AUTO-GENERATED TRANSCRIPT

Brianna Battles  00:01

Welcome to the Practice Brave podcast. I am the host Brianna Battles, founder of Pregnancy and Postpartum Athleticism, and CEO of Everyday Battles. I’m a career strength and conditioning coach, entrepreneur, mom of two wild little boys and a lifelong athlete. I believe that athleticism does not end when motherhood begins, and this podcast is dedicated to coaching you by providing meaningful conversations, insights and interview topics related to fitness, mindset, parenting and of course, all the nuances of pregnancy and postpartum, from expert interviews to engaging conversations and reflections. This podcast is your trustworthy, relatable resource for learning how to practice brave through every season in your life. Hey everyone, welcome back to the Practice Brave Podcast. Today, I am here with my new friend Christy O’Connell. We connected maybe like a month ago, because she moved to Idaho, and I don’t even really remember how we got in the DMS, but it was really exciting to know that you’re here as a fellow fitness and business woman. It’s nice to make friends with ladies who get it, who get the world that we’re in, and I’m really excited to talk to her today about athlete brain and what that has looked like through just different eras for her as an athlete, she’s had a lot of success as a CrossFitter, but also as an endurance athlete, and has found just different outlets of training, and has had to like rework her relationship with what fitness looks like through each different stage, and what is making her happy, what makes her feel good? And kind of redefining what athlete brain looks like through different seasons of life, and I feel like that is something that so many of us who listen to this podcast can relate to a lot. So Kristi, thanks for being here.

Kristi O’Connell  01:53

Thank you so much for having me. It’s been so much fun to connect.

Brianna Battles  01:58

I know I love that like we, we just, like, sat and got coffee and ended up, like, yapping for two hours. And I was like, Okay, we have so much in common and like, also we, we feel special, but like, we’re not special because we so many different women can relate to, like our, I don’t know, just like our, like life trajectory, our sport and fitness and athlete trajectory. So give us a little bit of background on what yours is. Yeah. So I’ve been

Kristi O’Connell  02:25

in sports my entire life. So I was a swimmer, and I went on to swim d1 in college, and that was very demanding. I loved all of it, but taught me a lot after swimming, I got out of college, and I was actually working at a big four accounting firm, so I majored in accounting, and I was miserable. So I felt like my fitness was declining. I was, you know, I’ve just been an athlete my entire life, and then losing, you know, my confidence in my body, and just all these things that come along with being that athlete and training really hard, and then now just kind of having to figure that out for yourself. And so I was always interested in that. So I ended up starting CrossFit. And so to keep me fit, you know, my one hour high intensity before I’d go in and audit all day, and it at least gave me like my fix. And then I ended up being miserable in accounting and quitting that and pursuing CrossFit. And so I quit my job. I started working, took on two jobs, started opening 5am on Starbucks, and then working at a gym in the PM, and then trying to train in between. And I slowly got better and better and better at CrossFit, and just fell in love with it in the process. And I felt like there was so much there that I had to offer, and I also just loved and so I followed that. So I ended up qualifying for seven CrossFit Games. And then after I got out of CrossFit, I, you know, I I didn’t retire, quote, unquote, because I felt beat up or like I couldn’t do it. I just didn’t have the love for the sport anymore, and I wanted to challenge myself in different ways. And I had two specific goals. So I ran marathons after swimming, prior to CrossFit, and I wanted to try to break three hours. And so coming off CrossFit, I felt like, Okay, if I have the fitness, like, if I switch into some more running, like, I could do this, I’m stronger now. I’d be curious to see how this goes. So I switched into endurance world with some marathons and triathlons. And so that’s kind of just been the evolution of my sport background, yeah.

Brianna Battles  04:15

And they are all similar beasts, right? Like coming from day one in that demand to then running to fill that almost like void, you know, where you’re like, well, like, now what this part of my like, fitness is done. So how do I fill that? We talked about how, like, you’re so used to training for like, say, three hours a day in college, and then after you’re like, well, if I’m not working out for three hours a day, obviously I’m gonna get fat, and I am not athletic, and I am not fit anymore, so then you try to, like, it’s like that replacement therapy, where now I’m going to run. Well, that’s not intense enough. Now I’m going to do CrossFit. Okay. Well, now I’m kind of burned out on CrossFit, so I’m going to go back to, like, endurance, but let’s sprinkle in like triathlon, so it’s a little bit different, and it’s a new challenge. And it’s like, we keep that’s like, such a perfect example. I. Think of the iterations that athlete brain takes on. I can also make fun of myself with that. So, like, it’s, this is so many of us that go from sport to a different variation of a sport, and it just like, sucks you in, like, it totally pulls you in to fill, you know, that little bit of a void, yeah.

Kristi O’Connell  05:17

And I think the other piece that goes along with that we kind of talked about, too, is in the era that we grew up in, like, how you’re eating is tied to all of that. So when I was an athlete, like I I knew I needed to fuel, but learning to eat. And so then you get out of that. And now I’m sitting at my desk, but I want to go run, and then it’s like, Well, should I just run longer? How much should I eat? Like, just trying to balance everything. It’s like, in your brain, it just becomes so complex. And those are all these different layers that I didn’t realize until kind of I’ve just wanted to look, you know, be fit, healthy and happy and feel the best in my body, and have energy for my day and my business and all of these other things. But it’s like there was so much noise going on with the athlete brain.

Brianna Battles  05:56

Yeah, absolutely. And like I said, you know, athlete brain serves us so well, and there’s a point of almost like diminishing returns if you don’t learn how to leverage it at different points in times. So can you talk to me about, like, your CrossFit era, and what that was like, and like when you were doing it, when you were having the most fun, and then when things started to change for you, when, like, your love and your passion for it just wasn’t as much.

Kristi O’Connell  06:20

Yeah, CrossFit, it’s super interesting. So I started to be part of a community. So I, you know, I missed my team from swimming, I missed my girls, I missed the locker room, like, I missed everything about that, like nobody tells you, like when that ends your senior year, you still have those friendships, but it’s different. It’s not like you’re working hard in practice together and you’re showing up and you have this accountability. It’s like you not you have your friendships, but there’s, there’s no one now telling you you have to do it like when you’re when you’re there on this team, like you have to show up. And so it’s like, hopefully those values were instilled in you, which they were. And I ended up joining that CrossFit gym, and I started it for community. I started it to work hard with people again, and to have a class to show up to and to kind of, honestly, have somebody tell me what to do, in a sense, because I was going to the gym after I graduated, and I felt like I was just kind of like in the gym for hours, but never feeling like I got the same workout that I got when I was the d1 athlete and I was in the gym for hours. It’s like I was a little bit lost. And I was like, okay, there has to be more to this. And so joining CrossFit, and then from there, I just, I loved it. We had such a great group the community, which is what brought me into it. Was the most incredible thing is like I drank the Kool Aid, everything. Like we were doing local competitions, hanging out with people, like weekends. It’s like I was constantly, like, opening my app to see what the next workout of the day was. Because it was really set, you know, eight or nine o’clock at night, and I’d be laying in bed, and I’d be so excited to see what I was doing the next morning. And then I slowly got better, and I got into competition, and that was really fun also. So my husband, he actually was competing, and he was pretty good. He was doing all the regionals and everything. So I was like, Oh, if I get better at this, I can just go do this with him, and this can be our front weekends. And then I also get to work out too. So that’s really how I got into it. And I would just go around and do local competitions. He would compete. I would compete. We would do some team stuff. And then I slowly realized, like, Hey, I think I could actually make the games. And I remember seeing the games on TV before I had even started CrossFit. And I was like, wow, how cool would that be? Like, that would that would just be really cool. I didn’t tell anybody but him, because it was, like, kind of a far fetched belief. But he was like, No, I actually think you can too. And so the two of us, he just helped me. And so I got into it. And, like, that first year was a lot. It was really hard, it was really tiring, and I actually finished my first CrossFit Games. I was like, I’m never doing that again. Like, I’m never I’m not training. I’m not going back. And then you take, like, a month or two months off, and you’re like, actually kind of love the grind, so I go back, and you’re like, Okay, well now I want to prove to myself that wasn’t a fluke. Can I do this again? And so year two, I think, was actually way more stressful for me than year one, because nobody knows who you are. Year one, it’s just kind of like this lofty goal that I set for myself. And so year two, I felt so much pressure and that that year was even not enjoyable, like I had gotten a little bit sick, like I feel like I was over training, like I just put so much pressure and stress on myself in 2017 and so I finished year two, and I like, there was one point we were even driving to the games, and I was like, why are we even going? He’s like, why are we going? You’ve worked your butt off, like, you’re gonna go out, you’re gonna be fine. And it was all a lot of it was like mental chatter, and I think it was like stress and pressure I was putting on myself. And so we got done with that one, I was like, never doing this again. Sure enough. You know, take a couple months off, reflect, and here we go. And then it just becomes a cycle. So I think, like my first two or three years training to compete, they were fun. And every time I’d reflect after if I gave myself enough space to breathe, I enjoyed the grind. I enjoyed the process. I enjoyed continuing to get stronger, to get better, to have all these different goals to chase, and I just became obsessed, and it occupied every second of my life. And then 2019 hit. We got married. I was like, Okay, I’m done. And then I ended up going team well, on the team. I saw the individual competition, and I felt like I kind of want to be out there again. So then I went back in 2020 and covid hit, and I made it. I was like, well, now we’re on an online year. Like, I can’t end here. So I went into 2021 and 2022 and so I just feel like, if I would have listened to myself, maybe I wouldn’t have done it as long. But I’m also glad that I did do it, and I just continued to push and challenge myself to see what I was capable of, because once I was ready to walk away like I had no doubts. I knew that chapter was over, and I was very at peace with it. I didn’t have any FOMO like it was it was time for me to continue to move on. I just didn’t realize moving on was going to be not challenging in the sense that I wasn’t ready, rewiring my brain and all of my habits that part was the most challenging part after,

Brianna Battles  10:41

yeah, so say more about that. Like, what did the rewiring of your brain look like, and your habits going from competing at a very, very high level with that pressure, not even like outside pressure, but that internal pressure to and I think CrossFit in general, you know, sort of creates an avatar of, like, this is how I live. This is how I train, if I’m not working out intensely At my heaviest, at like, max capacity, it’s like, it’s not good enough, you know, like, so it’s very hard to detox from that way of almost, like, from that relationship you have with fitness and your training and your body, yeah.

Kristi O’Connell  11:12

And it became about, like, what makes you feel good? So I was telling you before, like, for me, it became about one, we have a business where we’re trying to help 1000s of people all over the world do essentially that is like, we don’t need to spend 3456, hours in the gym. It’s not necessary. And you can still build a body that you love and that you’re super proud of, and that you feel confident, you feel healthy, you feel happy, you have energy for your friends, your significant other, your kids, your family. You can do that in 60 minutes or less, a few days a week. And so that’s what I really focused on, is like, more is not better. And to do that, it took me a long time, like, there’s a ton of journaling involved, because I would wake up and I was so used to just like, looking at my daily program and having so many things to do that it was like, I got to work, and it’s, go, go, go. And so now it’s that way, but it’s different things. It’s business related things. It’s, it’s not I have to go to the gym right away. And if, for me, if I like morning workout. So I do tend to like, like to check it off, because then I feel like my mind is clear for the rest of the day. But not everybody’s like that. And so it’s just understanding like, oh my gosh, I’m going to bed at 10 o’clock instead of 845 or nine o’clock. My life’s not going to fall apart tomorrow. Like I’m still going to function. And honestly, there’s been plenty of nights we’ve had this day up late working on projects to get them finished, that it becomes so rewarding in such a different way. And so it’s just learning, like, what are your priorities? And I still fitness for me is absolutely a priority, and just being comfortable in my body and in my own skin, because I have been an athlete, but knowing that I don’t at some point that does can become detrimental, and I don’t need to spend three to six hours like that’s not helping anybody, and it’s honestly probably pushing me further from my goals at this point than Closer.

Brianna Battles  13:00

Yeah, because it’s not actually sustainable. And I think what we I think there’s a fear attached to so many female athletes, when all we have known is that kind of, like rigid structure. So then to because that was like beaten into us as kids, right? Like you go to school, you come home, you go to swim practice, or for me, you go to water flow practice, and then on the weekends, you have meets, and then you’re doing this, and like, we then it goes into college, and it’s the same thing. Well, now you’re balancing that with, like, figuring out how to be, like, a somewhat independent adult, and then, like, again, there’s just, it’s this constant rigidity, and that’s all you know. So to detox from that even a little bit, even while still prioritizing your health and fitness. That is not intuitive for people with your kind of like, sport background, and it takes a long time, I think, to be able to, like, I don’t know, almost like, manage some of those intrusive thoughts and behaviors.

Kristi O’Connell  13:59

Yeah, and I think it takes a long time, but I’m still not perfect. Like coming out of CrossFit, I went into marathons, and so I had set this goal. And actually the first year coming out of CrossFit, I ended up injured because I went from zero to, you know, 200 trying to run way too many miles. And it was like, I am not being done with CrossFit, to try to replace exactly what I was doing, but I was doing like, these running workouts that I had no business doing. So that injury was actually, like a huge blessing for me, is it really made me take a huge step back and evaluate, like, what is it that I want in life and like, out of this fitness journey? And you know, so many people are going through that, and it’s like, we can’t just keep running ourselves into the ground. And that’s ultimately what we have that like we try to help people with that every single day, is understanding there is another way. And I feel like I got so tunnel vision that I was like, No. Like, I have to, I have to train six days a week. I can only take one rest day. Like, my meals have to be perfect. Like, it’s like, no. It doesn’t have to be that way. And so that injury kind of it was really hard mentally. I’m like, I come out of CrossFit. I was never even injured. I tried to go run this marathon, and now I have this hip and back thing. I couldn’t run for like, four months. So I ended up the next year with a whole different mindset, like working through that in a very long process. So I started that in August, and I didn’t run my race until February, but it was more of a love for running. So I built very, very slowly, like I started with the 10k and I was just having fun, like the goal keep having fun three to four sessions a week, that’s it. And before, I was trying to run six days a week. And so it’s understanding that more is not better. And so these little I still have to check myself when I sign up for something that I like to go all in, and I think that’s the thing that I want to help more people realize, is that you don’t have to train those six hours a day. You don’t have to train six seven. You need to take rest days that you’re not actually falling behind, and that those things can serve you. And you can still be very fit. You can still work very hard during your workouts. You can still be very tough. And I felt like all those things were things I was going to lose, kind of not being an athlete. But you don’t lose those things, right?

Brianna Battles  16:09

And I think it’s a really common sentiment for women to experience they will at some point. Sometimes I feel like it’s motherhood. Is this catalyst season for them where they’re like, Okay, things are different. Now I have to re examine my relationship with my body, training, etc. For others, it can be a sickness or an injury, where there’s some sort of, like, significant setback, or even just like life event, where you’re like, Okay, I can’t train and participate in fitness and like, be this rigid with my beliefs and my body like I always have been, because it is no longer serving me. It is only hurting me. And that is an awakening that I feel happens. I mean, it just does. It happens to every woman at some point in time. Every female athlete who has been training like you have trained, even if it’s not like this high level, if that’s like that rigidity to that thinking and that approach, it is something they will experience at some point in time. It’s just a matter of when,

Kristi O’Connell  17:02

yeah, and I think perfectionism falls into that. And I think that’s like a driving thing is don’t want to miss a training session, don’t want to miss a workout, don’t want to mess up your meals, whatever that is. And so it becomes this. It’s just so rigid that it becomes so stressful. And I think that stepping away from that is more than anything. And I talked about people about this all the time. Consistency, you just have to be consistent. Is like, you can’t have this one outstanding day, and then all of these not so great days. It’s like it just do your best with whatever you have that day. And some days, it could be 20 minutes, like going out for a walk, whatever you can get in that day. Just try to be as consistent as possible and don’t strive for perfection. And when I started recognizing that and realizing, like, not everything has to be like to a T perfect, I started to feel like I could exhale a little bit more and just almost relax and enjoy what I was doing again, right?

Brianna Battles  17:55

Because, like, when you stop losing that play and that fun part of it, and you feel like it’s like this pressure, then we have to, like, kind of pull back and say, Is this actually healthy anymore? Because you can tell people that can look at you, look at your lifestyle, and be like, Wow, that’s like, that’s goals. But like, is it because there’s always a sacrifice, like, whether it’s mental or emotional for me, like, when I feel like I really drank the jiu jitsu Kool Aid, it was like, well, now this is taking away from, like, other important things. So it’s like finding the right dosing for the season of life that you’re in, you know? And I think that’s the hard thing is, is managing that dose, because you’re always, I feel like we always have to be tapped in somehow, but then knowing how to, like, again, manage the dosing of what we’re doing, how much we’re doing, even the motivation behind why we’re doing it, that’s the hard stuff to figure out, but that athletic maturity does get developed over time if you’re willing to let it develop in you.

Kristi O’Connell  18:56

Yes, I could not agree more with that. It’s definitely is the dose dependent and what season of life you’re in. And I’m sure, like, I’ve talked tons of moms with little kids, and like, that season of life is very, very different, or, like you said, the injuries, and so it’s just being able to almost, like, check yourself or have somebody help hold you accountable. And for me, that’s definitely my husband. He’ll kind of be like, what, what are, what’s the end goal here? Like, if I’m starting to kind of fall back into that way. It does happen. It’s like, I like to feel like I work hard, but then it’s also checking yourself, like, what are my current goals? And I think it’s just important to have, like, that healthy reality, whether that’s journaling for you, somebody help holding you accountable, like, kind of look at that framework and figure out, like, why am I doing this? And that’s something I’ve had to do now, is like, I knew going into my last my last marathon, I was like, I want to set this goal, and I’m going to do what it takes to achieve this. And there were some old tendencies and habits that came about during that season, and it just reminded me of why I have to be careful with those kinds of things. Like it’s. Good to do that, but it’s also just being aware of yourself, because just with the things that I prioritize, it’s like I’m really doing it for me, because this is my personal goal, and I really believe nobody cares as much about your goals as you do. And just remembering that it’s like I’m not getting paid to do these things anymore, and it’s just something that I wanted to achieve, but being careful with those tendencies that can come out from that athlete brain. And I think just that’s the maturity that comes along with it. And so I like to give myself periods of time and everyone will be like, Well, what race are you signing up for next? It’s like, I’m not signing up for any more races. Like, not that I can’t. It’s just I’m very aware of these tendencies. And so until I’m like, okay with I’m gonna go do this for fun and just see what where I am in the season of life, and I can have this output, then maybe I will. But at the moment, just enjoying feeling good, healthy, fit, happy and fitness for a different reason.

Brianna Battles  20:51

Yeah, I love that. And you know, I think a lot of times when we attach our identity so much to like what we do or what we look like, it is so self sabotaging, but we it’s justified because, well, I’m healthy or I’m an athlete. I’ve always been an athlete, and it’s like, but finding that identity of like who you are, outside of what you do and what you look like is it’s almost like this looming existential crisis that we will all face some experience that, like, right when they’re done playing sports in high school or college. But then again, there’s that, like, replacement aspect of it. Well, like, what can I do? And you know, you’ll see some people that like, maybe you you swam with, or that, you know, you like, played sports within college. If they don’t replace it, it almost goes to something that’s not as healthy, that can look like everything from addiction to gaining a lot of weight, to just like other problems, or then it’s like the other end of the spectrum, where it’s just like high, high achieving, doing this, doing that. And again, I think there’s just like this middle ground. And obviously I know where you and I fell into that, into that camp, but you start to see just there are different stages of life. Like, if you don’t pull back and say, like, I’ve actually, like, I tell myself, if I couldn’t ever do Jiu Jitsu again tomorrow, but I’d be okay. Like, would I actually be okay? Yeah, I would be sad. But like, I have a very fulfilling life away from Jiu Jitsu, and that needs to be said for CrossFit, for running, for all of these other things that we pursue as our life expands, as our life gets bigger, as we grow as people, we should be okay if we don’t get to do that ever again, like still be okay and be able to find happiness and joy in other things, and not just in this one activity or one expression of physical output.

Kristi O’Connell  22:40

I think that is such a great question to ask yourself, and that is definitely something mine is always like, is the Sun gonna come up tomorrow? Like, is this really affecting me so much that I feel like my life is just about to end? And that was something I experienced back in CrossFit, when I didn’t make it through a qualifier and I was I felt like I didn’t know who I was, I didn’t know what other things I like to do. Like, everything had been CrossFit, CrossFit, CrossFit, CrossFit. And I remember walking into the gym because at the time, we owned it, and I literally cried when I saw our 915 class, because they talked to me like I was just their normal coach, like they didn’t care if I made it or not. They could have cared less. And I’ll never forget someone being like, hey, don’t forget. Like, the sun still comes up tomorrow. Like, I know this was important to you, and we’re here for you, but like, we like you for you. And I had to, like, take a step back to look in the mirror and just be like, What do I even like? You know, I felt like I had just become so obsessed. And I don’t ever want to go down that rabbit hole again to where it’s just completely taking over my life. And I think that’s, that’s a great way to say is, like, if I didn’t have this tomorrow, would I be okay? Yes, there’s other things that are fulfilling in life. And I honestly don’t even think I was not aware of it. I had no clue how entangled the identity was. And then that, I just remember coming home from coaching that class just crying because I was like, they they still like me. And Patrick was like, That’s my husband. He’s like, What do you mean? They still like you, like you, like you’re, of course, like you’re there, like you’re helping them, you’re their coach, like they’re I know so much about their families and their kids and like, all these things, like they don’t like you just because you make it to the CrossFit Games, yeah, but I just felt like I couldn’t even show my face the next day, like I was so embarrassed, and I felt like I didn’t know who I was. And so that’s definitely a lesson that I think it can be really hard you don’t even realize when you’re wrapped up in that, but having these questions to ask yourself and to journal about and stop and check in are super, super healthy as you progress and grow and mature throughout life.

Brianna Battles  24:33

Yeah, I think that’s a really important story, and I’m glad that you shared that, because I think when you are almost like, whether you intend to be on a pedestal or not, like, if you’re in a leadership position and there’s more eyes on you, there’s like, this, this, the self pressure is a lot, but then we just sort of assume that it’s like, well, if I fail publicly, then I’m going to let people down, or that’s embarrassing, or maybe, and now I’m not as good of a coach, or I’m not as good as an athlete as I thought I was because of this one performance, or because of this. Outcome or whatever. And like, I think the sign of a really good coach is, like, getting in the arena and not having things go your way. And like, that’s relatable, because not everyone is going to be winning all the time. Not everyone’s going to make it to the games. It’s more of like, Does their lifestyle reflect what I admire like, and that’s what I’ve been trying to look to in business and in coaching, in like opening our own jiu jitsu gym is like, when I look at people, do I actually give a shit about how much they have won or how successful they’ve been as a coach, or how much money they make in their business? No, no. What I’m looking at is their lifestyle. Do I align with their lifestyle in and who they are and how they act and what, how they get to live like that’s what’s admirable. And I think it’s really easy to lose sight of that when we’re caught up in like performance metrics, kind of you know, absolutely

Kristi O’Connell  25:55

that was, that was a perfect example. Is like helping them lose the 10 pounds that they want to lose, helping them get stronger, helping them overcome their fear of joining a gym, just being there for them in so many different ways and changing their lives, like the amount of stories that we had. You know, when people would come in and lose 3030, pounds, or they would go get their blood work done at their doctor, and they would come back and they’re like, the only thing that I’ve changed is I’ve joined this gym. And so those are the things that I remember and that continue to drive me daily. And those are the things that matter. Not like you said, how much did I have on the bar when I squat clean the other day? That for me, maybe i care, but nobody else really cares about that. It does not matter. It’s like helping people achieve their goals and change their lives to live a better life. And that is the fulfilling aspect. And that’s kind of like that, honestly, is why I started in the first place. Is so when I quit my accounting job, like I wanted to help coach, like I always wanted to be in exercise science and kinesiology and personal training, and my mom was like, no, like, and I my parents, both of them like they wanted me to go the business out, like they felt like that was the better route and safer. And I appreciate them so much looking out for me and wanting that, but just, you know, sitting in that office I’m like, I’m not where my passion is. I’m not where I’m being called. This does not make any sense for me. And so taking that leap and quitting, and then helping someone start a gym and getting to be on the floor with people and change their lives, that is what pushed me every single day to continue pushing my own athletic career. So it’s like they all, they kind of came up together, and to be able to go back to that, and I don’t. So the first year I made the games was the first year we had our gym and the love support in the community. Like, to me, it’s all, it’s all like, combined, right? And I kind of got lost along the way, and then they pulled me back, and I couldn’t be more grateful for that is lost in, you know, my own world, and you know, my own world and being in the corner, and it’s like that’s not why I started in this in the first place, but they supported me no matter what, and they were always there for me to lean on. And when I was on the floor coaching them or helping them, it’s like that was my priority. It was not anything about me. And so I was just so grateful to have all of them, you know, they just kind of pulled me back in, as you know, that love and that fire started to burn out for my own athletic career, yeah, kind of led into what we do now.

Brianna Battles  28:06

And so now you, you’ve done some endurance races since finishing, like your CrossFit era, and what is training look like for you now?

Kristi O’Connell  28:18

Yeah, that’s a great question. So I think I actually off. I just got asked this last weekend, when I was down at the half marathon. They’re like, so like, how many hours a day do you train? Like? Do you think three hours a day? No, no, I train about 60 minutes a day. If I throw on an easy run, maybe in the morning or the evening, and it’s like something super, super easy, it might go up to 80 or 90 minutes, because I’ll typically go like, 60 minutes in the gym, and then maybe 30 minutes, if I’m doing that on top of it. But typically I spread those apart. So I do like my gym sessions one day, and then I do like my interval run workout the next day, so I’m not doubling up, so I can get most of my workouts done in 60 minutes or less, and I still take one full rest day and one active recovery day. So it’s like for me that’s five days a week is the goal, typically, three to four lifting sessions, and then two to three runs, give or take on like, Am I more of a running base, or am I more of a lifting base? And that’s kind of where I’m at right now. So it just yeah, it those can kind of fluctuate. If I’m heavier on the gym side or heavier on the run side, because I like to try to balance both the best that I can I just think weightlifting is one of the best things females can do. And I think that it one self esteem, your confidence, it feels good to be strong, and then obviously everything we know about as we age and how we lose muscle mass getting ahead of that. And so weightlifting for me is definitely a priority. And I used to be the cardio rabbit. So even though I’m still in endurance, I prioritize weight lifting so much, and it’s for my mental clarity, for my physical health, for everything. And I look back and I was like, you know, just with swimming and then getting into marathons, I would be the one that’s just, I’m just gonna run, like, I’m not gonna lift, I’m not gonna lift. And CrossFit, I can. I have so much to think. For opening my eyes to how beneficial resistance training can be.

Brianna Battles  30:04

Yeah, that was such a great like era like CrossFit did so much for women being able to, like, embrace being strong, to learn how to lift, to learn how to lift. Well, I feel like it was just it was such a catalyst for so many of us who kind of, like, came up in the early CrossFit, early CrossFit season, and laid such a good foundation that is now transferable, whether, like, you’re lifting or maybe you’re kind of like a hybrid athlete, which I think you kind of are, whether we call it that or not. I mean, I also I like to run. I don’t run. I don’t think I run nearly as much as you but I like to, like, just dose it in there. I like to have it be part of my routine. Because I think it’s easy to get dogmatic with exercise as well, with, like, I only do CrossFit, or I’m only a runner, I’m a triathlete, I only do this. And I think another element of, like, freedom and creativity and fitness as we age is like saying there’s room for all of it honestly, like you can lift, you can run, you can go to dance, you can do Jiu Jitsu, like you don’t have to fall into one camp. And there’s a lot of, like, fitness and health and mental health benefit when you step outside of, like, our small, like, defining fitness category.

Kristi O’Connell  31:21

Yeah, it’s interesting. You bring that up because there’s, I’ve there’s a long time I’m a crossfitter. Like, what do you do? I’m a CrossFitter, and I’m grateful for that time. But then it’s like, I came out of that, and I started running, and I was still strength training, but I was like, I’m not going to call myself a runner, but I wouldn’t say I’m crossfitter anymore, and I still, I really like, I guess you could call it hybrid, but I don’t even use that term, because it is, it’s like, I don’t want to, like, kind of pigeon myself into one thing. But what I do, like is, is doing it all is, I believe, like, you should be able to go for you should be able to run a mile, right? You should be able your body where humans were meant to move, walk, jog, maybe knees, ankles, things, hips. Maybe we can’t run anymore, as we you know, the impact is a little bit more challenging. We could walk, right? And so I believe you should be able to move. And then the weight lifting aspect as well. Like I think that it’s good to challenge yourself so I don’t push. And I think we talked about this last time, I want to keep training, because I love it, and I know how good it makes me feel, and I know how good it is for my physical and my physical and my mental health, that I don’t see the need to push these high risk lifts or these one arms anymore, and I think that’s really important for people to recognize. And you can still track your progress, and you are still getting stronger, but I like to weigh the risk versus reward, especially at my age. I’m 36 years old, and I know what an injury does. I know what it does to my mental health. I know what it does to my like, how I feel throughout the day, my productivity with work, like everything tanks when I become injured. And like we do get injured, and we have to work around those things, but we can train smartly. We can make sure that we are not, you know, just taking on unnecessary risk for no reason where we can still get benefits. So like, I keep my lifts more the three to eight rep range for my primary lifts, and I feel really good there, and I can track my fives are getting stronger weekly. Like, I know I’m getting stronger without having to work up to that one RM, I don’t do as much Olympic weightlifting anymore. It’s like, I do love a clean, I love a snatch. They’re extremely technical, and with my goals, feeling good, being proud of, you know, my body and who I am, and just being confident in it, those lifts necessarily aren’t the most productive for me to get there if I have 45 to 60 minutes in a day. And so it’s kind of like evaluating all of that and understanding kind of how to put all that into practice, too. And I think when people can start to do that, they can really start to thrive in the gym, and they can feel really, really good, especially if you’re coming from having that athlete brain, like, it’s okay to make these changes at different seasons of life, right?

Brianna Battles  33:53

And I think, like, you know, we hear so much around like, women gotta lift heavy, and I’m like, bro, just because maybe you’re not lifting like 350 pounds like you did five years ago, doesn’t mean you’re still not lifting heavy at 225, or at 205, like that is still heavy compared to like against gravity, like that is still a heavy load. You’re still being challenged from a neuromuscular standpoint, and so we really have to, like, again, get outside of like, these rigid definitions of what heavy enough or strong enough or fit enough looks like, or just because you were able to run a seven minute mile prior doesn’t mean that, like your nine minute where you’re doing it well and consistently and you can hold that pace isn’t good, that’s still good, that’s still being in the game and staying In the game as your life, your body, your training, intensity, volume, duration, all those things like better mold to fit the life that you’re in right now, not the life that you were living prior. It’s still beneficial. And I think for like, the athlete brains out there, it’s like, if I’m not close to what I was, then I suck. Now. Know, or I’m not as strong, or this isn’t as good, and then they always say, Well, it’s because I’m getting older, and it’s like, or maybe like, you’re just getting smarter with your training. And I think for you and I both like this version of us could kick like the like, the 26 year old versions ass, right? Because we’re so much better and so much smarter in our training now, and it’s a gift to experience that. It’s a gift to experience the freedom that comes from, I don’t know, just giving yourself a little bit of like Grace and what you define as being strong enough, fast enough, fit enough,

Kristi O’Connell  35:34

yeah, I think that’s, yeah, it’s grace, and it’s just evolving and letting yourself evolve. And I think that’s not keeping yourself stuck, because we’re not the same person that we were 10 years ago. Our lives look completely different. And I think that’s important to recognize as well. Like, I don’t have the entire day to just go recover and, you know, take naps and somebody doing my laundry and making my food and, you know, it’s like all of those things that compile and compound. And we used to have those conversations with people in the gym all the time. It’s people who are ex athletes, are like, Oh, I was a college athlete, or I was a high school athlete, and and it’s once they can make that mindset shift. It’s almost like they unlock, like, this new level for themselves. And it’s like the enjoyment can come back. And so it’s just not it’s the comparison really is the thief of joy, and it’s like understanding that you’re just in that different season of life, and it can be much easier said than done, but just constantly checking in with yourself and recognizing those patterns and tendencies.

Brianna Battles  36:29

Oh, I get that. I know, like, obviously, I work with a lot of moms, and I think for them, it’s like, sometimes motherhood gets blamed. But what I want you guys to hear from this is like, yes, motherhood can absolutely be a catalyst. But I feel as if this is a Canon event for women in general, for female athletes in general, whether you are a mom or not, there will come a point in your life where what you were doing before no longer serves you some and again, sometimes like motherhood is the thing that gets blamed, or perimenopause the thing that gets blamed, but there will be something, and usually like again, you can’t avoid it. It is just this Canon event that forces you to reevaluate your relationship with training, your relationship with your body, your athlete brain and a lot of your belief systems. And oftentimes that comes from getting humbled in a way. We don’t always opt into that on our own, but it is something that, if you, if you’re willing to, like, let it teach you what you need to learn. You know,

Kristi O’Connell  37:30

yeah, and I think maybe it’s like looking back. So it’s easier for me to have this conversation with you than if I would have two years ago, fresh out of the CrossFit Games and still trying to chase these marathons. And it’s, it’s that involvement that you can exhale and you’re like, okay, like, you know, there’s hard days, and it’s just understanding that every day is not perfect. But for me, journaling is a huge one. I also do five to 10 minutes of meditation and breath work when I wake up and I’ll get up earlier if I know that we have a really busy day. And, like, it’s for me that’s just five minutes to center myself into ground and to recognize that, like, I feel like I came from high achieving, high cortisol, and like I still want all of those things, but it just brings me down just a second. And it’s like, kind of five minutes for myself. And so it’s finding these things that can help you or give you tools to as you’re growing and you’re changing and you’re evolving. And it’s like, if you would have told me I was two years ago, I’d have been like, no way. Like, there’s just no way. Like, I have to do this, this and this, and it’s, it’s fun to look back on that process, but it’s not easy while you’re in it, and it’s very uncomfortable, but that’s when you grow. And that’s what I always remind myself, and that was part of us moving to Idaho as well, and I’m so grateful I got to meet you. Is, you know, it’s a catalyst for change. If you’re stagnant, like, change isn’t comfortable, but you have to go through it to grow. And I just constantly, that’s something that I keep to myself, like, whatever season, whether it’s sport, athlete, bring the moms that you work with, is just Just remember, like you can get through it and you will and hopefully one day you’ll look back and be like, Okay, that was just that, that growth that was happening.

Brianna Battles  38:58

Oh, absolutely. And you know, so much growth comes from just like, changing your environment. Sometimes that might mean moving states. Other times that might mean, like, just changing your training environment and just doing something a little bit different. Like, I recently started going to, like, a, like, a real gym, you know, like, where there’s, like, machines and stuff. And I was like, dang, I kind of like this. Like, I really, I really, like, kind of bro, it out here a little bit. This has been, this has made, like, my training routine fun again. And so, yeah, just changing that environment, changing the stimulus, it will all it will make you a much more well rounded athlete, and you can still get your fix that way. So tell me a little bit more about like, where people can find you learn more about the program you do. I know you’ve talked about that throughout, and it seems like it’s a it’s a great place for those to land who who want to train but need it to, like, fit their life well and just be, like, really well rounded. So tell us a little bit more about that.

Kristi O’Connell  39:49

Yeah, so Ibex training is my husband, Patrick, and I’s business. We have an online fitness app, and it’s, you know, we coached in a gym for 10 years. We’ve worked with people for 10 years, and we took a lot of the things. Things that we learned from that, and then we’ve evolved the app to hit different styles of fitness. So, you know, there’s more of the hypertrophy focus for people who want a little bit more of that style, the quote, unquote hybrid, similar to the what I was kind of explaining with the couple days of running paired with the couple full body days. And we do have like that CrossFit style, which a lot of our military people love, with the high intensity workouts to prepare them for their jobs. And so there’s a bunch of different programs on there, but really our goal is to help people understand kind of, you know, hopefully coming from where I have with the athlete brain and thinking you have to spend hours on hours on hours on end in the gym that you don’t need to, and you can still get really great results. Feel really proud of your body, feel really confident in your body and feel the best you’ve ever felt with these programs. And so that’s really what we do. And so we love doing that. You can find us. It’s called Ibex training. It’s online, the App Store, and then also our Instagram handle. And then my Instagram is Christy O’Connell, underscore, I just changed it from my maiden name, which took me like seven or eight years to change, so now I have to remember what it is, but, yeah, it’s Christy O’Connell. So you can find me on Instagram, and then we also have a YouTube channel with a lot of teaching nutrition videos. It all goes hand in hand to help you reach your goals. And that is Christy O’Connell as well. Awesome.

Brianna Battles  41:12

Well, it sounds like, you know, like your your career trajectory as an athlete has now, like, transformed into business and being able to help others. And I think it’s also meaningful for people to hear about your experiences as an athlete and how you’ve let it like change with you, and it can be really freeing. And I appreciate you sharing all of that.

Kristi O’Connell  41:35

Yeah, I appreciate, I appreciate you having me on it’s been you were so great to reach out and offer to grab coffee as a new friend here in Idaho, and I was trying to find my way. So I’m just grateful for that, and grateful for you and asking me to come on

Brianna Battles  41:48

absolutely well. Thank you so much for sharing. Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Practice Brave podcast. If you enjoyed the show, please leave a review and help us spread the work we are doing to improve the overall information and messaging in the fitness industry and beyond. Now, if you are pregnant and you are looking for a trustworthy exercise program to follow, I have you covered. The pregnant athlete training program is a well rounded program for pregnancy with workouts for each week that are appropriate for your changing body, that’s 36 weeks of workouts, three to four workouts each week, and tons of guidance on exercise strategy. We also have an at home version of that program. If you are postpartum and you’re looking for an exercise program to follow. The eight week postpartum athlete training program would be a really great way to help bridge the gap between rehab and the fitness you actually want to do. From there, we have the practice brave fitness program, which is an ongoing strength conditioning program where you get new workouts each week and have a lot of guidance for myself and my co coach, Heather Osby. This is the only way that I’m really offering ongoing coaching at this point in time. If you have ever considered becoming a certified pregnancy and postpartum athleticism coach, I would love to have you join us. Pregnancy and postpartum athleticism is a self paced online certification course that will up level your coaching skills and help connect the dots between pelvic health and long term athletic performance, especially during pregnancy and postpartum, become who you needed and become who your online and local community needs by becoming a certified pregnancy and postpartum athleticism Coach, thank you again for listening to the practice brave podcast. I appreciate you, and please help me continue spreading this messaging, this information and this work.