July Athlete of the Month – Andi Barlow

I turn 50 in November which completely blows my mind to say out loud but the Scorpio in me will take that challenge on like a boss. I have been a nurse for 26 years and currently travel the US and Canada training doctors and their staff on our laser platform. I have been married to John (my smarter, kinder, better half) for almost 20 years and we have 3 kids (his, mine and ours). I was an active duty Captain in the Air Force for six years and it changed my life in more ways than you have the time or possible interest in hearing. I cannot remember a time in my life that I didn’t make health, wellness and physical fitness a priority. The challenge for me has always been boredom. Running is about the only sport that I had long term commitment with but my knees over time defied the daily pounding. Side note: I was born with almost complete club foot which meant I spent the first two years of my life in double barred metal braces 24 hours a day and actually learned to walk with them. Being confronted with this anatomical physical problem made me learn how to adapt and overcome at an early age. So fast forward to four years when a prior CFRR member and one of our best friends, Josh Bashara, strongly suggested that I give it a try. My first reaction was to spit laugh and tell Josh he was crazy, CF is for young athlete’s!! Anyway, he worked on me over time and finally I acquiesced mostly just to shut him up. To my surprise I was HOOKED!! To this day I credit Josh with introducing me to this fabulous community of devoted men and women of all ages and all walks of life. You are my family and you support and encourage me every single day. It started with Adrien and extended through Kali and Landon as coaches and members and I will expound on that in my answers. So here goes…

    My biggest motivation probably seems cliche but it truly is strength and health!! Motivation is an interesting and extremely personal quality that for me can be fluid and ever changing. When I say strength I mean it not only in the physical sense but being strong mentally and emotionally. Most who know me witness on a fairly daily basis my need to scale and overcome the obstacles that my body presents. YOU, all of you in my CF family, motivate me to meet these challenges. I know for a fact that it is the sangha, or community, that keeps me coming back to continue to create and achieve the goals that I set. CF also sets an important example to my kids, husband, family and friends. John and I motivate each other every day to keep coming back, it works if you work it (to borrow a 12 step quote). Lastly, I am motivated by others successes and PR’s. The energy that I get from watching other members (new and old) change and evolve is tremendous. Their commitment helps feed my commitment, kind of like paying it forward. You never know how your presence can benefit other members. I tend to downplay my influence on others but I suspect I’ve touched the lives of a few and I don’t take that for granted.

     “I think the scariest person in the world is the person with no sense of humor”–Michael J. Fox    **mic drop**

    Oh boy, my current training/PR goals. In the spirit of transparency and honesty one of my biggest goals getting back into my routine after a month of literal chaos. As most know one of the biggest consistencies in my life is inconsistency due to my insane travel requirements. This is why you can see my at 5 am HCC randomly or a Saturday class. People often say oh wow, you are at CF at 5 am and you fly out at 10 am. That’s insane! No, it’s what you do when you love something. Often I get home after midnight and get myself up for a 6 or 8 am class. My goals are more global vs specific. My goals are to give 100% to my workouts and attendance. The obvious goals of body sculpting and strength with a side dish of kipping pull-ups is on the menu along with the more esoteric goal of improved emotional grounding. Another maybe odd to some goal of mine is simply to make more goals for myself. (you don’t have to print that). Goals have always been tough for me because they are concrete and require action, a plan and follow through. But alas, goals are necessary for me if I ever hope to achieve true change, be it physical or mental. My number one goal right this very second is kipping pull-ups. (I hear you Kali, in my ear telling me to come to  PT!!) So here is another goal….come to PT…..oh, and be better at entering in Wodify.

    Day one at CF was slightly terrifying mixed with thoughts in my head like I’m not fit enough for this and everyone will be judging me. These feelings were quickly a distant memory thanks to the amazing coaches and athletes. Changing the mantra in my head from you aren’t good enough or you’re too old to you got this and you are competing against yourself has helped immensely. My workouts today have gotten better and better. Thinking back to DU’s and how I thought I’d never get them. The multiple ropes I purchased and Landon telling me, it’s not the rope. He was right. Box jumps are another movement that I remember being so daunting. I never thought I would move beyond a 14 in box. I guess the “I never thought I would or could” is common denominator for me when I think back four years ago.

    My advice to new athletes to CF is embrace it all and make small goals. I wanted to say embrace the suck but that doesn’t sound very encouraging. Embrace the lack of A/C and heat and think of it as character building. Lean on your CF family. We are here for you and I believe we all embody the pay it forward philosophy. Fuel your body. It’s true that nutrition is key. I know I said it earlier but KEEP COMING BACK. It’s infectious and the more you show up the more you miss it and can’t wait to get back. Suddenly your life sort of gets scheduled around your workouts and becomes the priority. Oh and remember that everything can be scaled. Don’t not come to CF because you think, oh I can’t climb a rope or run a mile.

   Gosh, I would have to say the first time I strung together 25 DU’s. That and my very first PR ever that I think was 90 lb dead lift. I still have that video in my phone and look back at it from time to time to remind myself of the growth I have experienced over the last four years.

   My biggest interest outside of CF is cooking. I finally have an open floor plan kitchen that I can cook and entertain in. Sounds hokey but I am interested in being my most authentic self. Thank you Sam, Kali and Adrien for being constant reminders that we are perfect just the way we are.

    My favorite part of CF is the diversity and unpredictable workout configurations focusing on strength, speed and endurance. CFRR always surprises, never bores me.

    I may need to think on this but my off the cuff response would be something like Barlow Butt Blaster…..squats in various forms, lunges, burpees, mountain climbers, box jumps.

   My diet is a work in progress. I have always been a healthy eater and supplement junkie but never extreme. I am a critical eater and appreciate good food. I feel my best with a low carb diet and minimal dairy. My travel schedule makes clean eating a challenge but I am a work in progress. I have adapted things over the years like collagen, BCAA’s, etc, which I credit CF with.