Meet Emily W.
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| That’s Emily in the foreground, being a badass Fit Mama! |
Four mornings a week, while her husband Brent and her sons, Henry, 6 and Charlie, almost 5, sleep happily, Emily West is up before the sun to make it to a 5:30am CrossFit class. By 6:30am she is back home, helping her boys get ready for their day. On weekends, she gives herself a break by taking a ‘late’ 8:15am Saturday CrossFit class. This is a fit mama who isn’t messing around – she also works full-time as a VP and Director of NY Business Development at Ketchum in New York.
Emily, have you always been this active and fit?
Yes, I was a lacrosse player in high school and college, and then played post college for 4 years or so, until 2001. After I stopped playing, I was mainly a runner. I also tried a lot of different classes, like The Bar Method and yoga. It was so extremely cyclical, though. I was either way into it, or way not!
What was your exercise routine like during your pregnancies?
I was also lucky to have very easy pregnancies. I exercised somewhat throughout both of them, running, walking and doing the elliptical, as time permitted.
Did you find it hard to get back into shape after each baby? What were you doing for exercise?
After they were born, I ran a lot, with them in the stroller. I would get on really good streaks for a few months and then get bored, or only go once a week or so. I only gained 19 pounds with Henry and had 4 months maternity leave, so after him the weight came right off. I don’t know if it was because I was pregnant again within a year of Henry’s birth, but I gained 27 pounds with Charlie and it was definitely harder to lose the weight. I admit, though, that no matter what exercise I did, I didn’t change my diet so never saw any great results.
Okay, let’s get to CrossFit! You love it, right? Why did it ‘stick’ when so many other ways of working out didn’t?
I do love CrossFit. I’ve been doing it since January 2012, so coming up on 18 months now. It’s such a great workout and a great group of people. My box is transform CrossFit in Pennington, NJ. Its a small town so it really is a community. All sorts of different people workout at CrossFit and that’s what makes it so fun.
Also, I am in the best shape of my life! The results are incredible, which is so completely motivating! My body is totally different: toned, muscular, stronger. I look and feel better now than I even did while playing lacrosse in college.
The number one thing I love about CrossFit is that it is different every day – you never know what you are going to be doing that day. I am religious about not finding out the WOD (Workout of the Day) before I get there in the morning. It is a constant challenge to me physically.It also really does help me mentally – it’s my outlet, my stress relief.
What do your boys think about mommy working out and being strong?
I think it makes me a great role model for them. They think it’s great. They’re always asking, “Did you just get back from CrossFit, Mom?” There are Kids CrossFit classes as well, which the boys have taken occasionally, so they have an idea of what my workouts are like! What is hysterical is that now they will just drop and start doing burpees out of the blue!
I also coach lacrosse for kids – I coach little kids, as well as 7th and 8th grade girls, so they are used to seeing me be active.
What’s your diet like now? I know CrossFit is all about Paleo – are you a Paleo convert?
In terms of the way I eat now, it’s not about trying to lose weight or manage my weight. Now I eat to fuel my body for working out and day to day life. For me, it’s a different way of thinking about what I’m eating and why. So yes, I do follow Paleo somewhat. I’m not religious about it; I don’t follow it to the letter, but when you go through your foundations classes you get introduced to the Paleo way of eating.
I stay away from dairy and grains as much as I can. I will have a wrap maybe once a week or so, but that’s it. Cutting out dairy was very challenging, but it made me feel so much better in the long run. I also cut out cereal, sandwiches and pasta, all of which were staples of my diet for many years. I do have milk in my coffee still, but that’s my only dairy. I do believe in everything in moderation – and believe me, I do splurge from time to time, but for the most part I try to follow the Paleo guidelines. I take a calcium supplement to make up for any lack. I do eat sugar still, but I’ve definitely cut back on it.
Do you get cravings for any food since starting this way of eating? Do you feel like you’re missing out because you’ve essentially cut out food groups?
Well, like I said, I’m not religious about it, so if I have some kind of craving I’ll indulge it, because I figure it’s my body’s way of telling me I need something. The way my body reacts now to certain foods is crazy, though. A couple of weeks ago, I was craving a bagel, like I just had to have one, so I did. And Carly, I felt sick afterwards. I don’t think it was the sugar, because I haven’t cut that out completely. I think it was a lot of wheat all of a sudden, just a total shock to the system. So I really doubt I’ll have that bagel craving again. Now, when I’m eating, my body always feels good, never that heavy, sick, bloated feeling.
So, as a personal trainer, I have to ask – what is the draw for going to CrossFit several times a week, versus hiring a one-on-one trainer? Financially it’s about the same investment.
You know, that never even really occurred to me. I guess, for me, my life has just always been about team sport. Whenever I’ve been working out, it’s been as part of a team, so I think that’s why CrossFit works for me so well. It’s hard, challenging, fun, all within a team setting. It definitely takes a certain personality to enjoy that team workout. That’s probably also why I always got so bored with running!
Let’s talk about safety. When you’re lifting heavy within this small team setting, are you ever worried about not having a one-on-one focus on your form?
I have to say, my particular CrossFit box (because I can’t speak for all of them) is really vigilant about safety. If someone is 1 minute late for a class, our coach will not let them join, because every second of the warm-up is so important for safety reasons. They make sure you do the preliminary classes to master the technique before you really get started. I’ve definitely noticed personally that the coaches are very careful to ensure people are being safe – telling them not to go too heavy too fast and making sure they are working out at their own pace.
Personally, I am not interested in the whole competition aspect of CrossFit, so I think that helps me in terms of not pushing past my body’s limits. I do CrossFit for my own fitness and strength and because it makes me feel great – and it is a great way to start the day.
Thanks so much for speaking with me, Emily! It’s always inspiring when I hear a Fit Mama saying they are in the best shape of their lives after they’ve had kids! You rock!
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