Pro Soccer Star Kelley O'Hara Takes Leading Role In 'BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK™' Campaign

O'Hara Reveals Her 'Secret' Recovery Drink Helping Her Prep for the World Stage

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May 20, 2015, 08:00 ET

WASHINGTON, May 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- As 24 teams from around the globe prepare to face off this June in the biggest tournament in women's soccer, one of the most recognizable names on the U.S. team is sharing a secret to her success. Kelley O'Hara, who hopes to help bring home the win after the U.S. narrowly missed against Japan in the final four years ago, credits her success not only to hard work, but also to a focus on recovery that is BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK.

Pro Soccer Star Kelley O'Hara Reveals Her Secret to Recovery

Soccer players run more during a single match than athletes in any other mainstream sport – averaging at least 7 milesⁱ. The back-to-back tournament games mean the world's best soccer players have to be able to bounce back and be ready for the next match. Backed by more than 20 scientific studies, lowfat chocolate milk has high-quality protein to build lean muscle and nutrients to help muscles recover after strenuous physical activity – like soccer.

BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK: Kelley O'Hara
Kelley O'Hara played all 570 minutes of the six matches in London in 2012 where she won a gold medal. She will now star in the national BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK TV, print and digital campaign debuting at the end of this month. Fans will catch an exclusive glimpse of the defender's skills and learn the secret to her post-exercise recovery that started with her college coach who shared with her team the benefits of recovering with chocolate milk.

"What you do on the field can only be a positive if you take care of what you need to off the field and that means recovery and refueling," said O'Hara. "I first started drinking chocolate milk to refuel in college when one of my assistant coaches said there were studies that proved that lowfat chocolate milk was great for recovery, so after practice we would get out two big gallons and drink it together as a team."

"There's a specific window of time after strenuous practices that's key to replenishing the body with what it's lost," said Jay Cooney, Kelley O'Hara's former college assistant coach. "For Kelley and other athletes that I've coached over the years, chocolate milk's a great recovery choice as it has high quality protein and nutrients, and it's backed by science. No one needed to be asked twice to drink it because everyone loves chocolate milk!"

O'Hara joins a team of elite athletes who make chocolate milk their recovery drink of choice, including professional basketball player Kevin Love and IRONMAN^® Triathlon Champions Mirinda Carfrae, Craig Alexander and Luke McKenzie.

"An unwavering passion for her sport, a winning attitude and her determination make Kelley an incredible role model," said Miranda Abney, Marketing Director at the Milk Processor Education Program. "Much like Kelley inspires those around her, she also inspires us and we're excited to celebrate her story. The new campaign showcases her training and recovery that is BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK, also going a step further to give soccer fans an inside glimpse into who Kelley is both on and off the field."

Chocolate Milk: Built With Science
More than 20 scientific studies including athletes from sports spanning soccer, basketball, running, cycling and swimming support the benefits of recovering after strenuous exercise with the high-quality protein and nutrients found in lowfat chocolate milk. As part of a regular recovery routine, it's an ideal way to help athletes rebuild and reshape with high quality protein scientifically shown to help repair muscles. In fact, according to a study of 13 male college soccer players, post-exercise consumption of lowfat chocolate milk was found to provide equal or possibly superior muscle recovery compared to a high-carbohydrate recovery beverage with the same amount of calories following a four-day period of intensified soccer training.^{i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi}

To learn more about the BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK campaign, the science behind the recovery benefits of lowfat chocolate milk, and to watch Kelley O'Hara's TV spot and exclusive behind-the-scenes videos, visit BuiltWithChocolateMilk.com. Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and on Instagram.

About the BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK Campaign
The Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP), Washington, D.C., is funded by the nation's milk companies, who are committed to increasing fluid milk consumption. The National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board, through MilkPEP, runs the BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK Campaign, a multi-faceted program designed to educate athletes and exercisers about the recovery benefits of lowfat chocolate milk after strenuous exercise. Lowfat chocolate milk helps athletes refuel, rebuild and reshape after regular exercise – with high quality protein scientifically shown to help repair and rebuild muscles. For more information, go to http://www.BuiltWithChocolateMilk.com/.

ⁱ Miller, Tracy. "Which Sports Run the Most? Stats Show Who Burns the Most Shoe Leather." NY Daily News. N.p., 04 Apr. 2013. Web. 04 May 2015.
ⁱⁱ Lunn WR, et al. Chocolate milk & endurance exercise recovery: protein balance, glycogen and performance. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2012;44:682-691.
ⁱⁱⁱHartman JW, et al. Consumption of fat-free fluid milk following resistance exercise promotes greater lean mass accretion than soy or carbohydrate consumption in young novice male weightlifters. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2007;86:373-381.
^ivJosse AR, et al. Body composition and strength changes in women with milk and resistance exercise. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2010;42:1122-1130.
^v McCleave EL, et al. Effects of aerobic training and nutritional supplementation on body composition, immune cells and inflammatory markers. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2011; 23:442.
^vi Karp JR, Johnston JD, Tecklenburg S, Mickleborough TD, Fly AD, Stager JM. Chocolate milk as a post-exercise recovery aid. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2006;16:78-91.