Partner In Crime Week - Trainer Addition: Partner in Crime. My write up is a little different than some of the ones you have heard so far. I have been an athlete my whole life and with that comes team work-outs, weight lifting, and practices. So, working out in a group is familiar ground for me. On the first day of Kindergarten, my mom sat me next to Lindsay Vittetoe. We were the same height and both total tomboys (I know that’s a shocker!). We were instant friends and went the next twelve years of school showing the boys how to play sports. We were both awkwardly tall for our age and looked like twins, hence we got the name the “Twin Towers” which stuck for years to come. Lindsay was my partner in crime! In basketball, Lindsay played the post position and ironically, since I was 2 foot taller than everyone else, I mostly played point guard. But all it took was one line up change and I was busting the boards right next to her. Whether I was feeding her the ball in the paint or working right beside her for the rebounds we had an unreal connection on the floor. We were the first two freshman in Washington to dress for the varsity squad and the only two seniors in our class to take the court. In track, Lindsay ran sprints while I ran distance and threw shot put which split us up during track practices. But we were always right next to each other warming up and I remember she would stand at the finish line when I’d come barreling in from my 800 meter run to make sure I didn’t need my inhaler or to keep me moving when all I wanted to do was collapse from exhaustion. Before a track meet, she used to put in one of my head phones and we’d run our first couple of laps in such perfect stride that they did not pull out of either of our ears. In volleyball, the “twin towers” were back at it and this time we had a ringer to make it a trio. Another great friend, Michelle Caldwell, was our setter and made us look better than we were! I was left side hitter, Lindsay was middle hitter, and Michelle was right side setter. Michelle would pop up those perfect sets between Lindsay and I and we could not help but fire a shot right back at the opponent. At the end of our senior year the three of us were recognized as a dynamic trio: defensive player, offensive player, and most valuable player of the season. When Matt & I decided to write our own partners in crime stories, I was not sure what to say because outside of practices and weight lifting, I always did work-outs on my own. I used to run so much around town in Washington that I got the nickname “Forrest Bump”. But when I thought more about what it means to be a “partner in crime”, it is not about having someone who works out by your side at all times. It’s as much mental as it is physical. I did hours of training every day on my own without Lindsay or anyone else, but I knew by doing the extra training, I would be ready. I did not want to be too overweight to run down the floor, I did not want to let my team or my “partner in crime” down. Having that accountability kept me working hard. I did not realize how important this accountability was until I went to college and did not only gain the freshman 15, but tacked on someone else’s too! I went from 155 to 185 my freshman year of college! Why? I did not have an accountability partner who was counting on me to say no to the booze and pizza and help her be successful on the court. When I was ten, my brother used to call me and my sister, Jelly Belly One and Jelly Belly Two. While this seems cruel to say, I decided to do something about it instead of dwell on it. Since I was ten, I really didn’t have a full scale plan of how I was going to lose this weight, I just decided since he says my belly is big, I need to do sit-ups. I began to do forty minutes of sit-ups every single night and within weeks he told me I was not a jelly belly anymore. This showed me at a young age, results are destined for those who put the time in. (Although, I am not ten anymore and I know there are better ways to lose the belly fat than to do hours of sit-ups each week). Now… when I was in college, nobody called me jelly belly, but I knew I needed to do something different to fix it. This weight gain was short-lived and over the summer I went back to my active lifestyle and dropped the weight, and then some, before my sophomore year. I continued to work-out with my roommates and stayed active in recreational activities throughout college. Because my college roommates were active in sports, it kept me on the same page. When I met Matt four years ago I was once again out of the work-out regimen. I was skinny and did not have the muscle tone I was used to. I ran once in a while, but didn’t have a partner in crime to help keep me motivated and accountable. I took one of Matt’s classes and was hooked….on the class and the trainer! I loved the intensity and variety he brought to the table and it reminded me of playing on a team again. But it was not until a few years into taking his classes when he introduced me to my new “partner in crime”. Heather Kauzlarich came to class and we connected right away. I could see we were similar in style, ability, & drive. We continued as partners in class and I knew I would be letting her down if I did not show. Since we have come to Brick House Fitness, it makes it more difficult to work out with Heather. But she is still my partner in crime. As you all know from training with us, Matt & I have very different training styles….which falls into very different work-out styles. Because of this, I work-out by myself most days. With no one there to monitor, it would be easy for me to slack off or skip out, without a single person knowing the difference. What keeps me accountable? Heather! Once a week we get together and grind out a killer work-out! It’s something I really look forward to. Have you ever sat on your butt for a week and tried to push through a tough work-out? Everyone has and it’s not fun for you or who you are working out with. I push myself in my personal work-outs for two reasons: 1. It’s in my nature to work to the max and 2. I know if I don’t push myself, I will be a turd when I work-out with Heather. In my experience, PARTNERS IN CRIME do not have to hold your hand, but they build your character, work ethic, and mentality. Two brains are better than one! We share work-out ideas, push heavier weight when one of us wants to drop, & instill the belief that both of us can accomplish exercises that we hesitate to try. Thanks for reading. I do not have a ton to say in person, but get me on a keyboard and I will ramble on and on! This was a fun thing to look back and think about what got me started in fitness and why t is such a huge passion of mine.
Posted on: Thu, 21 Aug 2014 02:42:35 +0000
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