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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.
Chamberlain running stairs at Tiger Stadium.
Q&A with Chelsey Chamberlain
LSU, Assistant Communications Director
by Chris Mitchell – Washington University in St. Louis, Assistant AD for Communications
CoSIDA Goodwill and Wellness Committee Chair
Chelsey Chamberlain is in her second season with the LSU Tigers and is responsible for the day-to-day operations for the volleyball and softball programs.
With the crazy lifestyle that Sports Information Directors live, Chamberlain made it a point this past August to start focusing on health and fitness. She definitely has had her ups and down during this process, but leans on friends and co-workers to keep her motivated.
Q: When and why did you decide to focus on fitness and healthy eating?
Chamberlain: I started focusing on my health and fitness consistently at the beginning of August. A few people in our office starting running stairs in Tiger Stadium back in June, so I thought I should get on that grind with my coworkers. I wasn’t consistent throughout the summer, but would try and go every Tuesday and Thursday. By August I wasn’t dead tired after a couple of runs up the stairs so I started going more and more each week. The next thing I know, it is the middle of November and I am still grinding with the workouts; a half hour of stairs and maybe a sprint or long-distance workout as well.
Not only did I start working out consistently, I started eating better. I started a program through a nutrition company, drinking protein shakes every morning and night. This isn’t ideal when traveling with the teams, but I have made much better choices on the road than I have done in the past, eating more chicken, fish and veggies instead of filling up on all the carbs.
I am a former student-athlete who went through college working out every day and burning a lot of calories. Since I have been out of college, I haven’t fully focused on myself. I have focused more on my career and getting to where I want to be professionally with the result being my health and fitness taking a back seat. Occasionally I would get motivated to work out and think I was back to being “consistent,” but that would last maybe a month, at most, and then I would fall back into bad habits because I thought I was too busy. Now that I am where I want to be professionally and loving my job here at LSU, I decided I needed to get my butt back in gear. But looking back, I wish I hadn’t waited to be where I am professionally to start caring about my health and fitness. I wish I had focused on that just as much as I focused on my career path.
Q: What has been the most challenging part for you?
Chamberlain: Definitely the most challenging part is staying consistent. In our profession, we work so many hours and it is hard to find the time and motivation to get in a workout. But it is doable and over the past four months, I’ve made that a priority. Now to be completely honest, due to Thanksgiving and a little bit of craziness to end the fall season, the workouts have slowed. But I am still motivated and on track with my goals. I am looking forward to crushing the CoSIDA 5K in June and beating my previous time set in 2018 (yes, I actually woke up for the 2018 CoSIDA 5K. I hope everyone will remember that instead of what happened in 2017 :).
Q: What changes have you noticed since you focused on fitness and diet?
Chamberlain: The biggest change that I’ve noticed would have to be just the way I feel. I am not a huge numbers person (I know that’s weird since I am an SID). I don’t look at the scale, and I don’t measure. I completely go off of the way I feel. When I am consistently eating healthy and working out, I feel amazing. But when I am eating fast food and not working out I can feel the difference. Sleep has been a huge factor. I sleep so much better when I’m on the right track. It is amazing how much of a difference that makes.
Q: What are your goals for yourself this school year both personally (health) and professionally (LSU Athletics)?
Chamberlain: I want to be even more consistent with my workouts in the coming year. I think I have a good idea now of what I am capable of doing so just being more consistent. Professionally, I want to continue to grow. I have had so many great experiences and opportunities in this profession already and I am only 28 years old, but there is still so much more to accomplish. I want to take advantage of every opportunity that is thrown my way so I can learn, but taking care of myself first is a huge priority I am making this coming year. I want to be in the best physical and mental shape I have ever been in.
Q: You are very active on social media posting workouts – do you feel that holds you accountable?
Chamberlain: Posting on social media definitely holds people accountable, but that’s not the reason I post. I post to inspire others. I want people to know, especially SIDs, that making time for yourself should be a huge priority. I want people to know that finding time to work out with our lifestyle can be done. I want others to know that they aren’t the only ones that struggle with health and fitness. We all can do this and to have a support system to help motivate you is key. I get a lot of my motivation from other SIDs that run 5Ks or just run every day in general.
I also get a lot of motivation from quotes that I find. I have a journal full of them that help keep me going. I also send basic texts or snapchats to my friends that I am working out because I want them to get motivated and moving as well, and I know they support me on this journey. Another thing is sharing your fitness on your Apple Watch. I want people to get annoyed that I am working out so much that they want to compete with me. It’s those things that not only get people moving, but also helps build relationships and, of course, that’s what I am all about – the people.
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