Related
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CoSIDA Goodwill & Wellness Committee
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Communicators Outside the Lines Feature Series
This is the next profile Q and A in a series entitled
Communicators Outside the Lines: Better Yourself, Better Your Community produced by the CoSIDA Goodwill & Wellness Committee. Read past profiles at
CoSIDA.com/CommunicatorsOTL.
HAVE IDEAS OR MEMBERS TO NOMINATE FOR THIS SERIES?
If you have any ideas for this series, which will revolve around CoSIDA member volunteerism and health and wellness, please contact Goodwill and Wellness Committee chair
Chris Mitchell, Washington University in St. Louis Assistant AD for Communications, at (618) 560-9280 or
mitchell@wustl.edu.
Q&A with Heather Fairbanks
Director of Athletics Communications/Assistant Coach, Volleyball and Beach Volleyball
by Brian Lovellette, Director of Athletic Communications Director
, SLIAC
CoSIDA Goodwill and Wellness Committee Member
Heather Fairbanks is not only the Director of Athletic Communications at Principia College, she is also the assistant volleyball coach (for both indoor and beach) and a wife and mother of two. So how does she balance work, family, and fitness? Let’s find out.
Q: You're not only an SID, but a coach and mother; can you talk about being able maintain a proper work-life balance?
FAIRBANKS: This is one of the hardest parts of my job, finding the work-life balance. I think the way that I have to look at it is that my job has ebbs and flows. Fall is by far the most demanding of my time, since there are so many fall sports and combine the SID duties with coaching indoor volleyball. My hours are usually between 70-85 hours per week. I see my kids when I get home from practice at about 7:00 (unless it’s a game night) and I make it a point to take my time putting them to bed, trying to get as many snuggles that I can, and ask them about their day. I also encourage my family to come to all home games for all sports so that I can see them running around with their friends and feel like I am with them even though I am working. Winter is much slower for me with only basketball, swimming and indoor track. I make sure and really take advantage of holidays and spending time with family then. Spring is still super busy but somehow doesn’t feel as crazy as fall. And then in the summer I get to spend a lot of time with my boys since they come to work with me most days and we take a good amount of vacation time.
Q: You have found a way to balance work and family but how do you accomplish fitness into your routine?
FAIRBANKS: I work out 5-6 days per week usually from about 8:00 or 8:30 until 10:00 am. Then I shower and go up to my office. Sometimes I feel the stress of wanting to get work done right away in the day, but I know that working out will help me feel great and focus. Also, I have to remind myself that I work 6 days a week for the entire school year, mostly above 60 hours per week, so it’s ok to fit in my workout during most people’s normal work hours.
Q: When and why did you decide to focus on fitness?
FAIRBANKS: I have always worked out, but I was never naturally thin. I started with gymnastics at age 3 and then really started to go to the gym at age 12. Fitness has always been a part of my life. What was a little harder for me to figure out was how much my eating habits affected my weight. When I was pregnant with my second child, at the very end I was 200 pounds, which for a 5’3” girl is pretty uncomfortable. After having my baby, I didn’t lose weight very quickly even though I was training for a half ironman triathlon. In my head I was like, “what the heck, I’m working out 2-4 hours a day and not losing weight!”. That is when I really focused in on my eating habits and figured out what works for me.
Q: Many people set a New Years resolution for working out or getting in shape but see their goals slip away. You have been incorporating a fitness mindset for years, how do you keep your focus and hold yourself accountable?
FAIRBANKS: For me, routine is important. I am ok with change, but I like to know when I am going to do my workout and I try and plan that out the day before. I think for a lot of people they just don’t make time for a workout, they feel like they have no time in their schedule. Right now, in my life, I have the luxury of working out at a reasonable time, but it wasn’t always that way. I have woken up way before dawn at different stages in my life to make the workouts possible. I also think that having a workout partner is super important, having someone else who can hold you accountable and help push you in your workouts makes all the difference in the world. There are days that I work out by myself, but I know that I work out harder when I have my training partner. I am motivated by goals that I set and by the way that I feel. I love feeling fit, powerful, and balanced. I have reached a point now that I have figured out that working out is what gives me that feeling, and I know if I skip workouts I will regret it.
A: What has been the most challenging part for you and your dedication to fitness?
FAIRBANKS: The most challenging part for me is working past some mental blocks that I have when it comes to endurance and quickness. I am naturally built as more of a power athlete, so lifting and circuit training come easily to me, but running and biking long distances are more challenging. I push myself to do long triathlons, but I struggle to get faster. That is what I am working on right now, getting through those mental blocks and trying to whittle my time down.
Q: What changes have you noticed since you focused on fitness and diet?
FAIRBANKS: Well, like I said above, I have always been dedicated to fitness, but I have noticed some changes since I really made a lifestyle change in my eating habits. I feel like I know what my body needs, I don’t feel as sluggish and I usually have a lot of energy. Even when I eat some treats during the holidays, I know how to return to my clean eating habits and make that change pretty easily.
Q: As a coach, you also serve as a natural “leader” for student-athletes. You and your head coach Mary Ann Sprague compete in a triathlon each year. Can you talk about being an example for student-athletes?
FAIRBANKS: Haha, I think our athletes notice, and they might think we're a bit crazy. They have mentioned to us that our hard work and dedication to our workouts inspire them. At the beginning of the season we have our “Grit and Grace” games which is like a week-long Spartan Race with flipping tires, pushing cars, hauling sandbags up hills, etc. Usually I end up having to be someone’s partner in those events, and who wants to be outdone by their coach, right? The players notice that we give our full effort and that helps them to stay motivated. On our beach volleyball spring break trips, Mary Ann and I are in the middle of our triathlon training, so before and after practices we go on our long bike rides and runs while the girls go to the beach or the pool, they notice, and they comment on how that is motivating to them as well.
Q: At the start of each season you hold a fitness fundraiser sponsored by an alum. Can you talk about that?
FAIRBANKS: For the month of September, our team does a fundraiser (sponsored by an alum), where we get an online community of alums, family members, friends, and of course the players and coaches and everyone does the daily workout. We alternate between 100 burpees, 100 squats, 100 lunges and 100 core each day so that by the end of the month you have done 900-1000 of each of the exercises. The players are in charge of creating a fun video each day to post to the Facebook group to inspire the other members. Each member of the Facebook group must comment when they are done with that day’s exercise, and by the end the month, we get our alum donates money for everyone that has completed the whole month! She usually gives extra for how inspiring we are or if we did something extra special (like team members doing the exercises for someone in the community if they aren’t feeling good or are hurt; or the time that Mary Ann and I did 650 burpees each in one day because we told the team if they won a tough game we would do all their burpees for the next day).
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