathon (or six) has the power to change the way you see yourself and the world around you.

Abbott is the title sponsor of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, a series of six of the largest and most renowned marathons in the world: Tokyo Marathon, Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America, TCS London Marathon, BMW Berlin-Marathon, Bank of America Chicago Marathon and TCS New York City Marathon.

Published by Las Vegas Sands on July 25, 2024

This month has been designated as Plastic Free July to raise awareness about the environmental impact of plastic waste and pollution, particularly with single-use plastic items. The campaign challenges individuals and organizations to commit to reducing plastic use and eliminating plastic waste, as well as provides ideas and solutions for sustainable alternatives that can minimize plastic reliance and inspire action.

Plastic waste is a growing environmental problem. The United Nations Environmental Programme estimates that 400 million tons of plastic waste are produced every year. If current trends continue, global production of primary plastic is forecasted to reach 1,100 million tons by 2050, which will further increase plastic waste.

These numbers demonstrate how ubiquitous plastic has become, particularly in product packaging. Approximately 36% of all plastics produced are used in packaging, including single-use plastic products for food and beverage containers. Approximately 85% of these plastic containers end up in landfills or as unregulated waste.

Oceans are one of the largest receptacles for this waste, with estimates that 75-199 million tons of plastic are currently found in oceans. Unless changes in plastic production, use and disposal come to fruition, the amount of plastic waste entering aquatic ecosystems could nearly triple from 9-14 million tons per year in 2016 to a projected 23-37 million tons per year by 2040.

For these reasons, Sands has made addressing plastic and packaging one of its top environmental priorities. The company works to replace these materials with sustainable alternatives and has established mechanisms to responsibly handle plastic waste.

“The nature of our business requires products and amenities that have been heavily reliant on plastics, but we have taken a committed and methodical approach to determining where we can eliminate, reduce and reuse to be more sustainable,” Katarina Tesarova, senior vice president and chief sustainability officer, said. “We have prioritized addressing solutions for our highest-volume plastic products and strive to eliminate single-use items that are more prone to escaping into the environment.”

Transitioning to Reusable and Sustainable Water Solutions

A primary plastic-reduction priority has been a multi-year effort to replace Sands-branded plastic water bottles with reusable or sustainable alternatives. The company has set a goal for 100% replacement by 2025. At the end of 2023, Sands had incorporated sustainable solutions in 61% of branded water bottles.

In Singapore, Marina Bay Sands has fully transitioned 100% of its branded water bottles to recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) and is continuing to incorporate reusable options into other plastic applications.

Sands China’s plastic water bottle use on casino floors grew over the past year due to higher visitation numbers in 2023, which prompted increased purchasing and the need to source a wide variety of products, resulting in a lower percentage of bottles with sustainable attributes. To address its reliance on plastic, Sands China has established several initiatives, including exploring the addition of refill counters and water trolleys on casino floors.

Sands China also is working to promote recycling of plastic water bottles leaving its resorts by partnering with water bottle supplier Bonaqua to add product labeling that guides users to recycle bottles in vending machines located throughout Macao for credit. Finally, the company is conducting trials of water dispensers with reusable glass bottles in 10 restaurants at The Londoner Macao.

Reducing Plastic Use in Kitchens and Food Service

Last year, Marina Bay Sands began eliminating plastic cling wrap in its kitchens, which use an average of 19,000 rolls annually. To start the process, the resort identified the top 10 uses for wrap, which included food preparation, transport trolley food covers, plated-food protection, and storage of dry goods, tableware and food. Eliminating these plastic wrap applications requires new processes and solutions, as well as behavior change. Initial efforts have included engaging with food and beverage leaders to develop alternative practices.

Marina Bay Sands also is piloting the use of ecoTOTEs for dissemination of spirits in bars and restaurants. Liquor supplies are delivered in ecoTOTEs, which are then used for dispensing and returned to distributors for refilling and redelivery.

Addressing Plastics in Laundry Service

Laundry service is another area in which plastics and single-use disposables have played prominent roles, and both Marina Bay Sands and Sands China are committed to removing these hard-to-eliminate items from their laundry operations.

Marina Bay Sands has circumvented using single-use plastic covers for laundry items by providing Team Members with reusable laundry bags for uniform washes, which is projected to eliminate more than 13,000 single-use plastic bags annually.

Sands China worked with on-site laundry suppliers to establish processes for reusing laundry hangers, which has resulted in 74% of hangers being recycled each month. The company also stopped using small plastic clips to hold garments on hangers in most cases and has established recycling processes for applications that still require clips. Finally, Sands China prevented more than 4,000 used laundry baskets from going to landfills by distributing them to local organizations and Sands Shopping Carnival attendees.

“We take a holistic approach to reducing plastic waste in all areas of our business and continually look for new ways to address the reliance on plastics our society has developed,” Tesarova said. “We are in sync with the goals of Plastic Free July and committed to advancing its ideals.”

Sands’ work to reduce reliance on plastics is guided by the Sands ECO360 global sustainability program. To learn more about the company’s environmental priorities and performance, read the latest ESG report: https://www.sands.com/resources/reports/.