I’m a wanna-be racer

This is my second year cycling. I began last year when I realized there was a giant hole in my heart after retiring from professional boxing.  I needed a sport to fill this void.  Jason Gerhart suggested cycling and Chuck and Sue Peterson pushed me into it.  I’ve never looked back.

 

Last year I hit the sport head on–no holding back.  I gave it all I had and got better as the summer went on.  I rode through winter and this year I’m even stronger.  I’m riding with all men’s groups, taking my turn leading the pace line and barreling to the top of every hill.  I’m pushing myself hard, trashing my legs and blowing up my lungs.  I plan to be unstoppable by the end of this summer.

 

So, what’s my point?  We have this pro racing team here in Boise called, “Exergy.”  There is a women’s team and men’s team.  I began following the teams a few months ago and now I’ve become obsessed!  I can’t seem to get enough of them!  I know who they are, where they’re racing, what they’re wearing, etc…  I even went so far as to buy last year’s racing kit from a racer so I, too, could wear their gear.  I’m even having dreams about being on the team.

 

(Stop laughing, I’m pouring my guts out here) 

 

It would appear that I’m a typical wanna-be.  I’m a good cyclist.  But you should see these guys and girls.  They’re incredible!  I take nothing away from them and I admire them and their commitment to their sport.  I can handle being a proud fan and secretly wishing I was one of them.  But I’m more interested in the deeper issue:  Why have I become so obsessed?  Even if I was given a shot to try out for this team, you have no idea what these guys go through.  I’ve been a professional athlete, I know.  It takes extreme dedication, drive, will, and iron guts to make it to the finish line, let alone the podium.  I’m happy riding with my friends and riding hard with these tough men’s groups.  I don’t want to give up my relationship, work hours or family time.  So why can’t I just accept that and move on?  I know as an athlete in the lime light, fans only see a glimpse of you.  They only see you on race day or fight night.  They don’t see the athlete during the thousands of hours spent training, traveling, arguing with your spouse because you’re gone all the time.  In this case, I’m only seeing a small part of this sport:  the glitz, the glam, the matching outfits, fancy bikes, camera flashes, cheers, and trophies.  What it takes to get to that point makes me nauseous to even think about.  

 

I think Code Red needs to step back, breath, and enjoy my time riding.  Once I get more time in the saddle, maybe I’ll call up one of these professional female cyclist and ask to ride with her…just to see if I can.  

 

For now, I’m a wanna-be racer.

I turned 36 today

I turned 36 today.

 

As I lay here in bed, I’m desperately searching my mind and heart for what I should be feeling now that I’m a year older.  It’s like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. Although 36 isn’t really a milestone age, I feel much different on this birthday than my others.

 

20 years ago:  16 years old.  Sophomore in high school.  Head over heels for Brett McHaffie.  He was much older than me but he went to church so that made it “okay” to my parents.  He was wonderful, kind, loving and very funny.  We got along well.  We “went out” for a few years.  I had these huge boobs that year.  My Lord.  I had to wear 2 sports bras when I played basketball.  I became keenly aware of why the boys liked me; it certainly wasn’t because I was a cop’s kid.  Or a pastor’s kid.  My sister, Cari (2 years older) was my best friend and I looked up to her for so many things.  She showed me how to be confident.  

 

10 years ago:  26 years old.  Living in Memphis.  Married to Jason Nickel.  Jason is a good man but I had no business being married at all.  We tried our best but what did we know about life?  I wanted to be a professional athlete and was pursuing my degree in Exercise Physiology.  Jason wanted to have a baby and didn’t like where my heart was heading.  Our marriage dissolved in a few short years.  I moved away.

 

Between 26 and 36, my life took extremely dramatic turns.  I can’t even begin to tell you what I went through.  Relationships, professional boxing career, traveling, jobs, body changes, you name it!  The only thing that was consistent in my life was CHANGE.  I had lots of exciting changes and lots of successes.  Many disappointments and many failures.  

 

So, here I am.  Pillows propped up behind my back, the glow of the laptop on my face, my body tired from a full day of work.  I ask myself, “How does the 36 year old Cristy feel?”  Content.  Happy.  Fulfilled.  I look down at my arms and shoulders and see some sun damage.  But my beautiful muscles are full and crisp because I’ve been training them for 17 years.  I lean close to the mirror and notice that my face doesn’t look 25 years old anymore.  But that’s okay because my client said to me, “What I like about you, Cristy, is you look like you’ve been through life and gone through stuff.  You understand people.”  Is she saying I look beat up?  No.  I think she’s saying that I look experienced and that I didn’t just fall off the turnip truck yesterday.  And I’m okay with that. 

 

This right here, right now is the best I’ve ever felt in my life.  I’m loved and appreciated.  I’m in terrific shape, competing in a sport I love.  My career is booming with fantastic clients.  If this is what 36 feels like then I’ll take it!  But I have a feeling each year from here on out will be better than the last.  

 

And if not, there’s always Botox. 

Is 70 the new 50?

Gasping for air, I search far ahead for the top of the hill.  Sweat blinds my sight making it hard to focus and my heart pounds in my ears.  My legs are screaming at me as I crank my pedals and dig down deep for the strength and will to keep grinding away up this grade, trying to remind myself that I like being a cyclist.  

 

“How are you doing, Cristy?”

 

This friendly voice comes from behind followed by a bright smile that could light up a room.

 

“Doing okay, Gene,” I reply as he sails right past me like I’m backing up.  

 

Meet Gene.

 

On his bike every day, Gene is a force to be reckoned with.  Having been a cyclist for YEARS and YEARS, there is nothing Gene hasn’t done.  He will ride any big ride this side of the Mason-Dixon.  He rides with the big boys, leads the pace line and holds his own on any hill.  Trying to keep up with Gene is a challenge and I learn from him every time I have the privilege of being on his wheel.  And guess what?  Gene is 73 years old.  (What did she say?  Did she say 73?)  Yes, I said 73.  I went to his birthday party a couple of weeks ago.  Gene is 73!

 

 

My phone rings and the woman on the other end is kind and gentle.  She tells me she heard me speak at St. Alphonsus Health Fair 6 months ago and would like to hire me as her personal trainer.  At our first meeting, in walks this beautiful woman, hand outstretched to shake mine.  ”Are you Cristy?”

 

Meet Barbara.  

 

Barbara just glowed with gorgeous skin, a nice tight figure and hair like a Disney princess.  Barbara had been stuck in a rut with her workouts and needed some fresh new ideas.  I began her on some High Intensity Interval Training and heavy weight lifting.  There was absolutely NOTHING she couldn’t do.  She didn’t say no, she didn’t falter.  She stepped up to every challenge from bosu ball squats to bench press to jumping rope to “farmers walk.”  She was doing plyometrics better than my 22 year old client. After a set of “renegade rows” one day, I asked, “Are you sure you’re 73 years old???”

So what’s happening here?  Is 70 the new 50?  Is this a trend we will continue to see as the baby boomers age?  Not only are we seeing–and will continue seeing–a change in the way people view their health and fitness but also a new “can-do” attitude among the older adult.  There is NOTHING Gene and Barbara can’t do.  I threw everything at Barbara but the kitchen sink and she keep coming back for more each week.  Her arms got firmer, her heart and lungs got stronger.  One arm push ups?  No problem.  15% incline at 4MPH?  No problem.  A 210 mile ride from Portland to Seattle without stopping?  Gene doesn’t think that’s a big deal.  

 

The moral of the story is that Gene and Barbara (and others like them) have made a choice to live a healthy, fit lifestyle.  They CHOOSE to exercise every day and not sit around watching football or knitting all day long.  Those who don’t make this choice are the ones who look their age and complain about their aches and pains, constantly go to the doctor and try to medicate away “old age.”  

 

What will you choose?     

 

 

Til death do us part?

I’m not sure how my parents are gonna feel about this blog.  Of course, I’m 35 years old so I don’t know why I still worry about what my parents think.  But I guess everyone still wants their parent’s approval.  Anyway, I’ve never been shy about my past.  I put myself out there so that others will maybe learn from what I’ve done or at maybe follow in my footsteps of having courage.  I’ve lived life to the fullest and never let anything hold me back.

Since I was young, I’ve wanted to be married.  I never wanted to have children but I’ve always wanted to be married.  I married Jason Nickel in 2000 and Chad Bloxham 10 years later.  Aside from a few mistakes here and there, I am a good wife.  I love being a wife.  I believe in the institution of marriage and the level of commitment.  I love the way the ring feels on my finger and I love saying “my husband.”  Jason was/is a good man but we were TOO YOUNG to be married.  Early 20′s.  I did so much changing in my 20′s.   I never really figured out who I was and who I wanted to be until I reached age 30.  

 

Although nowadays people are waiting til they’re older to get married, the divorce rate is still high.  And get this:  1 in 4 divorces are people over age 50.  Almost everyone I know has been divorced.  In fact, it’s rare to find people still married, like my folks, who will celebrate 41 years of marriage this June.  

 

So why is this happening?  Or better yet how can we fix it?  Our society continues to evolve so why haven’t our marriage vows evolved?  Why do we continue to say “til death do us part?”  Maybe we shouldn’t expect so much from each other or ourselves.  How about we vow to commit the next 5 years to each other and re-evaluate things then.  I know what you’re thinking.  ”Oh Cristy, I love him!  I want to be with him forever!  Our love is different.”  No, not it’s not.  Your love is NOT different, your man is not different and YOU are NOT different.  You have no idea how you will feel about your spouse in 5 or 10 years.  You might change, he might change.  You just DON’T know.  So instead of feeling guilty about the change, living miserably, or being overrun with incredible sorrow, just call it like it is.  Lets allow ourselves the “out” of leaving the marriage after a certain amount of time if it doesn’t work out.  Let’s not expect that death will be the only thing that parts us.

 

As I write, I can think of many rebuttals to my own argument:  kids, money, trading your spouse in for a younger one, etc…  I say, so what?  Co-parent your kids, split up the money and start a new life with someone who will make you happy.  If you are truly in love with your first spouse, nothing will split you both apart.  Perhaps you want to try counseling first, but for crying out loud, don’t live miserably.  Life is too short.

 

So look, if you want to get married, be sure you understand what you’re asking for.  Then perhaps you both can agree to re-evaluate your marriage every 5 years.  It’s just an idea…since the current system is failing miserably.        

“What gets measured, gets managed…”

“…and what gets managed, gets done,” my friend said to me in the car the other day.  ”That’s what we used to say in business anyway.”  I gazed out the window and let that sink into my brain.  ”Wow.  That’s really profound,” I replied.

 

I’m certainly not running a company like my friend but it’s the same concept in health and fitness.  As a trainer, I start out measuring my clients (circumference, weight, body fat %) on their first day.  Everyone gets measured NO MATTER WHAT.  They all hate it.  Everyone rolls their eyes and huffs.  Some people refused to watch as I balance out the scale and write down the number.  They rattle off excuses and reasons why they are this size.  And everyone tells me stories of when they “used to be” in shape back in high school.  No one likes this part.  It’s uncomfortable, embarrassing, and awkward.  Back when I was a new trainer, I used to let clients talk me out of measuring them.  They would say, “No, no, no we don’t need to do this.  I know where my measurements are.  No need to beat a dead horse.”  They would say to me, “Look, I’m not paying you to tell me what I already know.  That’s why I came to you.  I obviously ‘know’ I have a problem!”  I would give in and skip the measuring.  What would happen?  I would have NO WAY of tracking the progress.

 

I learned very quickly that under no circumstances do I skip the measuring part.  It acts as constant accountability and guidance to their progress.  I remeasure my clients every 3 weeks.  I always tell them, “The numbers don’t lie.”  My client can tell me over and over they are sticking to the meal plan and not cheating but when the numbers come back bad, that’s when the truth comes out:  ”Well, Coach, I kinda ate a WHOLE PIZZA last night.”  

 

“What gets measured, gets managed.”  

 

The other side of this catchy little saying is measuring your food.  I tell my clients, “MEASURE, MEASURE, MEASURE!”  If it calls for 2/3 cup of brown rice, I want them to scoop out the rice, take a butter knife and scrape off the top.  I want it exact!  When you measure your food before eating it, you become keenly aware of exactly how much you are consuming.  This goes for water, too.  I tell my clients I want them to drink a gallon of water per day and I want them to MEASURE every drop to make sure it’s a gallon.  You would be shocked if you knew how far off the mark most people are when they just “eyeball it.”

 

The best way to be successful in your fitness quest is to measure.  Measure your weight loss, fat loss and inches.  Measure your progress by keeping a workout log so you can watch yourself get stronger. Measure your food and drink intake and write it in a food journal.  Why?  So you can feel guilty that you let yourself get so far off track, 5 dress sizes bigger and 45 lbs heavier?  No!  So you can celebrate your journey to a new you.  

 

And believe me…you will like this “you” better than the one in your high school cheerleading uniform.    

CODE RED QUICK TIP #2

Miles Hewitt climbs Haleakala

Passion…

I’ve been in the health and fitness industry for over 15 years. I studied Exercise Phys in college, I have 5 different certifications, I’ve been a pro athlete. Bla, bla, bla… you guys have read my resume. You get it. My point is I’ve been around awhile and I’m no stranger to the ins and outs of this business.

I recently had a situation at work that tested my resolve. For the first time, I began to re-think my chosen profession. I began to question why I do what I do. I stepped back and started to re-think a different career in a new line of work. I was so disheartened by what happened, I told myself I didn’t need this anymore. I told myself that it doesn’t matter if I’m a trainer and coach. It doesn’t make a difference. I don’t make a difference.

But what about PASSION?

My friend asked me the other day, “What is your definition of passion? What does that mean to you.” I replied, “To have a love of something engrained so deeply in you that no matter what happens in your life, you can see yourself doing this.” I continued, “No matter who is watching, who notices, where you are, rain, shine, depressed, how fat you feel, happy, sad, rich, poor–all that stuff–you will always do this thing, whatever it is. That is passion.”

So, I ask you, my blog reader: What is your passion? Is there anything in your life that you feel this way over? Is there anything that gets you going no matter what? If there’s not, then I suggest you do some serious soul searching. And by the way, “kids” don’t count. You can’t say “I’m passionate about my kids” because kids grow up and move out. Kids move on and form their own lives. They eventually won’t need you anymore and your job with them will be over. So you need to have something other than your kids that you’ll have and love all your life.

I can honestly say that I have a true passion for being a trainer and coach. I can see myself doing this no matter what. Yeah, I took a major hit with what happened at work, but it’s not going to keep me from changing lives through fitness and a healthy lifestyle. Nothing will keep me from doing what I’m made to do. This is my passion.

Episode 30–SPINNING

Cristy posted on largest women’s boxing network in the world

http://www.womenboxing.com/NEWS2011/news080911codered.htm