Elise Wallace, 33, CFO at Sparkle Athletic, Orange, CA
How often do you exercise? I exercise five to six days a week.
Brief description of your workout routine: Since I am a triathlete, I rotate between swimming, biking and running. My swim routine consists of intervals and drills in a lap pool. My biking consists of spinning on a trainer at home or a long bike ride outdoors on the weekends. My running rotates between speed intervals on the treadmill, tempo running on the treadmill, trail running and long, slow runs on the weekends. I used to hate the treadmill, but since I can put my son in the kids club at the gym, I make the best of it.
Brief description of your eating habits: I try to eat healthy, but I also have a sweet tooth. My goal is to make sure I always eat my healthy foods first. Then, if I have room, I don’t feel bad sneaking in some sweets. I always start with breakfast in the morning. My lunch usually consists of protein (since it’s after my workout) and a salad.
Favorite Workout: Trail running is my favorite way to workout. I feel so free when I get on the trails. Pace doesn’t matter and I rarely look at my watch.
Least favorite way to workout? I have a love/hate relationship with speed workouts on the treadmill. I get butterflies in my stomach before I start because I know it will be hard. But that sweat-soaked feeling I get afterwards is the best!
How does fitness affect you as a professional? Fitness is part of my professional life. Since I own a sparkly running skirt company, SPARKLE ATHLETIC, I get to travel to expos and run races. Nothing could be better than loving what I do and getting to talk to others about fitness.
Would you be as good at what you do if you didn’t pursue fitness? I would not be as good at my job if I didn’t pursue fitness. Because I own a running apparel company, I have to live what I preach. People trust what I say because of it and I believe my company is successful because the three of us are big into fitness.
How do you squeeze fitness in on a crazy busy day? It’s easier to squeeze fitness into a crazy day because I have to schedule every minute of that day. I almost can’t function unless I have my workout done.
How do you fight the urge to skip workouts? I always have a goal or race in the future, so it’s easy to stay on-track with my workouts because I know the work has to be done. I am prone to exercise-guilt if I skip a day.
Elise of SparkleAthletic.com
If you travel, what kind of workouts do you do on the road? If I travel for work, I definitely find the gym at my hotel to make sure I can stay on track with my workouts. If I travel for pleasure, it is sometimes centered around a fun race-cation. My husband and I both love to bike and run, so we always schedule in events to satisfy those needs. Two summers ago when we were in Kauai, we ran the Kalalau Trail, which is a 22-mile trail with 10,000’ of climbing. It was one of the most amazing runs I have ever done!
What other obstacles do you face (health-wise) as part of your work? Have you found a way to overcome them? One of my biggest obstacles is laziness. It’s so easy for me to grab something to eat on-the-go instead of making a healthy, homemade meal. Being a stay-at-home/working mom means I’m always being pulled in different directions.
Does your company offer incentives for exercising or eating right? If so, how do you take part? My company has a race stipend for the three of us owners. Participating in racing is also a way of spreading the sparkle of our company, so it is beneficial to business too!
Do you have a family, and if so … how do you juggle work, fitness and family? As of this moment, I have a three-year-old son and a one week old daughter. Sometimes it’s hard to get to all of my priorities every day, but I seem to make it work. Morning time is workout time, afternoon is nap and business time and every other moment of the day is family time. When the naps disappear, I’ll have to readjust, but it always seems to work out. The most important thing to remember is that when it’s family time, I have to shut off work mode. No looking at my phone at dinner, etc. My husband is also an athlete, so that makes it easier to get weekend workouts done because we switch off. We both understand each others athletic needs.
Elise of SparkleAthletic.com
Greatest accomplishment in fitness/athletics: I have several accomplishments in fitness that I like to brag about. A year after having my son, I raced my first Ironman. I loved every second of it and can’t wait to attempt it again in 2016. At the end of 2013, I qualified for the Boston Marathon. I didn’t think it was possible since I am still in a low age bracket. I will finally get to run Boston in April of this year. It will be a challenge since my baby girl was born at the end of January. Luckily, I have been able to train during my pregnancy and I’m hoping I will pop back easily. My last accomplishment is making the jump to ultra runner. In 2014 I ran my first 50k and feel in love with the ultra distance. I can’t wait to race another in the future.
Weirdest/funniest/craziest thing that you’ve ever experienced while exercising: I have had way too many weird/funny/crazy things happen to me while exercising. Most of my experiences involve bathroom issues, but luckily I have no shame. One of the craziest things I have done is run a half marathon a week before having a baby. Of course I don’t recommend it, but I was lucky enough to feel good to run it.
Must-have training equipment: I never travel without my running shoes. I practically wear them every day. Being a stay-at-home mom means a lot of time at home, so my bike trainer has been a lifesaver to me in regards to my fitness.
Favorite training tune: My Boston Qualifier race training song was Katy Perry’s “Roar” song. Every time I hear it, I think about crossing that finish line to collect my BQ.
Favorite healthy food: Salads are my favorite go-to healthy food, but if I had to eat the same thing every day I would live on chicken and rice.
Favorite not-so-healthy food: Yes, I am sometimes bad with sweets. I can’t resist a good sugar cookie with frosting on top!
Do you think fitness is a factor in being successful in business? Why or why not? Fitness is a HUGE factor in my business being successful because my business revolves around running and exercising. But I think fitness is important for any business because working out makes you feel good. And if you feel good, you are happier and a better employee.
What fit professional inspires you? I recently heard a podcast (UltraRunnersPodcast) where they interviewed Liza Howard. Since I am currently pregnant, I was astonished with my accomplishments post-baby. Last year we ran a course record at a 100-mile race, just six months after having a baby. The most impressive part was that she stopped three times during the race to pump…amazing! My other favorite athlete is Chrissie Wellington. She is a four-time Ironman Champion who has never lost a race. About a month before her last Ironman Champion win, she crashed on her bike pretty bad. Despite not being at her best, she overcame the pain and won the race. She is such an inspiration to me!
Advice for others trying to become more fit: The easiest way to stay on top of your fitness is to have a goal. Register for a 5k, bike with friends or pick an activity you would love to do in the future. If you don’t have a goal, you have no motivation and that means it’s easy to get lazy. Once you accomplish that goal, make another and another and another. You will be surprised with where you end up. I never thought I would be an Ironman, but somehow I ended up here.
Best piece of business advice you’ve ever received: Do what you love and the rest will follow.
