Meet Natalie.
Fit Mama of two boys, Dylan 5, and Logan 2 ½, Natalie Thrash has been active and healthy nearly all her life. She and her husband Chris, an avid cyclist, have been married 14 years. Despite her active background, Natalie found out the hard way the effects poor eating habits and a sedentary job can have on your body. Prior to her first pregnancy, she found herself facing a 40 pound weight loss challenge, thanks to a corporate job at a restaurant company, along with lots of eating out. That weight loss changed her mindset and life. Now? She’s still challenging herself physically today, setting an amazing example for her two sons.
Natalie, I know you’re no longer in the corporate world. Are you working outside of the home now?
I’m mainly a stay at home mom to my two boys, but I also work part-time doing contract marketing. Until recently I was working as a fitness instructor and the owner of BootCamp NT. After seven years of running my boot camp, I have just closed up shop. It’s so tough for a one-woman business to compete with the bigger companies running bootcamps, since they have so many more resources. For me to continue would have taken much more time and energy than I was willing to take away from being a mom. I’m sure I’ll start it up again when the boys are older, but for right now this is the right decision.
I totally understand – family comes first! Can you describe what originally motivated you to get into personal training for a living?
Well, I’ve been active all my life. I danced for 18 years and played various sports growing up. Prior to pregnancy, I gained quite a bit of weight when I started working in corporate America for a restaurant company. We dined out A LOT! I quit working out, and before I knew it I had packed on close to 40 pounds. I worked hard with a trainer and within four months I was back to my goal weight. This was also when I decided I wanted to get into personal training too – I knew what it was like on the other side.
I have struggled with body image and emotional eating/depression. It can be a vicious cycle for me….not eating right and not working out snowballs into months of bad choices and broken promises to “start fresh tomorrow”. When I exercise, I WANT to eat right, I want to be as strong and healthy as possible. It’s a slippery slope for me though. I have a hard time with sugar, so that’s why I just stay away. I find it tricky to live in the “grey area”. You know, life is not black and white, we have to find the happy medium. Easier said than done sometimes!
Having this experience, and since I really love helping people, I earned my Personal Training Certification and started teaching my own boot camps. As for my 40 pound weight loss, I continued to maintain my goal weight for a year until my first pregnancy.
Congratulations – it is hard work to lose weight AND maintain it! And it’s great to have a fellow trainer on Fit Mama Friday. I’m sure because you’re a trainer you worked out during your pregnancies – can you tell us about what your workouts were like?
During both pregnancies, I continued teaching boot camp, jogging and my power yoga practice. I gained the average amount of weight both times. It was frustrating at first for the baby weight to not just fall off. I am definitely the type of person who has to eat right and work out (hard) to lose weight. I nursed both my boys for just over a year too, and although they say it burns calories and has many beneficial qualities (which I totally believe!), the weight seemed to hang on a bit longer.
What are you doing for exercise now?
Until just recently I was in a rut…you know, that emotional and physical funk we moms sometimes experience. I needed to do something to shake it up, and get me back to pre-pregnancy shape once and for all.
That’s when a friend told me I should try CrossFit. I have now been doing CrossFit for four months. It is amazingly addictive! I love the whole concept, not to mention the community it brings. I love my box, the coaches, and the friends I have made! I do CrossFit five times a week and power yoga twice a week. Sunday is my day off, (so yes, one of those days is a double workout.)
I have also been following the “Paleo” diet for about six months. It really works nicely with CrossFit, so when I joined four months ago there wasn’t too much in my diet to change. I just try and eat “clean” as much as possible. I feel better and workout better too.
What was your diet like before you started Paleo?
Prior to having kids I would say my diet was good, not great, up until that year I worked for the restaurant company I spoke about, when I dined out way too much and ate too many desserts! My husband, an avid cyclist, has been doing the Paleo diet with me as well and loves feeling and looking better too. We have always stayed away from artificial colors and flavors, and luckily for us our boys enjoy their fruit and veggies!
What’s your motivation to work out? Has it just become a way of life for you now?
I workout because, well because I love it! I love the way I feel empowered when I deadlift a new PR, or when I beat my own time, I love pushing myself, and being pushed by the coaches, I love feeling strong and healthy, I love being an example for my kids, I love inspiring other people to be active as well.
The photo of me with the blue ribbon is when I won the Primal Dash at my box. It was a 6-week competition and I lost 7% body fat. I lost 13 lbs of fat and gained 5 pounds of muscle. I took 45 seconds off my mile time, increased my one minute sit ups from 26 to 44, and my one minute hand release push ups from 30 to 40. Also my most recent accomplishment was getting one real, strict pull up!
WOW! That’s amazing! No wonder you are so motivated! Those stats are impressive.
You mention you’re doing CrossFit five times and power yoga twice a week – you were still teaching you bootcamp until very recently, right? Did you count that as a workout as well, or did you find you were focusing more on watching your clients?
Good question! I mainly watch my clients for proper form, etc. If I happened to miss my workout that day I would join in, but my camper’s proper form and encouraging them was and is always my top priority!
And yes, as I mentioned I’m currently taking a break from teaching boot camp to focus on my boys since my oldest son starts kindergarten in the fall. I wanted to make the most out of this summer!
How do you fit in your workouts, being mainly a SAHM?
I’m really fortunate in that my box has childcare, this makes it so much easier to go get a WOD in! Although, there are still days when maybe one of the kids was up in the night or I just didn’t go to bed early enough and I wake up thinking, maybe I should just not go today. On those days I am happy for my CrossFit community because they will hit me up on Facebook or text me if I miss a day!
That’s such a great thing about having workout partners – built-in accountability! Do you find ‘mom stuff’ easier since you are so fit? Are your sons really active?
My boys are super active and I try and match their energy! Working out has definitely helped me tremendously in that area. I saw a quote the other day that said “Food is the most widely used anti-anxiety drug in America, and exercise is the most potent and underutilized antidepressant.” This really rings true for me. I know myself well enough now to know that it is all a cumulative effect of good choices I need to make every day. When I eat better I feel better, when I feel better I have more energy, when I have more energy I am a more active mom, when I am a more active mom, I am more present in the moment, when I am more present in the moment I am happier!
My 5 year old has just started CrossFit kids and absolutely loves it. The boys are both always running around outside wanting to play baseball, ride scooters, or just explore a new park.
Since you’re a personal trainer, are you tempted to become a CrossFit Coach?
Hmmmm, I don’t know. That question reminds me of when my yoga instructor asked me to teach at her studio and I thought, this is kind of like my therapy, my sacred space. I didn’t want to have to take the stress on of then “teaching.” Although I am a firm believer in never say never.
I really love where I am at right now, and I am still learning so much at CrossFit. In June a bunch of us went to cheer on some of our people at the WodFather Games; I have thought about competing next year. I think it takes a least a year of CrossFit under your belt to have the stamina and technique, but I am learning from the best. One of our coaches, Lisa won first place in her division. We will just have to see!
Well Natalie, thank you SO much for being on Fit Mama Friday! I love hearing about mamas for whom getting fit has totally changed their life, and I love that you gave back by becoming a trainer yourself. Thanks, Fit Mama!
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Super inspiring and impressive! I love your stats and I love the focus on what you can DO with your body and your strength!
Natalie is awesome – I’m thinking we might need a Fit Mama Alum get-together soon!
Great share today – I’m so intrigued by CrossFit and keep saying that I want to try it but I just haven’t yet.
Thanks Kim – I feel the same way about CF!!
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