Marion lifts a buck fifty

1) Tell us about your job, and family, 

We are a family of five (plus one giant Mastiff puppy). We are pretty happy to be amongst ourselves as we are mostly introverts, minus my youngest son, a 17 month old social/crazy/vocal little person who constantly makes us all belly laugh and smack our hands against our foreheads. The twinkle of our tribe is my 5 year old daughter who loves nature, making art and telling people like it is. My eldest son rounds out the trio with an amazing sense of calmness and kindness but when no one is looking he is the one dancing the floss in his underwear while not brushing his teeth. My husband makes every moment a teachable moment but can also turn the family energy around in a split second with a tickle attack or philosophical question. 

I recently completed my doctorate in international nutrition and am a Visiting Assistant Professor at Williams College within the Public Health concentration. 

2) Do you have a personal goal?, What is it and why does it matter to you?

Back squat 150#.

This is the year of my body. No baby making. No nursing. Just me and my body. So I'm excited to get back at it, chase some numbers and be able to focus my energy on what my body is capable of doing (despite turning 40 this year!) At some point, I read (or maybe someone told me) that being able to back squat 1.5 your body weight is a 'respectable' number. Ever since then it's been a lingering amorphous floating goal of mine. 

3) What do you have to say about your goal? 

This is kind of a big deal for me. Not because of the actual number but more because 1) it symbolizes the shift in my mindset of what it means to be fit and healthy and 2) requires me to fully embrace a different relationship with food. Fit and healthy is not about looking a certain way or fitting into a certain size but how strong I am, how much weight I can pull. And (as my teaching husband likes to tell me), mass moves mass. So reaching this goal requires me to put on mass, to see food as fuel for my body and consciously eat more. 

4) Is there some type of event associated with your goal and if so, when and where is it?

Nope, though I hope to reach this goal by the first of 2021!

5) What is the toughest part about committing to this goal?

Consistency despite everything else in life. And also the mental hurdle. Big weights on the bar tend to scare me - even though theoretically I should be able to do a 1RM of a certain amount, based on how many I can do at 3 or 5 reps, I tend to psych myself out and fail. As someone who has spent most of her life on a yoga mat, this is also a shift in prioritization of how I move my body. 

6) What do you have to do to prepare for this goal?

Commit 100%- training wise, mentally, sleep wise and diet wise.

Be patient. Most likely this progression will come in waves.

Have a plan.