Double Edge Fitness
This podcast is dedicated to showcasing to our members and any of our listeners who are interested in how this northern Nevada gym operates. Our mission is to inspire others to bring health and wellness home to truly make a difference in the household with the ultimate goal of making Reno the healthiest city in the country.In this podcast, we will be talking about things that are on our mind and answering questions from our members and our listeners to provide a unique listening experience.
Double Edge Fitness
CrossFit, Motherhood, and Resilience: Coach Kris' Journey and Pregnancy Fitness Insights
When it comes to navigating fitness during pregnancy and beyond, finding the right guidance can make all the difference. In this eye-opening conversation, we sit down with CrossFit coach Crystal Thompson who shares her unique journey from competitive athlete to prenatal and postpartum fitness specialist.
Crystal reveals how she maintained her training throughout two healthy pregnancies and offers practical insights that go far beyond the typical "listen to your body" advice. She breaks down the science of diaphragmatic breathing and explains how proper breathing techniques can preserve core strength and pelvic floor function during pregnancy. "What you want to think about during pregnancy is preserving what you currently have," Crystal explains, offering a refreshing perspective on realistic fitness goals during this season of life.
The discussion takes us deep into topics rarely covered elsewhere – from the mechanics of diastasis recti (abdominal separation) to the hormonal rollercoaster of postpartum recovery. Crystal doesn't shy away from sharing her personal experiences, including the emotional challenges of dividing attention between a newborn and toddler, and how her relationship with fitness evolved after giving birth.
What makes this episode particularly valuable is Crystal's dual expertise – both as a certified Pregnancy and Postpartum Athleticism coach and as someone who's lived through the experience herself. She demystifies common misconceptions about training during pregnancy, explains why postpartum guidance is arguably more important than prenatal advice, and offers practical tips for maintaining strength through all stages of motherhood.
Whether you're currently pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or supporting someone who is, this episode delivers honest, evidence-based information that empowers women to approach fitness with confidence during one of life's most transformative journeys. Ready to discover how to maintain your strength and come back even stronger after pregnancy? This conversation is your essential starting point.
Follow us on Instagram here! https://www.instagram.com/doubleedgefitness/
There it is, Chris, there's music. You're welcome music. This is the official music now of the DE podcast. Where'd you get it? Game pre-installed. Oh, you haven't listened to any of the podcasts where I make fun of this every time.
Speaker 2:No sorry.
Speaker 1:But now it's the official music. How many options do you have? There, it is All right, everybody. Welcome. Crystal Ann Lloyd. Finally changed your name in my phone.
Speaker 2:Did you?
Speaker 1:really Chris Thompson. Let me make sure, I think I did.
Speaker 2:My gym credit card stole. Crystal Ann Thompson.
Speaker 1:Where are you at? I know I texted you. No, it's just Chris Missed it.
Speaker 2:I have no last name.
Speaker 1:No, no, it's just Chris Missed it. I have no last name. No, oh, it's Lloyd. Yeah, I changed it Finally.
Speaker 2:It was odd how easily I was able to transition to the last name. I thought it'd be hard, but the name change thing was pretty.
Speaker 1:Well, it wasn't your second marriage, so it's just the first one. Hopefully there isn't a second one, right?
Speaker 2:Hopefully not.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's the goal. I told my brother, if there's ever a second one, he's never getting a bachelor party from me again. So, enjoy what we did.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's no way you guys could do that again.
Speaker 1:No, it was terrible. So today on the show we'll give Chris a little bit of applause. So cheesy, yeah, so cheesy. We got Chris. She's been a coach with us. When did I hire you?
Speaker 2:2015?.
Speaker 1:No 15, 14?
Speaker 2:15, I think Because we started coming at the end of 2014.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so Chris was a member here first. Her and James came in.
Speaker 2:We shopped around.
Speaker 1:Shopped around and I don't even know how you became a coach.
Speaker 2:I was recruited.
Speaker 1:Recruited Joel's the one right. He knew you from the, Didn't you guys work at the same gym?
Speaker 2:No, he uh, human performance project. Oh, I did really going back I did. Hell of the West that was like my last competition with my old gym, okay, and then, yeah, I remember that comp.
Speaker 1:That was a some pleasant experiences during that. Did you do you did? That's the one that was some pleasant experiences during that. That's the one that was at GSR. I remember it. I remember having to do sets of unbroken double unders. That was the first time ever and I remember it was the only reason I did better than a couple dudes. There was because I didn't make any mistakes but that was my only glory during that thing. Yeah.
Speaker 1:And then it fell apart and that was one of Leo's better, like one of his best performance. I think he ended up getting paid.
Speaker 2:Oh really, he made money at that. Wow.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that was when he was a striving regional athlete and now he's a salesman. We miss him. He's supposed to come on the podcast at some point and now he's a salesman.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we miss him. He's supposed to come on the podcast at some point.
Speaker 1:Oh really, yeah, that'd be cool. Yeah, catch up with him. See what he's doing these days since he blew out his achilles still staying fit he's still staying fit. He's fighting the dad bod yeah, he's keeping it at bay, so I'm proud of him. Well, today we got chris on. She's been a coach here since 2014, 2015, not really sure.
Speaker 2:Somewhere in there, I think, 2015 officially. I hired you before we opened the South Gym. When there were like 13 of us here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so many people in anticipation of opening that place and then, delay after delay after delay, opened like three months later than planned, yep. So Chris was hired with the anticipation of opening South Gym and she's been with us ever since. Mm-hmm Crystal Bear has been the most loyal, consistent person on the team and she's kind of the glue that holds this place together. People don't know that, but she's one of the few people that's not scared to yell at me and hold me accountable for my own shit, and that includes me doing things and not, uh, letting people know it's taking changes.
Speaker 1:It's taken a long time I still got ways to improve trying, as we all but um ch, chris keeps the back end of this place organized, planned, scheduled, and she obviously still coaches.
Speaker 2:but you have two babies now At a very limited capacity. It was very weird going from. Was it like 20 classes a week?
Speaker 1:Sometimes 23, I think.
Speaker 2:To two.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but you know we value keeping you around.
Speaker 2:And I appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Most CrossFit gyms don't even attempt to pull off this kind of employment model. No, not at all. But Chris has two great babies and we want to support her during motherhood and it just worked to where Tammy and I could flip-flop the mornings and buffer during this time, allow Chris to be with her kids while they're little and then help mostly me out, but help out a lot with the kind of mundane but important stuff.
Speaker 1:But the stuff that I enjoy doing you enjoy doing it, you're good at it, you're organized at it. I'm last minute with all that stuff or it forgets to be done and it's been good, it's been a good deal, it's helped out a lot. So other side of Chris is she is also our only but expert in pre-pregnancy, postpartum training. So that's something we want to get into today. I want to talk about and hear about your whole CrossFit story.
Speaker 1:Okay, I consider you one of the OG CrossFitters that you vibe with, og CrossFit oh yeah and how it changed your life, how you've grown in it, just not as a coach, but as an athlete how your mindset has adapted over the years and so forth. I mean, jacob and I, we just met up with um. I wasn't sure what it was going to be about. They shoot us an email and they're like you guys want to come up and you know.
Speaker 2:Oh, the thing at.
Speaker 1:Tahoe.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:And give us your insights and kind of an open forum discussion about CrossFit, state of CrossFit, what we are going through struggle-wise and what we're excited about, and this and that everything. Crossfit as we know CrossFit for the last few years has been going through a little bit of turmoil. They sold during.
Speaker 1:COVID Greg Glassman let it go forced out of it. However, you want to look at that and they sold and now they're in the process of selling again. Been a few things over the years and uh, it was cool that the ceo was there oh, really yeah john paul john paul, no, paul paul don don. That was way off, don paul oh. I was like, wow, dave Castro was there. Their lawyer was there. I can't remember his name, sorry. I'm sure he's listening to this.
Speaker 2:Was it Nicole?
Speaker 1:Nicole Carroll was there, their new head of all their marketing and content creation. Was there? Two other dudes, two other dudes. One of the guys was their computer wizard, designing and reformatting the whole website and everything like the affiliate page. Uh, joe was there. Dom's husband, okay. Um. Then there's one other guy. It's like he's very excited about selling retail products, so I think he has something to do with that. But basically, as their whole upper management leadership were up there meeting for that week and then, um, how many gym owners were there?
Speaker 3:just like five of us oh really, yeah, I thought there was more.
Speaker 1:I thought it was going to be like a big old, big old thing. Yeah, you just sit there and kind of listen, but no, it was going to be like a big old thing that you just sit there and kind of listen. But no, it was straight up.
Speaker 2:Do you think they only invited like exclusively, like they picked, or like people couldn't come, and maybe they invited like a ton?
Speaker 1:I don't know. I'd have to imagine they probably sent an invite out to all the local affiliates. I would imagine I can't imagine those some of them not replying. Right.
Speaker 1:Or going. Yeah, so I don't imagine those some of them not replying right or going, yeah, so I don't know, I don't know, but, um, I felt like it was a privilege and nice opportunity, yeah, and they listened to all of our feedback and it was cool. But what I'm getting at with it is one of the things that Miles, the owner of CrossFit Avalanche he brought up, was getting CrossFit back to its punk rock days. Yeah. Like OG, a little grunge welcoming to everybody but OG CrossFit. Yes.
Speaker 1:Not trying to fluff it up or this or that, but it's the stuff that works, gets results and builds community.
Speaker 2:It's like the foundation of CrossFit. Yeah, and you know what that?
Speaker 1:kind, the foundation of CrossFit, yeah, and you know what that kind of vibed with me? Yeah and um, I know we are one of the glam gyms, if you will, because I guess we clean up our chalk and things like that and have nice bathrooms. Yeah, but I think at our core there's some things I'm not going to give up. Yeah, and we're here all day and want it to be nice, but um, um, that mindset and thought process, it is what drew me into crossfit and it, the community component of that.
Speaker 1:And you know, crossfit has always been for everybody. I won't, everybody can do it, but I mean I guess not for everybody, right? But um, I vibed with that yeah and I think the future of crossfit comes down to who the new owner is and their vision of balancing the games aspect of CrossFit with long-term health and wellness.
Speaker 2:Like the games is such a small percentage.
Speaker 1:It is.
Speaker 2:But it's like also at the forefront. That's what people see.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was brought up that you Google search CrossFit and you get games highlight. All you see is games highlight. Yeah, dave, brought up when greg all of a sudden overnight gutted the entire media team.
Speaker 2:Yeah, uh, he's like that sucked did you say why he did that?
Speaker 1:he wanted to change the direction and I guess working with greg it's just. If he wants to do it, this is the way it's going to be, and to hell with it. They were spending a shit ton of money on media, a ton of money invested into the games, and Greg's vision was long-term health yeah, primary and the games were the highlight of your work capacity, and those just kept growing and growing and growing Became quite a spectacle, and I think it's important to figure out and navigate a balance there and sharing a media direction that includes both. We don't want to go from the elite people of the world to doing only deadlifts with milk jugs. Right.
Speaker 1:And they did that overnight without any giving the affiliates. Jake and I never got an email or anything about change of direction with the company. This is what we're going to focus on.
Speaker 2:I don't know, that sounds familiar.
Speaker 1:Hey, hey, wow, see, See, she's not scared to call me out and it was like it was too much. On the flip side, all their clicks and video views and everything driving revenue was related. More people are engaging in watching games content. Right then, you know grandpa doing delos in the bedroom with milk jugs, which is what they went to yeah.
Speaker 1:So finding and navigating a balance there and that was our overall sentiment, like we don't want the games to disappear. I think they're awesome, but we also want to make sure there's a strong, consistent message of CrossFit is, in my opinion, and I think you agree, is the best style of training for long-term health, best bang for your buck. I've never seen a program better. Like I told them up there, I've looked at all the other programs that are popping up here, there, everywhere, all the other franchises that are just doing, quote unquote, pseudo CrossFit. Yeah, and if I thought that was a better program I would drive the business in that direction. But I've seen this program change lives regardless. I've had people come to the gym in their 70s, never worked out before in their life. Arthur has a lady in her class. First time ever exercising in her life was here. Wow.
Speaker 2:And she loves the master's class and she loves the master's class Well, and I mean it's a testament to her to even just like come in, which is like the hardest part for a lot of people is getting through the door 100%, you know.
Speaker 1:And then obviously, like I told them, we also have Lil' Ryan, who's made it to the CrossFit Games Broad spectrum, and they all work out here and they're all improving and chasing their goals and hitting optimum performance for them and their journey. I don't see anything better and I hope that they can convey that message because, like I told, I was telling them that CrossFit, one battle we still fight as an affiliate is the cliche, and medical doctors, therapists, chiropractor, I mean a lot of people in the health space still say this is dangerous but running's okay but running's okay all the time all the time.
Speaker 1:Um, then one person. They told me that like you get hurt being sedentary, you get hurt being active. Being hurt's part of life. It's how you want to balance that out with your long-term health, your goals, optimizing your body and, like I tell folks, if you have a well-run crossfit program and you work with and listen to your coach, injuries are very seldom like. I can't even think of one in the gym in a long time nothing major no like there's overuse, injury, a little wear and tear here and there to tweak.
Speaker 1:But when I think of injury, of something that's like putting you out of the game. I can't remember the last person who did something in the gym and was down and out for a sustained period of time.
Speaker 2:I mean, I've been doing this since 2012, and I haven't had anything that I've had to, just the normal wear and tear like the overuse stuff that gets better after like a few days off. Yeah, Same.
Speaker 1:I mean, my biggest issue has been I've never truly opened up my thoracic spine. I think it's rigid, stiff and developed from wrestling days and squat snatching is the one area that still tweaks my shoulder yeah um, I did the hair that broke my back literally was at a CrossFit competition but there was like a year of leading up, not taking care of other things and I full sent it in a competition setting. That kind of tipped me over the scale on my spine.
Speaker 2:That was the mindset at that time, though those were the days. Those were the days.
Speaker 1:And once I owned a handful of things about my own mobility. They have all been non-issues since. That came down to more personal responsibility and executing intelligently and trying to put my ego aside, which is taking time. So maturing Kids influence that a lot. They want to be the broken dad, so it's like I'm going to start training, training smart, and I still do crossfit every single day there's still a way to do it yep, still get fitter, still get healthier, still feel great and um, yeah.
Speaker 1:So with that and that og sediment, you started crossfit. And what'd you just say? 2012, 2012. 2012. That's been a minute, mm-hmm, I'm trying to think when was the seven minutes of burpees?
Speaker 2:That was 2012, but that's when I started, so my first open wasn't until 2013.
Speaker 1:Okay, so my first open. I started in 2012 too. Look, we just figured that out because the seven minutes of burpees was my very first CrossFit. Crossfit workout, not workout, but open, and my first workout was like three weeks before that.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay.
Speaker 1:It was little five rounds of some light deadlifts and lateral burpees over a bar and this guy at a gym I worked at and he's like this is a little challenge, it's like that's it Full, sent it and was wrecked and then addicted, yeah, and I'm pretty sure right after that I signed up for my level one Did it at UNR. Yeah. And been CrossFit ever since.
Speaker 2:Well, I guess, technically I started my very first CrossFit class was in 2010 at UNR as an elective class.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, so technically you started in 2010. But I didn't after I took that class.
Speaker 2:I didn. Yeah, so technically you started in 2010. But I didn't. I didn't. After I took that class, I didn't go back to CrossFit until 2012. So I had a semester of CrossFit and the reason why I took it I needed an elective credit and it was listed in the course catalog as like strength Training or something which, in the past, had been been either like Pilates or yoga. So that's what I thought I signed up for initially.
Speaker 1:What are they called Cub core or something?
Speaker 2:I don't know, but like I show up to class and it was Drew Canavero.
Speaker 1:He was the one teaching it. He was the one teaching it. Oh wow, he's going way back.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so he was teaching it and that was my very first CrossFit experience and then didn't think anything of it after that. But before then all of my fitness had been sports related.
Speaker 2:Soccer right, I played soccer all the way through my freshman year of college. I played at the community college in Carson Like their very first women's soccer team when they first started doing sports. But I redshirted because I had just torn my ACL my senior year of high school. But I also did and then and I tore it playing basketball. So I also played basketball, but like I was like two years. I mean, imagine me playing basketball.
Speaker 1:So you've torn it twice? Yes, I was not aware of that.
Speaker 2:I thought it was just once, so I tore it. So, I tore it Same one, yep.
Speaker 1:That's not normal. Usually it's the other one that goes.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So the first time was my senior year in high school, playing basketball. I just did a jump stop and fell over. No one was by me. And then the second time was two years later and I was just pick up soccer game with some friends planted my foot, fell over Again nobody by me, um and that so, and I had done the cadaver tendon the first time gotcha.
Speaker 2:second time they did patellar tendon I was like you're in there, so might as well, and so like my scar is like pretty long on my knee seen that scar.
Speaker 1:What's that I've said? I've seen that scar. You know what contributes to a lot of women tearing their ACLs in sports.
Speaker 2:Their hips, their hip shape.
Speaker 1:Hip shape and weak hamstrings.
Speaker 2:Oh really. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:Yep.
Speaker 2:I mean, don't we all have weak hamstrings?
Speaker 1:I mean relative, but when you plant, twist, rotate, explode, yeah, that puts a lot of demand and not balanced out versus your quadriceps. You can have yourself a nice little hammy tear with the ACL. And on the flip side of that, people without an ACL, if they strengthen their hamstrings a lot, a lot of times, they can get away with potentially not needing repair, depending on what they want to do with their life after that, but you can provide a lot of stability from the hamstrings, for the ACL in particularly.
Speaker 2:But nobody tells you that. Nope, they just tell you to get the surgery if you want to stay active.
Speaker 1:And then you grow up. I mean you're younger than me but not much Nope In high school and everything like it wasn't even mine, but even before my generation, like women weren't lifting weights Seriously. I mean it was very much still. Well, I mean it still is to a degree, but cardio oriented in sports, but there wasn't a lot of weight training. Yeah. I remember my cousin. She was running cross country and ran a ton. It wasn't until her junior senior year that she started lifting weights. Yeah, um, and I I think that's changing.
Speaker 2:I think there's more high school females I think the first time I did any weight training in high school was either my freshman or sophomore year of high school. We were living in hawaii and it was my pole vaulting coach that just took the pole vaulters and we went and weight trained, like during the off season or like in the preseason or something nice, because the seasons were different and so but like and I mean I don't think any other events did any kind of weight training the distance runners?
Speaker 1:probably didn't, probably not. No, no, maybe the shot putters.
Speaker 2:Yeah, maybe, but like no one was ever in the weight room at the same time.
Speaker 1:I only remember mostly guys in the weight room in high school and I think that's where.
Speaker 2:I first learned how to power clean All right. And I think it was me and maybe one other girl or two other girls that were there.
Speaker 1:Still a small percentage. Yeah, still a small percentage. So other girls that were there, Still a small percentage. Yeah, still a small percentage. So you moved around a lot. You were a Navy brat.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:Yeah, talk about that.
Speaker 2:So I was born in San Diego, lived there for I think I was only like a couple years, and my dad got stationed in the Philippines for also not very long, maybe like a couple more years. Then we moved back to San Diego. We were there until I was about eight, I think. Then we moved to Guam for about six months.
Speaker 1:But that was awesome.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was interesting. I mean, I don't remember too much, my long-term memory isn't very good. I do remember that we drove around the island. It maybe took like an hour or two. Maybe there was a lot of blackouts because there are tree snakes that would get in the power lines and so and then, so six months there. Then we moved to Hawaii and that's probably where I did the majority of my growing up, so from about third grade until, like my sophomore year of high school.
Speaker 1:Really Now, does that category, does that make you Hawaiian? No I don't consider myself Hawaiian no. You didn't like. Obviously I know you don't have the 808 zip code, no, but sometimes people hold on to that. Yeah, Did you have a cell phone when you were a sophomore in high school?
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm, I didn't get one until I was. Oh, did I? I imagine I did, because no, I didn't. I was just thinking like when my parents would pick me up from practices and stuff, but I don't think I did. Or maybe I did like right before we left, or something.
Speaker 1:And then, how did you end up here?
Speaker 2:Did your dad move to Fallon? No, you went to.
Speaker 1:Dayton Yep. Did he retire Yep?
Speaker 2:My dad retired from the Navy after 20-something years and we Did. He retire? Yep, my dad retired from the Navy after 20-something years and we had family friends that lived in Carson City. So it was like the sister of a family friend said that Dayton was growing, that housing was inexpensive, and so my parents built a house out in Dayton and then we moved to Dayton and they went out there maybe once or twice to pick out things for the house, but I did not go out there until we moved. So until they had the house built and everything I had no idea what to expect.
Speaker 1:Culture shock it was a huge culture shock.
Speaker 2:So we moved out there, lived in Dayton for four years and then the summer before my junior year of college is when I moved up to Reno to go to UNR.
Speaker 1:So you finished as a Dust Devil.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:Then you went to was it WNC or WNCC? Back then it was CC, it was still CC, yeah. And then you transferred to UNR. Mm-hmm. And finished your degree in biology. Correct, correct. What was the goal with biology?
Speaker 2:at the physical therapy school, was it? Yeah, mine was dental school oh yeah, then by the end of it I was like I don't want to do more school all right, so you got through okam yep another smart person hard.
Speaker 1:I took that class three times Barely and barely got a C my third time, yeah, and I was so smoked on that in general. But then, just like the outlook of what potentially dental school would be like, I wasn't happy. I was miserable Dentistry. I wanted parts of the lifestyle that came with it, yeah, but I wasn't interested in dentistry.
Speaker 2:Oh.
Speaker 1:Because I don't know. I was just intrigued. My uncle was a dentist and that's where I was around it growing up. But O-Chem smacked me upside the head and if you don't get at least a B in O-Chem, it's not happening. Yeah, and after the third time, busting my ass and barely pulling off a c, I was beat down mentally from it. Yeah, and um took exercise, physiology and kinesiology just to kind of take a chill semester, just try something else that I was like interested in. Yeah, and I absolutely love those classes. And um changed majors with the intention of potentially doing physical therapy school. Yeah.
Speaker 1:And did the GRE. Cassie moved to Vegas. I was working in Western Nevada Supply and did the math on how much I'd have to borrow to get through PT school. Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:The math on income coming out of PT school. It was not good, yeah, the math was not coming out of PT school. It was not good the math was not good, and so I opted for just getting my MBA, which I think I had $400 left to pay off that loan. The only student debt I have is for the degree I never finished. I ended up finishing the undergrad in community health science. Back then they didn't have what I think they have exercise phys now or kinesiology, yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, when I started college I went into it was criminal justice and I wanted to do I think it was like CSI and so I started with criminal justice because that was a big show back in the day, the original CSI, and so that's what I wanted to do. And then I'd torn my ACL and then gone through physical therapy and my physical therapist was actually our athletic trainer at WNCC and so he made it seem like so fun, so cool, um, and then in my mind I'm like, oh, I could become a physical therapist, work with elite athletes, but nobody tells you that it's like such a small percentage, at least at that age, right? So that's what I was thinking going into it. Then by the time I was like in the higher level bio classes it's was like I don't think I want to do more school yeah it's a lot more school and like four more years.
Speaker 2:And then I was looking at like accelerated classes and like not getting summers off, and I was like I don't know if I want to do that. And then the debt yeah, having to pay for it and this and that and the other and so I was like, okay, well, what can I do? And the whole time I was working at Sports Authority Classic yeah, you only worked there when it was Sports Authority. Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:Okay, so not Guard Sports.
Speaker 2:Nope, yeah, I started there when I moved to Reno, so that was in like 2007 maybe, and then I had worked there pretty much up until I started working here.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm, I remember.
Speaker 2:And so I was there for like nine-ish years and I started at the Meadowood Mall location and then I moved over to the Kitsky location. I was like a lead cashier, started as a cashier, became a lead cashier, then, after a while working there, became an ops manager. And that's when they opened up the sparks location but then ended up closing a location and then they wanted to move a manager that had been and I had just newly become an ops manager, so they had asked me to step down to so to let this other manager. But then they put me in the tech shop because I was already. I was capped out as a cash lead in terms of pay.
Speaker 2:So then they I could make more in the tech shop and so they moved me in there and that was really fun, because one you get to hide away from a lot of the customers. But like rental season was super busy, but like you're always doing something, so you're always busy. Um, so I learned how to like string tennis rackets and fix bikes and tune skis and snowboards it'll come in handy as kids get older so I mean, I don't know how much of that I remember anymore, but for the most part yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:And then I did that and then I think, after I got hired on here, hung on to like I think I was working maybe like one day a week or something to hold onto the discount, and then they started going under, and so then that's when I left, so the timing was really good. I remember that whole transition but like it was, it was hard because I had all the benefits and it was comfortable, and then coming to a small business and not knowing how it's gonna do still in question.
Speaker 1:Still in question every day's a fight committed, we're committed, committed yep, but um. Well, so now you're here, all that experience, crossfit level two, studying for your level three you have any other certs. You have another one? Uh usaw usaw, that's right. And what's the? What's the postpartum?
Speaker 2:pregnancy and postpartum athleticism right, and then, uh, precision nutrition precision nutrition.
Speaker 1:So chris has life experience. Life experience I want to get into, which I think a handful of our population might like more information about and learn about, is the pregnancy stuff. Now, I think one. You carry a lot of weight there because you've had babies, literally, you've gone through it Literally carrying weight. Yeah, there's a lot of people out there that coach this stuff, that don't have personal experience, and I think it matters. Yeah. I think that there's a perspective that's gained going through that Men can't gain that perspective. Right.
Speaker 1:I'm taking a hard stance there. And then you know, there are quite a few female coaches out there that want to coach women on this stuff. But in my mind, if you haven't been through it, you don't know, you don't know.
Speaker 2:But I think there's also value in being like a vessel for that information? I think there is, but I think your perspective carries more weight. I'm going to stand on that hill.
Speaker 1:Thanks. Also value in being like a vessel for that information? I think there is, but I I think your perspective carries more weight. Yeah, I'm gonna stand on that hill. Thanks, I'm gonna stand on that hill. So two babies how old are they now?
Speaker 2:uh, jordy, my oldest, is going to be three at the end of august. She's a big old three major right now she's three major lots of attitude. Everybody talks about terrible twos. It's not terrible terrible twos, it's the threes. Threes are hard and we're not even into it technically. So we can't wait. And then Cameron will be one at the end of July.
Speaker 1:This is crazy. I've already been coaching at South Gym for over a year.
Speaker 2:Isn't that crazy? Yeah, and what's also crazy I was just thinking about this earlier today is that Jordi's first two years of life was spent at the gym. Yeah. She was with me there all day, every day.
Speaker 1:Now, those of you that don't know, Chris was still coaching full-time when Jordi was born and we set up an office. She had all the napping gear everything at the gym, and Jordy was a part of every class and there all day long. So yeah, her first two years of life was literally at the gym. And it could be a blessing and a curse.
Speaker 2:I think it's a blessing.
Speaker 1:But she seems to be interested in all things gym related.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, yep.
Speaker 1:That's cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and yeah. And Cameron, I mean I'm still there every day so they come in with me and when I have my personal training clients. Obviously 5 and 6 am is a little too early for them, it's too early for them so they don't come with that.
Speaker 2:Um, but yeah, I mean, as soon when Jordi was coming to the gym with me, as soon as, like like seven, as soon as I'd done coaching the six o'clock class, like she would, james would drop her off and she would hang out there with me until I was done coaching the noon class and then we'd be home at one.
Speaker 1:She would nap in the back yep nope so with that, both pregnancies yours seemed from the outside looking in go well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was very, very fortunate enough to have very easy pregnancies, no issues.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Are you considered a geriatric mother?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I didn't turn 35 until after Geordie. Okay. And so they don't say geriatric.
Speaker 1:No that, there's a technical term. I know it's high risk, but there was a term it just changed recently. I don't know if it's geriatric, but it was who told me that. I don't know, yeah, it's, 35 is a cut off, 35 is a number.
Speaker 2:When I was talking to one of our members, mel said that mel and um sean oh, because she was 37 or 38 yeah, so when geordie was born, I was 35 um no, no, sorry, I was 34 when she was born, but I only like.
Speaker 2:I mean, my birthday is in october, so days in October. So then I turned 35 soon after. And then Cameron, I turned, or I was 36, turning 37, um with him. So yeah, technically I was like high risk and geriatric or whatever did you have to go to high risk pregnancy center?
Speaker 2:no, so well, I had my miscarriage before Geordie and so they considered well, uh, dr Perry offered and said, hey, if you want to go to high risk, you can. Um, but I was like, oh, I mean, I feel healthy, like I don't think you don't think I need to, then there's no reason to. But I mean, I'm sure, if you're a person that likes to be constantly updated as to what's going on with your baby.
Speaker 2:That's probably a good good idea, Unless it causes more anxiety than probably not. But yeah, so I was not high risk. Pregnancies went really well. Uh, no morning sickness, no swelling. Still I was able. With Jordi I worked out I think the day or two before she was born, up until then, but I mean I was averaging like two to three classes a day at that point, which I mean was fine with me and like, and whenever I wasn't working out, I was averaging like two to three classes a day at that point, which I mean was fine with me and like, and whenever I wasn't working out I'd try to get a walk in, like a 20, 30 minute walk.
Speaker 1:Two or three classes a week or a day or a week, did I say a day?
Speaker 2:You said a day. I mean coaching or no no no, sorry, I know, I know Chris.
Speaker 1:But I don't, I don't think there's that much fitness going on. I don't think there's that much fitness going on on a daily basis.
Speaker 2:No, no, no, sorry. Two to three a week, right, yeah. And then, when I wasn't, I would try to get a walk-in, but then with Cameron it's just been all over the place.
Speaker 1:It's all harder with two. Things change with two, things change with two, things change with two and people say things don't change with three.
Speaker 2:That's what I hear, like it's not that much of a transition.
Speaker 1:I ain't risking it. No, I know birth rates are going down and you're supposed to have more kids and this and that. Well, I've been fixed.
Speaker 2:So Not for me.
Speaker 1:That shop's been closed up, yeah.
Speaker 2:So has my husband. He did.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I didn't even get any emotional texts from him or anything. Oh, is that why he's getting adjusted so many times?
Speaker 2:No, that's because of the running. That's because of the running, because of the running.
Speaker 1:Told him the other day when he was here he's like you here to do CrossFit with me, or see, Chris.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:He's like see Chris.
Speaker 2:Fine, maybe we can talk him into doing a class with you or something this week, because he's off.
Speaker 1:I'm trying, trying. I'm testing two next week's workouts tomorrow, heck we'll just cut.
Speaker 2:Cut the clip and then send it to james.
Speaker 1:All right, put it on social media and then tag a minute yep, where you at, I'm ready, I'm doing running for you there you go.
Speaker 2:Um, yeah, so that was. I mean, I was able to stay and not everybody can. So not everybody can work out, obviously, depending on what their pregnancy is like, but I think if you're able to, at least walk, I think walking is very underrated. Oh yeah, and so.
Speaker 1:I choose not to do it, but I know it's healthy. Yeah, yeah, it's either run or do CrossFit or drive.
Speaker 2:There you go.
Speaker 1:So pregnancies went well, everything healthy, healthy kids. Your second pregnancy, you sent me a text message really right before, and then baby was here. Don't think I'm going to be able to coach today, guys.
Speaker 2:Hey, I'm going to the hospital and then boom, baby born Very short labor. That was quick.
Speaker 1:So in your experience for you went great, trained the whole time. I do believe that your training experience leading up to pregnancy also plays a part in that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think so too.
Speaker 1:I mean, obviously you're trained regularly, competitive, did CrossFit competitions and this and that, but your health and fitness was pretty top-notch going into your pregnancies, which I do believe facilitates a better pregnancy. I'm going to use the word for most women. I know things happen that uh can go sideways for fit and healthy. People, because I mean you're growing a human. A lot of variables going on there.
Speaker 2:People, because I mean you're growing a human, a lot of variables going on there but in the grand scheme of things, right. Why wouldn't you try to do the best you can beforehand? Yeah, going into it.
Speaker 1:If you're. Whatever it's called, what's it called when you like, planning your family planning, family planning, is that what's called?
Speaker 1:I think, so, yeah, when you're doing your family planning, if you're planning your kids I know a lot of oopsies happened but uh, okay, we're having kids. This is our plan. Everything I know about biology cell reproduction. You know the healthy you are, the healthier yourselves. This goes for men and women. Fitter, healthy men give healthier sperm cells. That's carrying the chromosomes of your child, like that's carrying the genetic material of your child. Same goes for women. So the healthier you are, the better set up you're going to be for a healthy child, right and um?
Speaker 2:so yeah, so it's not just up to the woman.
Speaker 1:No, not at all. I just listened to this long podcast on male fertility and it was quite eye-opening on how important it is for men to have healthy sperm and being healthy and doing healthy things it actually contributes big time to sperm quality. Yeah. And in conception you need that ingredient. And out of the millions of sperm that go, one dude makes it Yep, and it's pretty nuts. Yeah. It's a miracle in my mind.
Speaker 2:It totally is. It's an absolute miracle, like after having a miscarriage, like it was, you don't realize how much of a miracle and you just think back on it, like the whole process, like it's crazy how we procreate, yeah yeah, so being healthy, going into it big deal Training during pregnancy.
Speaker 1:My take is that you can do it.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Obviously doctor guidance and this and that, but the general consensus across medicine is exercise during pregnancy is now a well-accepted thing. Can you elaborate on that?
Speaker 2:Well, even I mean you can't get your heart rate above a certain.
Speaker 1:That's outdated, it's a measure rate above a certain.
Speaker 2:That's outdated. It's a measure to you. Well, it's outdated.
Speaker 1:Oh, you're saying it's outdated.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so you can get your heart rate up when you're pregnant. A lot of it turns into could I versus should I? Yeah.
Speaker 2:Like, yeah, you could go and sprint on a machine or whatever and get your heart rate really really high, but do you need to at this point in time? And like pregnancy and postpartum, it's a season of your life and the seasons will change. And so, because it's such a temporary time, yes, you want to stay active during that time, but you don't have to go 100% all the time. Yes, you want to stay active during that time, but you don't have to go a hundred percent all the time. Yeah, I mean, I think a lot of people, um, but you also can. So it's there's so much nuance in how you can approach it, um, and sometimes it's not. Oh, you've been doing this. Just do what you're doing. Or, you know, listen to, your body is so broad. I feel you get more flexibility during your first trimester. Yes, yeah, you don't have to scale as much during your first trimester, and I mean, obviously, like you probably don't want to be wearing a weight belt anymore.
Speaker 1:You probably shouldn't be wearing one that often.
Speaker 2:Anyways, I'm anti weight belt, so yeah, and if, if you're lifting, you probably shouldn't be lifting so much where you feel like you would need a weight belt anyways. So, um, I mean those are like general guidelines get rid of any fall risks. So no more box jumps unless you're comfortable with it. Um, and anybody that saw me train during my pregnancy it's more of a like I still box jumped, I still double undered, um, pretty far into my pregnancy, um, burpees kind of stopped pretty early, like once you're obviously you don't want to lay on your belly or impact the floor stuff like that. Um, like I was still doing that stuff because I felt comfortable doing that.
Speaker 2:I definitely went longer in my second pregnancy than I did my first pregnancy. I stopped a lot of stuff before because I didn't have as much knowledge on the whole training during pregnancy, um, and what like postpartum would be like, uh, after my first pregnancy I went and uh, saw Sabrina and trained um like three months with her, like after after my pregnancy, and um, she helped me kind of guide me, and then so after that I went in and did the pregnancy and postpartum athleticism stuff and so training during my second pregnancy was definitely I was more educated, um, and understood what I needed to do in terms of, like breath work, how I should breathe, how to um strengthen or try to maintain what I could have, my pelvic floor during pregnancy, um, and stuff like that. So, going into it, I felt like I could do a little bit more longer, um, but generally I'd probably say for the member, like, again, fall risks, so no box jumps um burpees once you feel like you're, you know your belly's really showing and you're touching the ground and stuff like this, and there's eight ways, there's various ways to modify all the things, because everybody carries different, feels different. Usually during the first trimester it's just kind of managing your fatigue and working out when you can, because you probably might not feel like it if you have morning sickness or you're just, you know, super, super tired.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You're growing a human. Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:And that's like that's what I think a lot of people forget, because you're, just because you're not showing doesn't mean you're not growing a human.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Like it's still happening and you're still having all these symptoms and if you feel like you don't want to work out that day, don't work out that day, like all of the motivational stuff that is said before pregnancy kind of goes out the door.
Speaker 1:So let go of the David Goggins mindset.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, you don't need that right now. What you need is to give yourself some grace and just move what you can when you can, right, yeah?
Speaker 1:it's good. So obviously as the belly grows, things change. I've had numerous women now over the years through the gym. I mean we're training up until I get. I put out the comments like I'm not adding delivering a child to my resume. So I know the due dates. I've had people in the gym pass due date. I'm like what are you make me nervous? I don't want to deliver a baby.
Speaker 2:Due dates should be like a due range.
Speaker 1:That's what it is. Yeah and so. Yeah, we've had women multiple women now in the class train their whole pregnancy all the way through, and it is granted, I'm not around a ton of women that don't work out right. My whole network of people are fitness people, but their bounce back is insane compared to what I remember pre-gym life with people being pregnant.
Speaker 2:So you want to think about that pregnancy time period as like what can I do to preserve or maintain what I currently like, what I have pre-pregnancy? So making sure that we manage abdominal pressure correctly and preserve your pelvic floor so that once you do have your baby?
Speaker 2:recovery or the bounce back right is easier, faster, but I mean that also depends on you know how your labor goes, how your delivery goes Right. Did you have a C-section? Did you push for hours, stuff like that, or did you two pushes and your baby was out? Did you push for 20 minutes and were you in labor for an hour or two? You know so it it just varies, but, like I said before, like you want to try and set yourself up for success, so you know, prepping your body by moving it in a way that preserves your pelvic floor and your, and you understand how to manage your abdominal pressure.
Speaker 2:Um is really important going into your uh, your recovery and your postpartum time period. Cause, like when, after you have a baby, your belly is so squishy and it's weird and it's soft and your like guts are like like they haven't moved back yet and so well. And then, like your part of what I do in terms of like breath work is diaphragmatic breathing, and so you, you have to learn how to re-coordinate your diaphragm and your pelvic floor so that way you're not so that you're supporting all of your guts when you're doing like squats or jumping or whatever. So having that knowledge going into your postpartum is really really important and can help facilitate a better recovery.
Speaker 1:So guts get stretched out kids in there beating things up. Mm-hmm. Talk to me about um diastasis recti. So, cassie, my wife Jackson, jacked her up. She ended up having to get a big surgery afterwards put her stomach back together. Yeah, I feel there was knowledge potentially during the pregnancy that we just didn't have. That could have helped probably relieve some of that. But I also have heard I don't know if this is true, but fit women with tight stomachs can potentially have a bigger issue with that the kids stretching out their abdominal muscles.
Speaker 2:Maybe. Well, let me just preface this with that. I am not a medical professional. There it is. We gave the legal jargon right there, and a lot of everything that I'm saying is what I've learned through my certifications and my personal experience.
Speaker 1:So thank you for what it is, don't be coming after me.
Speaker 2:Um, so your abs naturally separate, it's going to happen, okay, um, it's so the whole diaphragmatic breathing is, um, learning to re-coordinate so your abs can like close up and learn to kind of strengthen and re-tighten, I guess if you will. But if we don't manage our abdominal pressure right, when our abs separate, we have this thin membrane, your diastasis in the middle right, and then if you, when you're breathing, if you're pushing your pressure forward right, you have this thin membrane now because it's been stretched, so all of your guts and everything are coming forward and so that creates gnarly so it's all I mean, that's coning and doming, okay, right.
Speaker 2:So if you think about when you so, when you inhale, everything expands and opens up. And when you exhale, right, everything contracts. And that's when you have your, that's your strength and position, that's when your abdominal pressure is evenly distributed and you're not just like pushing it forward, and that's when you're like pelvic floor lifts up, and so that's when your support is in the exhale.
Speaker 1:Take me through one of these.
Speaker 2:So you're going to take in a deep breath and so slow. Failed already A slow, deep breath and think about expanding your ribs, breathing into your lats, relaxing your pelvic floor, and then when you exhale, it's through a straw and you want to think from the bottom, your pelvic floor, and you're breathing up, and so everything kind of just like closes on the way up. So you're breathing through a straw, exhaling through a straw. You can exhale Well, you can exhale a little bit faster, so it's like an audible, like and am I compressing?
Speaker 2:And then so things are contracting, ribcage is coming back down, and that's kind of what.
Speaker 1:So that's exactly what I do when I go to lift. Yeah. So it's the same thing. You'd think I would know this. Yeah, figured it was similar, but it's exactly.
Speaker 2:So and then when we talk about it, it's just slower and more mindful.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I definitely don't get too mentally engaged with it, but that is the breath I pretty much take. Create compression, squeeze my butt, squeeze the pelvic floor I'll be politically, or what do you want to say? It's not politically correct.
Speaker 2:But squeeze that part of my body, squeeze my lats and then I try to compress everything on top of it and I lift so then, and then that when you do that too right, it's like stacks your, your spine and puts you in a good position. So, like a lot of times when people think like, oh, my back hurts, it's my back, sometimes it's your core yeah your core can't stabilize your back yeah, that was my back injury journey.
Speaker 1:I always assumed that I had a strong core, but I didn't have a strong enough core and I didn't brace good enough for the weights I was trying to lift. I couldn't hold positions. That's when I gave up a belt, when I stopped using a belt, rebuilt my lifts from the ground up, really focused on that contraction and being able to hold that for reps.
Speaker 1:uh, it was insane how much stronger my core got yeah and I'm an anti-belt person, so um, but has contributed in a huge way to my gut strength, yeah, the last few years.
Speaker 2:And so the other thing is which might be contradictory at least it was to what I used to teach before pregnancy was you, for example, in a back squat, you inhale, exhale, hold all the way, and then you exhale again at the top, and then you exhale again at the top? Well, when it comes to what I've learned from my certification is that you actually want to exhale either during the entire movement or when you're coming out at the bottom, because that's when you're going to get that support, so you inhale.
Speaker 1:Because I don't hold my breath. I do on the eccentric side of the lift right there is an exhale on the concentric and then if it's four reps I'm maintaining tension at the top. It's a shallow breath back in, yeah, like I don't feel big belly breath again. I feel that initial big belly breath when I go for the initial get the bar off the rack, but then after that it's constant tension with a shallow breath. That's why a 20 rep back squat max is like literally one of the worst things ever.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, Anything more than like five is awful.
Speaker 1:It's awful, yeah, and there are times doing that in the past where my guts go completely slack because I can't hold it anymore. Yeah, I'm fatigued.
Speaker 2:So like when women, especially after having pregnancy and this can happen to people or women that don't have never been pregnant when you pee, when you squat or deadlift, it's because you're applying abdominal pressure, usually downwards in your pelvic floor, and you're not breathing correctly okay.
Speaker 2:So if you can create that pressure upward, it keeps if you do that exhale and create that pressure upward when you're coming out of the back squat, that'll support. Same thing with the deadlift when you're exhaling as you're, as you're pulling off the floor, um, that'll create that support or kind of what you were talking about with, like the shallower breaths with double unders. So, before you initiate your double unders, you do your like your inhale, exhale, maintain abdominal pressure, but do your chest breaths as you're actually double undering. That'll help create that support.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I say I'm like 20% engaged in my stomach when I'm doing double unders, like I actively feel it.
Speaker 2:And a lot of guys don't think that this stuff applies to them because they're not giving birth or whatever. I mean guys have a pelvic floor. Hernias are a thing.
Speaker 1:Hernias are a thing, there are other reasons men could benefit from strengthening their pelvic floor. This probably isn't the podcast forum for that, but just go ahead and research on Google all the benefits men can get from strengthening their pelvic floor and some of you guys might find them interesting. Yeah, but overall health, all that, everything in here is if you're rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, obliques, if you're rectospinny muscles, like all this is in support of your spine, it all matters, and then it all holds your gut sack. Yep, everything together. So it's probably something to be understanding of, because everything in crossfit we do is a core to extremity movement, so all the power is generated from your hips and trans transferred out to your fingertips. Hips to fingertips. I like to think about it, and for that to work properly and apply maximum force, you need a very strong core, because if your core goes limp during that one, you risk injury of your spine, but you're not going to.
Speaker 2:You're not generating.
Speaker 1:Generating as much power out to your fingertips. Usually, our fingertips are attached to a barbell or pull-up bar or kettlebell. Something we're holding on to is where we want fingertips. Usually, our fingertips are attached to a barbell or pull-up bar kettlebell. Something we're holding on to is where we want that power to be expressed. So the stronger, more stable your core is, the more efficient you're going to be at trans. Um, transporting power is that the right word? Sure, yeah, moving power from your hips to your fingertips and, um, that's the important thing in crossfit world. It's a big part of the level one. But, um, it's important in all sports yeah, any sport that you're applying power through your hands, core to extremity, is going to matter. So, understanding what chris is saying is important for women pregnancy, postpartum but it's important for everybody, yeah, human beings.
Speaker 2:So it's good stuff to learn it all applies all applies so kind of back to the diastasis thing too, right? So after you have. Well, when you're pregnant, your body obviously has to move and adjust to make room for a baby growing your belly. So your ribs expand, your hips get wider, you have uh, they call birthing hips which I didn't think I had, didn't know that I'd be able to push the baby out, because I'm like straight um. But I mean you have relaxin that goes through your body, relaxes all your beer, and that's the other thing.
Speaker 2:So like access your soft tissues right so that's the other thing is, when you're training in pregnancy, you need to create stability, which I think, um, I think a lot of focus is on, like what weights you're doing. It's like the obvious stuff. That stuff is obvious. Like you want to reduce the weights, you want to avoid falling um, falling risks, but you also want to make sure that you're creating stability because you your your soft tissues relax and so, like, doing box squats are really good instead of like, if you want to go a little bit heavier on your box squats, fine, or on your squat to it, but use a box, Um, sorry, and then so I got a little distracted. But back to the diastasis. So when all that stuff expands, when you do your diaphragmatic breathing, that is working on bringing it all back and down Because ribs tend to flare out because you're making room for a baby. So that kind of helps bring it all back in and kind of reposition everything that was moved during pregnancy.
Speaker 1:How long does it take? In general, I know every person's probably different, but for guts to feel normal again I don't know how long did it take you maybe? Do you feel normal now?
Speaker 2:yeah, I mean, I think, that's good, because you got some toes to bark them in your way yeah, um, I mean, you know my, my delivery this time around was really fast, so like I didn't spend a lot of time like pushing, so pelvic floor stuff was fine. Um, the lat, like the core stuff, the ab sit ups, ab mat sit ups, like took a while, I want to say like maybe four to five months till I felt like I could do.
Speaker 1:Like you feel that was those muscles working yeah.
Speaker 2:Um, hanging things like any kind of like hanging gymnastics, I'd probably say like that, and then the sit up stuff was probably like the last thing. That probably say like that, and then the sit-up stuff was probably like the last thing that I felt like would come back. Okay, it took the longest to kind of regain or come back to now with women that have c-sections.
Speaker 1:I have coached and been with a handful women, including my wife has c-sections. It took a long and some of the women I know they got C-sections back in the day, right Right Wasn't as refined of a surgery. Potentially they like lose all feeling down there. Yeah, they do sit-ups for hours, feel nothing and in my mind, are we even having a benefit at this point? Are the muscles even working? I'm not sure what the answer to that is.
Speaker 2:I don't know either. I mean you're cutting through seven layers of tissue.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean, you're obviously cutting through nerves and stuff too Like.
Speaker 1:Cassie now and she's had the diastasis fixed.
Speaker 2:That was gnarly surgery.
Speaker 1:She's like that was way worse than any C-sections and the recovery and then two C-sections and I mean now she's getting back into CrossFit classes because obviously her proximity to the gym is inviting for that, but she's like truly feeling core function again and I think that's a combination of getting back into class. But I mean Jackson's seven now. Yeah. And I know it was a few years past that where she felt like she could really do stuff with her abs. It's crazy. It's almost as bad as my vasectomy.
Speaker 2:Oh, my God yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm sure that's the one I get hate for.
Speaker 2:Well, I think part of it, too, is being mindful about your recovery. So I mean, I think there's a lot of focus and more there isn't? There's more information about training during pregnancy than there is about training postpartum, and that is more important.
Speaker 1:If I had to, we're done with you, so yeah, so More info.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so go ahead and figure it out, but I think there's it's a lot more important. If I had to compare the two, I'd say postpartum you need a little bit more time and guidance than pregnancy.
Speaker 1:I think in personal guidance, yeah, because everybody's different. Your journey there is going to be different than the person next to you. I also think it's one of those spaces. I think in general you shouldn't compare, but it's definitely one of those spaces. Like your sister had this great pregnancy and this and that I should just do what she did, it's probably not the case, even if you are from the same genetic pool, so you should probably work with somebody.
Speaker 2:Well, because even every pregnancy and the same person could be different.
Speaker 1:Very true.
Speaker 2:So like there's just so many variables and things that could happen that I think fitness afterwards is needs to be like guided through.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean so since you've become the postpartum coach of the gym. The women that I know personally that have worked with you postpartum it's been cool. I mean you coached a handful during their whole pregnancy. You're giving them workouts Drop Julie's name, for instance. You're guiding her the whole time and I would just Julie what's Chris got for you today? And she's doing group class the whole time up until her pregnancy and she was back quick. Did she even make the six weeks Barely?
Speaker 2:I think just over. I think she got the clearance and then she was right back in the gym. And this was her second, yeah.
Speaker 1:And she's still following everything that you're doing and how old is your kid now?
Speaker 2:Hers.
Speaker 1:Second one, I think Five months yeah Something like that. Yeah, five or six months. Yeah, the other day, monday, she lifetime pr to deadlift yeah, I know, I saw that and I was like and when she's building up to it. I'm like kind of like baby's still relatively new. How much we get in my brain I'm thinking this and she just 100 confidence stood the weight up. I was like that went up real easy. She has a pr. You got more in the tank, girl.
Speaker 2:Yeah well, and like I mean, she got back to double unders pretty quickly too, with no issues. I was like, hey, you got any symptoms?
Speaker 1:she's like no, I'm like okay no, the only symptom is sleep deprivation if little homie's not sleeping right but it's been impressive. She's probably the closest person I've worked with in a class that you've coached, has had that relationship, her whole pregnancy with you and to see just from my perspective being a secondary coach in that situation, it was awesome.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and. I mean she pressures it. Yeah, she's doing good.
Speaker 1:And how old is she?
Speaker 5:I don't know. I think she's like around our age, right, I think so yeah, she's not in her 20s.
Speaker 1:No, I'd have to look that up. But no, it's been really cool to see and giving her a shout out, because she literally shows up to the gym every day, puts in the work every day, does it smart, but it's cool to see where she's at just five months later. Yeah and um, it's been rad, and I mean most of the women in the gym that I can think of off the top of my head have had pretty solid. From what I can see on the outside. Julie's probably the first person I've been in coaching a class and she was pregnant the whole time, like the whole process since I've been south.
Speaker 2:Yeah, she's one of like my first few, because it's still relatively new, right Like.
Speaker 1:I haven't had like a whole lot of clients.
Speaker 2:I mean, we're not just cranking them out here left and right, right, but she's like from pretty much the beginning of her pregnancy or maybe like the second trimester or so through postpartum, that I've coached and she's been doing, she's been crushing it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's been awesome.
Speaker 1:And any of you other women out there struggling with any parts of postpartum, if you're in that area or you're getting pregnant or if you are pregnant I mean chris is here in the gym, very valuable resource and has a lot of insights into this and just from what I've seen I I wouldn't go through a pregnancy without somebody helping guide that for me again yeah and I reference that to my wife because obviously I'm not going to get pregnant but I think there is a lot of power in your own personal long-term health, doing all that the right way and just seeing how much more quickly people bounce back, I'm just like, wow, I have seen a lot of handful and I don't know the full situation, so I'm not here to judge, but like really back off training and kind of stop. And, like I said, I don't know the whole situation there, I don't know their whole medical history or what's going on. But then they come back six months, a year later and it's not as good yeah months, a year later and it's not as good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I get it some. You know kids keep you up all night, you get tired, beat down this and that. I'm just from the other perspective.
Speaker 2:The ones that keep moving seem to bounce back really quick well and there's like, I mean, if you can't get out of the house, there's lots of stuff that you can do at home stuff. Yeah so like Not to say there's no excuse. Obviously birth the new baby and they're probably keeping you up and you're feeding them and doing all the things. But like Mmm, if you're somebody that has worked out for and it is part of your like, DNA.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it's part of your like mental health, like Postpartum Ment mentally is not easy. No, so, yeah, so like you want to continue doing stuff that are that's going to help and make you feel better and we're if working out. Was that beforehand, it should be like that afterwards to some extent. Whatever that may be whatever that looks like for you.
Speaker 1:Let's talk about hormones, because you just went you think y'all know the other day. You're like, my hormones are freaking crazy message me on instagram or some shit. Yeah, a couple weeks ago so obviously hormones change during pregnancy big deal, uh, postpartum, postpartum depression, I don't know a lot about this. And then breastfeeding Obviously there's a lot of hormone things there. And then when you're done breastfeeding, hormone changes and it's like eventually get back to neutral.
Speaker 2:What's that whole thing? Look like it's Well. For me it was like it was just what you would expect during pregnancy Super emotional, cried about everything. It was like if it was happy, if it was sad, I would cry about it Like doom scrolling on TikTok. I see this like you know. What really got me were the coming home videos, like the military coming home surprises.
Speaker 2:Every time I'd see one of those, I just lose it, start crying. I'm like so happy that these people get to see their family. And then or like cute dog videos Just James would come home. He's like, are you OK? And I'm like, yeah, it's just, I'm just so happy. I'm like crying so that all. And then so postpartum I remember with obviously cameron because he's newest was it was a lot harder, but that was, I think part of it was. I had a lot of mom guilt of like. I mean, like I said, jordy was with me for two years, all day, every day, and like having to think about she's not going to get my attention because there's this baby which I didn't feel any connection with. I was just growing a baby and my sole focus was like what's Jordi going to think I'm not spending time with her anymore? Is she going to be mad at me? Like, what's it going to be like for her? Am I going to love this kid as much as I love Jordi, because I really love Jordi?
Speaker 1:It's weird, right, yeah? And then you do Right. Even from a dad's perspective. Yeah, second kid. You're like how are you going to love something as much as this kid? And then it's like this natural equal balance just kind of comes out.
Speaker 2:Yeah it just happens.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean at this point in time with three major cameron's my favorite you're that jordy on july 1st 2025 yeah, three major just wait I can't nine has been interesting with the Claire bear. She's quite sassy and the other day I was like I told Jackson I was like bro a couple more years, bro, you would not even know what hit us in this house.
Speaker 2:Give me a little preteen. Yeah, yeah For goodness sakes. Talk about hormones.
Speaker 1:There you go, yep.
Speaker 2:But yeah, you just end up figuring out and you like love them. And we were up at the lake pretty soon after cameron was born and I just remember, and james was like trying to be really supportive and he's like I'll give her lots of attention, this, that and the other. And I'm like no, I want to give her my attention. I know you're trying to be helpful, but that doesn't help. I know you're trying to be helpful, but that doesn't help. But we were at the lake and I was just sitting with Cameron and I see James and Jordy playing in the water and I just start crying and then James comes over. He's like are you okay? I'm like I want to hang out and play with Jordy. He's like you can?
Speaker 2:I was like no, I'm stuck here with this guy, I can't. But eventually things fizzled you can? I was like no, I'm stuck here with this guy, I can't, um. But eventually things fizzled out and it probably. I mean once I felt like Jordi had transitioned and adjusted and she was okay, which I think took like four, six weeks of her like adjusting to not having everyone's attention all the time. I started feeling a little bit better.
Speaker 1:You were an only child, weren't you? Yeah, okay. Can you tell Never heard of siblings, but I didn't know if there was one out there, but yeah, it's picking up that vibe.
Speaker 2:No, yeah, I'm an only child. And then, well, and then you have, like, this toddler that is starting to test you and I was getting really short and I felt like I had mom rage for a little bit and it was just like I felt I don't know. Emotions were all over the place and so I think most of my hormonal stuff was emotional, yeah, until, um, well, I started, I got my period back pretty early, um, and that is a sign my understanding of like things are re-regulating yeah, and my body like it came back probably like four months after having Geordie and then this time I think it came back around like eight to 10 weeks after Cameron and it affected my milk supply.
Speaker 2:And so I ended up and I had been working with a lactation consultant the whole time, the same one that I had worked with with Jordi, and actually with Jordi I had it ended up getting on some medication to increase prolactin production. Ok, but it's the medication is not specifically for that, it's a side effect, it's like gi medication that has a side effect for that. Um, but once I started taking that it increased, increased my prolactin and my milk production, and then periods went away again until so increased prolactin keeps your menstrual cycle away, because I know some women it could take a while when they're breastfeeding.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like I've heard the term, like breastfeeding is birth control but then you hear about these women that just get like pregnant straight away.
Speaker 1:Yep, it's interesting no, thank you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, not for me, but yeah. So then, until a couple of weeks ago or whenever that was, I made that Instagram post where, like, I had like bad headaches and nausea and my body felt like crap, and my body felt like crap. And then I started my period and I was like, oh okay, it makes sense, but this is like the worst I've ever had, symptom-wise.
Speaker 1:So your menstrual cycle bounced back. After eight weeks you went on the drug and now it's been close to a year. Mm-hmm Okay yeah, are you still on the drug? Are you still breastfeeding? Mm-hmm, cameron's still getting the good stuff.
Speaker 2:Yep, good for you the goal is a year right, yeah, I mean that's what Cassie was stuck well and doing yeah, and then with, like Jordi, I was like worried after four months I was like, oh no, and like every I mean feed your baby however you want to, yeah. So. But like my goal was well, first like it was a year, and then, like things started happening, I'm like, okay, let's see if I can make it to six months, and so like you kind of have to adjust that goal because I think it's really easy to get in and I'm very like black and white, so it's like very all or nothing, and so it's very it's not healthy. Um, so I was just it's. If anything about pregnancy is, or pregnancy has taught me anything, it's to give yourself some grace and to kind of adapt and it let it be okay that things aren't the way going the way that you planned. Um, maybe have a plan if that's what you like to do, but if it doesn't work out the way you want to, then just go with it.
Speaker 1:That that's how I felt about parenting. Yeah, because you read all the books. It's like you talk to the people this person's kid did this, this person's kid did that, this parenting perspective on this and it's just like, once you get in it, you just got to kind of follow your gut and it just happens. Stop comparing and Yep yeah.
Speaker 2:Yep, like you can try to prep as much as you can but be okay with things not going that way. And that's kind of how I went into my delivery, like I had a birth plan and I mean, you know me, you know how organized and planned.
Speaker 1:I am I'm sure that thing was spelled out on Excel. James had a copy. No, I had pictures. I had pictures.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was like easy to read. It's like little stick figures, but like I mean going into it. One of my goals was to go unmedicated.
Speaker 1:Okay, so no epidural or anything.
Speaker 2:No epidural.
Speaker 1:You basically had the baby in the car on the way there, basically.
Speaker 2:But I mean it was the same thing with Jordi too. I think there was also not enough timei was a little bit. I think we were at the hospital for two hours before she was born. I mean a lot longer than 30 minutes, but, um, but still pretty short. And so, like that was my plan. But I wanted, like I read books, I hired a doula, like I wanted to make sure that I was informed as much as possible going into it.
Speaker 2:But even after making my birth plan, like okay, if I get to a point, well and this was before, obviously, the delivery If I get to a point where I feel like I need an epidural, I'm going to take it, but I'm going to try really hard not to. And then, fortunately I wasn't given enough time, so that worked out. But I think uh and part of that the decision was to not uh get an epidural was because I wanted, I heard, I had heard and read that like recovery would be a lot better and faster. I mean, you can walk just fine afterwards. And then I had also heard a horror story about somebody that had gotten an epidural went wrong, and so I was like, okay, well, I don't want that to happen to me. So if I can avoid it at all, costs't want that to happen to me. So if I can avoid it, all costs that won't happen to me, right, but again, if I felt like I would need it, I would be okay with it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, um, and so just having the flexibility mentally yeah, the mental flexibility to do that was huge I think it's potentially probably stress relieving.
Speaker 1:It's like if you get so stuck in this one path, but things are saying the path needs to change. That could be a very stressful place to be in an already stressful time, Right? So I think it's important. I mean, Cassie, her second epidural, they like missed and then left a hole in her spine. Jeez, when they went to start the C-section she could feel it.
Speaker 1:Then they had to do a second epidural and then I can't remember the word, but basically spinal fluid's leaking out. You lose pressure in the spine in that area of the spine and it's like one of the worst pains and headaches you could have. So then she had to go back and they had to do like a spinal go back into the hole, just like three days later, and put a blood clot in there to stop the spinal fluid from leaking out.
Speaker 2:It was gnarly Poor Cassie.
Speaker 1:No, yeah, it was insane. Yeah, yeah, it was insane, yeah. So I, from my perspective, you know, doing things as naturally as possible is probably not a terrible idea, but I'm also grateful for modern medicine, because Claire and Cassie would potentially be dead if we didn't have modern medicine.
Speaker 2:There's a time and a place right.
Speaker 1:So there's a like, there's a time and a place. Yeah Right, so it is. It's a big look at it all and I think, also medical providers. It's important to have somebody that you can have that relationship with. This is my birth plan, this is my goal, is my ideas, but you know, I'm also I'm not Modern medicine in emergent situations is miraculous, and having that flexibility mentally, it seems to me.
Speaker 1:I mean, I'd like to think that's how I would be going into something as holistic as possible but also appreciative of what tools are available if needed.
Speaker 2:I like to think of it like I mean, I try to live my life like try not to stress about the things that are out of your control. Yeah, because I mean stressing out about things, especially when you're pregnant. You're already under a lot of stress, so like, why add to it?
Speaker 1:Yep. So now we're both pregnant. We're back to training.
Speaker 2:Yes, how are you? Feeling Good. Yeah, I think I started.
Speaker 1:Got your good. Yeah, I think I started got your muscle ups back. Yet no, I had to throw it out there just because I've seen you in the mornings?
Speaker 2:no, yeah, it's well and that's like. The other thing is like the athlete brain. When you're pregnant and postpartum, it's like it's frustrating because you're just like you're starting back all over again.
Speaker 1:You are, but muscle memory is a real thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but then that's the other thing too. Right, You're like I have done this before. Why is it taking so long to do it again? Stop Versus. Like the first time you learn it, it's not as frustrating. So there's so many places where you just need to give yourself some grace.
Speaker 1:Didn't you just PR your deadlift though?
Speaker 2:I did my sumo deadlift.
Speaker 1:Lifetime PR. It's pretty rad, yep.
Speaker 2:It is. Who would have thought.
Speaker 1:So back to training, back to work, back to life. Kids growing up doing their thing. Yep. Deep and busy life.
Speaker 2:kids growing up doing their thing. Yep, deep and busy what is your fitness goals for the rest of this year? For the rest of this year, yep, um, I'd like to get a muscle up back I think you're out out there.
Speaker 1:Hopefully have you tried not an actual try nonsense.
Speaker 2:Whatever that workout was, and I was, yeah, so probably not for well and that's like well and so that's one. But like also like getting back consistently, because I like we went on vacation and then I was here, there, here and there and there and then like that I had that whole not feeling good. And so I think, trying to get back to like three days a week pretty consistently. If I can add in a day or two more whenever I can, that would be ideal. But I'm also trying to run more are you gonna do it?
Speaker 1:I don't know you're team captain of the team right now, so yeah, but I don't know we're trying to get chris to do the rto and if you guys know chris, she's like my brother very well, I guess he's an ultra runner now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's crushing it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, I have nowhere near that I'm just proud of him because the only thing you can do with his new injury yeah, dude's always got an injury, poor guy.
Speaker 2:Bet he does.
Speaker 1:But I'm trying to get Chris to and, being a former soccer player, I didn't think this would be that hard, but she's embraced the weightlifting life. Yep, she loves the barbell.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:It's her favorite thing in the world.
Speaker 2:She loves og crossfit just going out and running, not not, if you guys know, james her husband die hard, opposite die hard runner, really curious what the kids are gonna be like yeah, that will be interesting, huh, because it's fun going through that evolution now with my kids.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like jackson is obsessed with crossfit, claire relatively wants nothing to do with it, but she loves swimming. Yeah, and she PR'd all of her stuff. It's just, it's fun seeing them both blossom in their way. Mm-hmm, it's cool. But so your goal muscle up.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm, just train consistently, how's your body.
Speaker 1:Comp Any meltdowns over that.
Speaker 2:No, I usually don't have meltdowns, but it's not Well. I mean, you saw my last in-body. It was trending in the right direction, just at a very, very slow rate.
Speaker 1:What did I tell you? I don't remember. It takes time. Dude, you're still breastfeeding. What did you say? Have some grace, you're doing pretty phenomenal. How much weight did you gain during your pregnancy?
Speaker 2:Not a whole lot, maybe like 15 15.
Speaker 1:What's the cutoff? 30, that's like the goal for most people stay under 30 pounds weight gain, I think. So kind of depends on where you start at, but yeah, 15 yeah, not a whole lot dude, that's some people's like.
Speaker 2:thanksgiving to november, thanksgiving through new Year's change it's true, that's true, but I think I don't know, like, what my body composition is going to be. I don't know what's going to feel good postpartum.
Speaker 1:So your mindset is get back to training, feeling good, and where things settle in it You're going to be happy. It's a good place to be.
Speaker 2:I think gymnastics is going to be good like indicator of in terms of like weight, because back in the day when I was training I had if I had, like a whole bunch of crazy bread before training and we tried to do muscle ups felt it felt that extra water weight oh yeah yep but I love me some crazy bread.
Speaker 1:Yeah, something I can't have ever again. Yeah. And my life's different. It's paid off in a massive way health-wise. Oh yeah, me, and Chris makes the best treats and snacks If you guys don't know this, baking cakes, she makes the best shit.
Speaker 2:Thanks, it's not exactly healthy for you though oh no, I've had people ask me for healthy versions and they taste like shit it's just not the same it's not the same.
Speaker 1:I will say where I'm at now. I've gotten accustomed to like enjoying the healthier options like it is a treat and it satisfies, if you will. But um, it's different, definitely different.
Speaker 2:So it's a lifestyle change yeah.
Speaker 1:So what is um coaching wise, still coaching. Five and six am, friday, sub coaching here and there. I'm gonna try to get you over to shock and all the midtown people one of these days five and six am, I don't know who's it going to be a bigger shock than all.
Speaker 2:Me or them, you or them.
Speaker 1:Doing personal training and postpartum. What is it called? Is it pregnancy coaching? It's not the right word.
Speaker 2:I don't know if we actually came up with I don't know Prenatal, postnatal.
Speaker 1:Prenatal, postpartum training. Chris does all that and then she also does nutrition coaching and she basically does the most nutrition coaching for the Sal Gym. But she can guide that whole health and fitness journey, especially for you moms out there. Lots of knowledge, lots of insights there, but for anybody and she's been a coach for a long time and very knowledgeable in the space you can pass your level three. Hopefully. When's your test? Do you want to give me you?
Speaker 2:don't want to tell me huh, I got an extension on my level two.
Speaker 1:Oh, jake got a six-month extension too. Yeah, all right. So she's going to be leveling up, which will be good for me. It's good for the business.
Speaker 2:We'll have more um next tier crossfit coaches, but now I won't have to do continuing education by myself anymore yeah it'll be great, you know, friends maybe you guys can do the pregnancy and postpartum athleticism coaching I actually would be interested in that.
Speaker 1:Those are ceus. Yeah, I actually would be interested in just expanding my knowledge there, because obviously I have women in class but typically I rely on what they're getting from you or they're you know what they want to do and set in their ways. But, um, I would like to expand my knowledge there. It's long-term part of coaching. So, yeah, potential there. I want to take you to you and jake to suffer camp and then I'll do postpartum let's uh get through the rto first all right, rto first maybe yeah, any last minute things going on.
Speaker 1:Chris, you want to talk about?
Speaker 2:um, I would like to try and do another postpartum class.
Speaker 1:Give another shot of that nice see if that'll then you get cus for it no, um sorry, I mean coaching oh, adding another class yep, a little six week deal we could do high rocks postpartum you could just capture the whole marketing name right there. But um, yeah, we got to figure out the time yeah getting people into that, because the people have done it, have gotten great value. But then one you can't time when people are pregnant. Right. It's one of the hard parts with it.
Speaker 2:That was like the biggest hurdle was like somebody was like I'm currently pregnant. I was going to ask Are you going to do this?
Speaker 1:again. So people can do that pretty much any time, except for like that six-week window of rest and heal. Yeah. So they can do it leading up to it.
Speaker 2:That's what I tell people like get clearance from your doctor and then you can start getting back into some gentle work.
Speaker 1:So the goal adding this class would be people that have had a baby. Mm-hmm, okay, yeah, cool, mm-hmm, okay, yeah, cool. So yeah, if you guys know anybody out there who need insights or looking for stuff in this topic. Chris is available, kris at DoubleEdgeFitnesscom. That's it. Cool, chris, anything else in your life you want to share with the people?
Speaker 2:I don't think so. I think that's it.
Speaker 1:Learned something new about you today. I didn't know you had two ACL surgeries Cool, all right. Well, let's give Chris another round of applause. Oh, it turned up there it is. Thanks for being on the show.
Speaker 2:What other sound effects do you have on that thing?
Speaker 1:Let's see, I got crickets. Crickets. Yeah, that would have been awkward if I did that on you a couple times.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that would suck. I'm already nervous about it.
Speaker 1:Oh, that too. That's a good one Rim shot. I don't know when I'd use that one. Something magical happens. Record scratch. No, I think that was the green one was the record scratch no, I think that was a.
Speaker 2:The green one was the record scratch, record, scratch postpartum uh, what podcast do you listen to that aren't health and fitness related? None you don't have any, just like uh well, I was.
Speaker 1:I listened to the occasional joe rogan one. When chris tells me mcbrown, he listens. Dude's the biggest podcast consumer of all time and I basically only listen to him when I drive or they're so long yeah, no, his are super long but also a lot of topics I could care less about.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so Chris will send me something I think is interesting. So I'll listen to one of those which aren't always health and fitness whether or not health and fitness related typically. And then Andy Frisella is what's it called? Andy AF, can't remember exactly, it's been a while. Most of his are like end up political, slash, entrepreneurial kind of related. I used to listen to the MSCEO project with him, which is all business related, but other than that it mostly andrew huberman, peter attia, dr andy galpin, um ronda fitzpatrick, that's kind of it I think, for I mean, I guess that's for funsies for you oh, so we're changing directions.
Speaker 1:Now you're interviewing me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, wow, um no what's something you like to do that's not health and fitness related um other hobbies I have a really nice mountain bike, but I guess that still fits in the health and fitness and I wish I could ride it more what's keeping you from riding it more? Uh, time prioritization. I got to have to give up a gym workout and I'm just not willing to do that. I got to have to say I'm getting out of the gym today to use my fitness, my 90 minutes of blocked out time to mountain bike ride, because when I get home I want to do things with the kids. Yeah.
Speaker 1:And I'm willing to bet once they can ride where I like to ride, then it'll become a bigger part of my life, Right? But right now it's like a little ride around the block and like bro car. So once they get a little more attuned, Cassie and I tried the whole mountain biking as couples thing. It wasn't a good vibe for us. It was not something she was very interested in doing with me ever again.
Speaker 2:I think she sold her bike to shay oh really I'm pretty sure she did way back, even an option anymore she is a road cruiser and, uh, that's the vibe she.
Speaker 1:Mountain biking with me is, uh, not her thing, so don't get out on that as much. I do enjoy fishing with the family. Okay. I have watched quite a bit of fishing YouTube videos.
Speaker 2:Why don't you get into a fishing podcast?
Speaker 1:I think I want the visual more oh that makes sense. Not just the catch of the fish, but learning. It's still education. What I'm going for is how to tie various knots, different rig setups for different fish types. I grew up trout fishing mostly, so I know that pretty good. But, like bass, fishing is a new experience for me and it's a lot of fun and getting into that. Um, I like gun stuff.
Speaker 1:I just don't get to do it a lot yeah and it's expensive, um, to go out and just shoot rounds. But, um, I love camping. It's it is my one outlet that truly is an outlet that I truly enjoy and it's the whole family loves it. So it's like just a great thing for us getting out now that the kids are older. Camping when the kids were little, even though we had a trailer still the mini trailer it's a lot of freaking work, like hauling all jackson's baby shit around, all the stuff, and then we added two dogs to the mix. It's like, holy shit, you get back from these camping trips. You're just cooked. Yeah, mentally driving, screaming, traveling with littles?
Speaker 1:oh my god, not, not it yeah, so those first few years camping was it's still fun, but it was work yeah I will say last year and this year like it's been a true joy, like the drives.
Speaker 1:For the most part the kids aren't fighting. Granted, I let them have their ipads and I got starlink in the truck now so they have like wi-fi everywhere, yeah, but they're not fighting. They're not asking you know, are we there yet, or this or that, every 10 seconds, um, so it makes the drives before a four-hour drive, it's technically a seven-hour drive, stopping all the time, whatever. Now I mean we can pretty much go full tank of gas and they'll make it. So the whole experience at their new ages, older ages, has been the last two years, been awesome and it's something that I actually truly enjoy and truly value and look forward to in a very big way getting out on our 30 year old boat. It's a lot of fun. Ish uh me cassie and uh jackson. Fun-ish Me Cassie and Jackson do enjoy fishing on the boat. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Claire loves water sports so she wants to be on the tube nonstop and that's the only water sport we have right now. They're not ready for the other stuff, so it's been fun, but it has time limits as far as their attention on the boat, so it's like a lot of work to get out there, get set up, get out there in the water and then after two hours, if we're not catching fish or the water's not warm enough, they kind of lose it and kill the vibe. Whereas.
Speaker 1:Cass and I would just sit out there chill fish, even if we're not catching anything. Have a conversation, have a conversation, have a conversation, so we like those things. I hate random walking, just not into it. Yeah.
Speaker 1:I know some people like to just go for walks. It's not my thing. I genuinely love my job so much that learning and being engaged in this, the amount of hours that I am it, is enjoyment for me yeah like, don't get me wrong, I still hit like periods of time of burnout right like you know, the business side coaching I mean coaching is a very repetitive thing in nature um especially if you do like multiple classes in a row yeah, I mean, typically I'm coaching minimum two classes a day.
Speaker 1:For a while there I was coaching four classes a day. I got three to four personal training clients. I'm writing online programming for people, all the fitness side and then adding marketing into this whole mix. Now, and then all the other business stuff and and I'm chief repair officer around here, so there's no question and things that send me sideways are like toilet paper being out. Yeah, little mundane stuff that's not being done.
Speaker 2:Paper towels that never get replaced.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so that is the stuff that drives me nuts, that puts me into a burnout phase where I feel like I want to break from this place. Yeah, but most days, all day, I'm genuinely enjoying my work and all the various aspects of it. Yeah, it keeps my brain engaged, I feel like I'm providing value to people and I love learning new things and I genuinely enjoy training. Yeah. Like I like exploring what I'm physically capable of, and like I still continue to learn for myself after 20 years. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Like different ways to train, different approaches of training, my own recovery and evolution and recovery and nutrition. Recovery and evolution and recovery and nutrition all this stuff with Claire over those, you know, since 2023, I enjoy going down these roads. So, like what I'm getting at is, even though it's work for me, I'm blessed that it's something that I do enjoy doing you know I'll doom scroll this and that I actually enjoy politics. Don't get me wrong. A couple of these elections kind of burnt me out a little bit, but I like engaging in that the political process, if you will and learning about our constitution and learning how our state runs and is structured, how our city government works. It's fascinating yeah, it's fascinating what was started in 1776, that 4th of July coming up how appropriate.
Speaker 1:How appropriate, but that they had the foresight to frame the Constitution the way it is. Yeah, and still, and the structure Could have added term limits for senators and House of Representatives right out the gate. I think they missed the ball on that one. But in general that's something I get enjoyment out of learning about Love business, love finance. Really like learning about those things, yeah. Yep really like learning about those things. Yeah, yeah, and not just finance, like business management finance, but like finance investing and uh, all that world. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's, it brings me joy. So like on the outside some people think I'm crazy, but they actually find joy, and Cassie thinks I'm a dork. I mean you sound dorky. The kids. It's funny because they're like dad, you're on youtube, you're on the computer, I'm learning it's different you're watching other kids play with their toys and you have the same toys and you're watching those kids you're not even playing with your toy.
Speaker 2:You're watching somebody play with that same toy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm like I'm learning something. Tell me what you're watching somebody play with that same toy. Yeah, I'm like I'm learning something. Tell me what you're going to learn. So Jackson now watches weightlifting YouTube videos.
Speaker 2:There you go, at least you're learning something. Just get them on hook grip.
Speaker 1:What else you got for me?
Speaker 2:No sports teams.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:Not a sports person.
Speaker 1:No, and I think I don't know. Because I'm a fitness guy like it's people think by default I'm into pro sports. Yeah. And I get it. I get where that stereotype if you will come from. But people come up and like, well, who are you going for this weekend's game? What season is it?
Speaker 2:What sport's being played right now?
Speaker 1:I have no clue. I've never had a football team. I know you're a diehard green bay fan. I was like a default green bay fan, ish only through proxy of my parents that's why I got clear that green bay shirt they're diehard green bay fans and then obviously, vicky and arthur diehard football they follow, called they um, followed college football and whatnot.
Speaker 1:So in proxy to them and their sports and their excitement, like I would get excited about it, but I follow zero pro sports, pro athletes outside of CrossFit, which, honestly, I'm not even following the sport of CrossFit that closely, outside of what Ryan's doing. The only reason I'm interested now is because Tia's doing the games again.
Speaker 2:Which I think is gnarly. That's crazy.
Speaker 1:Eighth time had kids. She had two or one One.
Speaker 2:I think she's still on one.
Speaker 1:Going back to the games again for eighth title yeah, fall out. No, no, no sports teams. I can't claim you won't find any sports memorabilia of any kind in my house. I always remind Cassie like I could be the guy that watches Sunday football all day, but I choose to work.
Speaker 2:I don't know which is worse.
Speaker 1:I don't know either. But I liked in my brain. I'm providing long-term, hopefully value to my community and my family, and it's something I enjoy.
Speaker 2:There's some kind of outcome to it.
Speaker 1:Arthur gets very has to sit me down from time to time and tell me like you need to honestly step away from this. For you to be better at it too, you need something. You need some mindless something sometimes so camping and, like I said, the outdoor stuff we do. Winter has become hard because we don't do a lot of outdoor stuff in winter. I'm not willing to fork out the money yet for ski stuff.
Speaker 1:I think this next year we'll dive into that a little bit for outdoor winter activity Now that the kids are a little older and doing sports and a little more coordinated. Yeah, yeah. Now. I'm obsessed with mini fishing poles right now.
Speaker 2:Mini fishing poles. Mini fishing poles, that's a thing why?
Speaker 1:My brother got me this little guy for Christmas. It's like maybe a foot long. I caught a big old fish on it. It was so much fun. So now I have like three of these little mini fishing poles.
Speaker 2:That you actually use, yeah, wow.
Speaker 1:It's rad. That's been my newest thing of learning on YouTube is different fishing poles and different lines and using different lines for different situations. So I mean. I'm sure that's super stimulating for a lot of people out there. You are a dork.
Speaker 2:And then just learning about metabolic pathways and how to optimize my body. Okay, you're just solidifying the dork comment and just adding to it but good for you.
Speaker 1:That's me in a nutshell. Yeah. I'm almost a little bit embarrassed, like I'm really good and enjoy like mechanic stuff, like fixing cars and doing that stuff. But it's a skill I picked up from my dad. Yeah.
Speaker 1:So, like right now, I'm going to, am I going to do Cassie's brake service or am I going to take it? It comes down to a time equation to do. Cassie's break service, or am I going to take it? It comes down to a time equation. Yeah, do we want to go camping this weekend, so I get the car fixed? Or? Am I going? To spend the day fixing the car, but I do enjoy that stuff. Yeah, I love woodworking. I built the whole addition to my house but I enjoyed that whole process.
Speaker 2:Yeah, my dad was a engine man and diesel mechanic in the Navy, and so he had, my dad didn't ring. Corps, yeah, and so he had taught me how to change my oil, how to change out brake pads and stuff. But I would never trust myself to do that on my own car, especially now with kids.
Speaker 1:It's a very important thing. You don't want to mess up, yeah, so you know it's slightly embarrassing that I don't have other hobbies.
Speaker 2:I was just thinking on my way over here, cause, like I can listen to whatever I want to in the car right now, cause I don't have the kids.
Speaker 1:I don't listen to music outside the gym ever.
Speaker 2:I don't blame you do you? Yes, I mean yeah, but I listen to stuff that's not gym music is, but I listen to I don't know like stuff that's not like gym music.
Speaker 1:Yeah, all right.
Speaker 2:Is what I would listen to. But like I listened to a couple of sports podcasts on my way over here or a sports podcast, and I was like this is nice, like I can listen to music. That's not like kid music with Jordy. Yeah, that's not like frozen.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But it's like I can't just have a podcast on. I mean I could, but she'd be talking to me the whole time, so I can't really actually listen to it. But it was nice. It was a nice drive over here.
Speaker 1:Unless the podcast really capturing me, for whatever reason the topic, I basically just listen to it when I'm driving to work. Yeah.
Speaker 1:When we do have long drives with the trailer camping, I'll either put in one headphone and listen to a podcast while driving, while the kids are screaming and this and that Cassie takes a nap, or she listens to a podcast. But lately we've, because our lives kind of just came together, we consume a lot of the same content. Yeah and uh makes for great conversation in our nerdy household. We talk a lot about women's hormones, men's hormones, optimizing gut health.
Speaker 1:Gut health is fascinating I bet like fascinating and how important it is. Yeah, there's so many processes in your body and this is the conversations Cassie and I have. Yeah, I was just talking to her. Or fishing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, james turned me on to a couple of sports podcasts and there was one that I was listening to. It's part of like the Bussin' with the Boys series, which is a sports podcast, but they like branched off and are doing like another series of like for the dads and they're talking about how, um, how, when their wives are talking about whatever, like trash reality tv show or whatever, and like they don't act or they they're all invested and interested because they're wanting to show them that they're interested. And then their version is when they're talking about college football or football in general, and like they just brush it off, that they're basically telling them that they don't care about them and stuff like that. And I told James like I'm like see, well, I talk to you about football and that stuff that I truly enjoy too. So when I talk about my trash TV stuff, I need you to pretend like you care a little bit more.
Speaker 1:What is your trash TV? Because this is actually something. I am a Netflix binger from time to time Hard. Yeah.
Speaker 2:If I get a show the weekend's blocked out, I'm watching it binge watching like a mofo um so secret lives of mormon wives, and I'll watch, keeping up with the kardashians, which I never watched when it was trash tv. Yeah, I know, I'm telling you it is trash tv so that was like and I never watched the original stuff. I've only watched the stuff on like Hulu. That's like new ish, but I'll binge watch that stuff. But then I'll also watch. It's called Welcome to Wrexham. It's follows Ryan Reynolds.
Speaker 1:And I love Ryan Reynolds, yeah Him. And he's a man crush of mine, is he?
Speaker 2:I mean I don't blame you, Rob McElhenney from it's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. They own a football team, a UK football team.
Speaker 1:Like football yeah, soccer yeah Okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and so it follows them and their team story. It's a lot of the team. They own it, but it actually is a focus on the team Is this make-believe or real? This is real, it's reality.
Speaker 1:Oh.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So they actually own a football team, okay.
Speaker 2:And then I think that's it for the most part currently.
Speaker 1:My most recent binge watch was I never watched Yellowstone when it came out.
Speaker 2:I heard about it but, I never watched.
Speaker 1:Yellowstone when it came out. I heard about it but I never. And Chris McBroom one day he's like you've never watched Yellowstone, like basically shaming me all day and I was fortunate enough that I never watched it. But then like 1864 or whatever. Then the next series came out, so I was able to watch the whole story in sequence. Yeah.
Speaker 1:And I went hard. I think I watched everything in less than two weeks really yeah. So that was like I guess you could say, a decompression time season. I stepped away from health and fitness, yeah, and I would get home after bedtime watch an episode. Weekends sometimes string together six or seven. I wake up at four in the morning and watch it until 9, 10 am. Yeah. And then I won't watch anything for a year until somebody basically refers me another show. But yeah, that whole sequence got me binge watching.
Speaker 2:At least you don't have to wait until the next episode comes out.
Speaker 1:I can't do that, I get anxious and I just want to know what happens. So I usually wait until it's all released Anyway.
Speaker 2:You don't have to worry about it.
Speaker 1:Every week thing just bugs me. I want to get in and get it done.
Speaker 2:I think the last thing I binge watched was it's called Clarkson's Farm and it follows Jeremy Clarkson, who was a host on Top Gear All right. And he started having a farm. He's in the UK and started a farm and I binge-watched the shit out of that, Really.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you like the reality shows yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I guess I do.
Speaker 1:I didn't realize that but yeah, I guess I do Never been able to get into a reality show. I tried the whole live thing. Yeah. And it just got meh. I was going to stay out here the longest.
Speaker 2:I never used to like that stuff. And then, I don't know, in the last couple, of years, which I mean I don't get to watch a lot, so like when I'm binge watching. Clarkson's Farm. It's like at like three o'clock in the morning when I can't go back to sleep after feeding cameron for a couple hours, and then I'll go back to sleep and then be up in the next get another like extra two hours of sleep and then I'll be up again what else you got?
Speaker 2:that's it I got a eyebrow wax appointment at four oh, it's time to go.
Speaker 1:The eyebrows waxed. Go to Jenny. Who do you go?
Speaker 2:to no. Does she do eyebrows waxing? I think she does the lashes.
Speaker 1:I have no idea, tiffany. I feel like all things body stuff. Jenny's like one of the main people. Tiffany Hill, tiffany Tiffany yeah. Nice, tell her. I said hi, I will. She's waxed my back a few times back in the day.
Speaker 2:When you cared about that.
Speaker 1:Now I just got a razor that I knock it down a little bit. Yeah, I got this one patch.
Speaker 2:Does it like extend? How do you? Oh, it's got an arm.
Speaker 1:It exposes my mobility.
Speaker 2:Oh, in a very meaningful way.
Speaker 1:The internal rotation up behind. That's a tricky one. Sometimes you got to call in support from your wife. But there's this one patch that's on my lat Can't reach. Well, it's the one I want gone. Yeah. I've done multiple sessions of laser hair removal oh okay. Done the back waxing. Back waxing doesn't work for me because it just breaks out.
Speaker 2:Oh.
Speaker 1:And I hate that even more. So this razor deal works really well. Keeps it knocked down, no breakouts. That's good. Yeah, as I'm blessed to keep the hair on my head as I'm getting older ear hair, I get my ears waxed every four weeks oh really jessica. You met Jessica, she comes six am now. Oh, okay, yeah yeah, so she does that. It's quite a torture treatment.
Speaker 2:Nose hairs back hair, all this manscaping.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that wasn't there five years ago and now it's coming in. But at least the hair on my head is staying. I don't think testosterone has influenced it a lot, but it has some, for sure. Oh yeah, so yeah, part of the life.
Speaker 2:Yep, I still got these postpartum hairs coming in.
Speaker 1:What does that mean? Baby hairs?
Speaker 2:You get like little postpartum baby hairs.
Speaker 1:Like you lose your hair and it comes back.
Speaker 2:Well, so, like during pregnancy, you don't shed your hair like you normally would. So postpartum, it seems like you're like losing hair, but it's all. Just your hair that was supposed to shed is now shedding, and then you get new hair growth and so it's always like in the front and it's always like weirdly short. It's like you cut your your own bangs so anesthesia can do that cause you lose your hair and claire went through a lot of anesthesia she.
Speaker 1:She lost a lot of hair. It's coming back and now her hair is super curly. Oh, really it's really cute, but it's super curly, which it wasn't before all that stuff.
Speaker 2:So the texture changed.
Speaker 1:Texture changed and, it's funny, the amount of hair that was growing back. She's got so many little shorties that are just like untamed beasts. Especially when she wakes up in the morning it's like it's bad. It's bad, All right. Well, you better get to your hair deal or your eyebrow deal. Tell Tiffany I said, hi, I will. And thanks, chris. Thank you, people get to know you now.
Speaker 2:I'm not doing this again.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you will, maybe you will.
Speaker 2:I mean, I guess you're my boss, you get in here, you get other people.
Speaker 1:It's a fun conversation to be had.
Speaker 2:We'll wait for some current events.
Speaker 1:We need some current events. Okay, all right, bye everybody. See you next time.