How My Training Elevates the FUN in My Life!

I have always been an active person.  I enjoy doing all kinds of things outdoors regardless of the season.  My husband and I both grew up skiing, and converted to snowboarding as adults....because of course snowboarding didn't exist when we were kids!   When the winter's are cold I find that getting outside and enjoying what the season has to offer is the best medicine for getting through the coldest months of the year.

This year I set a goal for myself to get out on the slopes with my husband Eric at least 5 times.  I haven't been on my snowboard as much as I would like over the past couple of years, so this year I took to putting it in writing to hold myself a little more accountable.  I attended a business retreat in the White Mountains of New Hampshire just after the New Year, and one perk was the opportunity to get out on the slopes for a couple of hours one afternoon.  This was absolutely perfect because it gave me the itch to get to my goal.

Aside from the couple of hours of riding in New Hampshire, which does not count towards my goal by the way, I made it to Mt. Abram the day after a Saturday snowstorm.  The conditions in New Hampshire and at Mt. Abram were completely different.  New Hampshire was a spring skiing kind of day.  The snow was soft as were the occasional ice spots.  It was a perfect day all around.  The Mt. Abram day was a "powder day", but keep in mind that powder in New England is usually heavy unlike the infamous powder of the western U.S. mountains.  But I LOVE it none the less.

During both of these days out I couldn't help but be blown away by how my training has benefited my riding.  Keep in mind that I opened Wilcox Wellness & Fitness because I wanted to make an impact in my community.  I had known Mike & Paige Wilcox for many years and was impressed by what they had created in Bangor, and I wanted to share it with my community in Brunswick.  I've never been a gym goer.  My past experiences at a gym included a clip board and a monotonous routine that I quickly became bored with.  My lack of regular strength & conditioning training started to become more evident as I "got older".  I noticed that I would injure myself more easily, which landed me in physical therapy on a couple of occasions, but even more so my overall strength & mobility was suffering.

​What is interesting is that I didn't entirely appreciate the waning mobility as it was happening.  When I would be out riding I'd notice that it had become more difficult for me to rotate my body in order to look behind me and uphill for oncoming traffic.  I chalked it up to the layers of bulky snowboarding clothes that I was wearing.  

During my day in New Hampshire I noticed how much stronger I felt as I literally shredded the mountain.  We only had 2 hours so we wanted to maximize our time and we rallied to get in as many runs as we could.  As I carved the edges of my board into the soft snow I noticed how my ab engagement would support the most gracious carves through the snow.  I was able to lean into my turns with power and control.  When on my heal side edge I could sit into a squat position without the quad burn of years past and power into my turns in the opposite direction.  I felt AMAZING!  I had never felt so strong in all of the years that I've been snowboarding.

​So when we got a big snowstorm predicted for Saturday and overnight into Sunday I was rearing to go!  Eric and I got up bright and early so we could get onto the trails early before they were skied off.  Much of the mountain remained un-groomed and we were ready for a fun day on the mountain.  As I got ready to get out on the trails I reflected on my experience just a couple of weeks earlier in New Hampshire, and I knew that I would need to adapt my riding approach to the different conditions.  As I said earlier, even though it was a "powder day" I knew that the snow would be heavy and it would be a lot of work.  The edging that I was mastering the trip before wouldn't do me any good in these conditions.  I needed to feel this out and figure out how my new strength and stability would benefit me in the powder.

Within two runs I had it figured out.  When navigating through tracked powder each turn can be unpredictable.  The snow gets piled up into soft moguls by the skiers and riders who had been down the hill in front of me.  In the past these kind of conditions would have felt intimidating.  I would have to work hard to maintain control, moving my board nearly 180 degrees from side to side to maintain a checked speed.  I would use my legs to power my board from side to side. 

But this time was entirely different! 

I realized that my thoracic mobility was markedly improved. 

I could comfortably look up hill behind me, yet the clothes I wore were exactly the same. 

The strength through my core and obliques were working for me. 

I was able to use this strength to almost effortlessly move the board from side to side. 

This gave me the confidence to go much faster, knowing that I could easily correct my trajectory if the line I had picked was different than I had imagined and I would need to change course without warning.  My legs also feel stronger, so as I surfed over the unpredictable moguls choosing to carve in between some, bank off of others, and ride up and over...maybe even catching a little air.  ​​

​The powder was hard work.  I overheard some people in the lodge talking about checking out early because they were so tired.  Eric and I were working so hard we had to go into the lodge to cool down, not warm up as normally the case on an 18 degree day, but that only encouraged us as we set out for run after run, right up to the end of the day.

With every run I would reflect on the work that we do in the gym, and recognize the subtle movements that my body was naturally making, allowing me to maximize every turn.

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I love the feeling of recognizing the benefits of my commitment to my training sessions.

Remember, before making this big decision to open my location of Wilcox Wellness & Fitness I didn't visit a gym regularly.  Although I have spent a great deal of time in preparing for the opening of this business studying and learning about nutrition, exercise science, and the skills of being a great coach I wasn't super fit.  I'm on this journey right along side the people within the WILCOX community who have also made themselves a priority and take the time each week to invest in their health & fitness.

When I feel the impact of my training I get so excited.  Not only because I'm able to live my very best life because of the time I take to be healthy, but because it provides me with so much perspective around what each client is experiencing. 

​Everyone is on their own journey, finding their own path to their commitment to wellness, and learning and growing at their own pace....but I know that with each day that they spend in the gym, each opportunity they take to step outside of their comfort zone and try a new movement, each time they commit to the movement, they are contributing to some greatness outside of the gym.  I love hearing the stories that clients share with me about where they feel the benefits of their training program.  Whether it be doing household chores, playing with their kids, or embarking on a new adventure of some kind or another the benefits of their commitment to their health & fitness is seen.

I love what I do.  I love impacting people's lives in a positive way.  I love that I have the opportunity to share this experience and provide people with the tools that will allow them to feel absolutely amazing in what ever it is that they love doing. ​

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