I'm Calie Calabrese, Holistic Coach, And This Is How I Workout

Start off by telling us about yourself and your journey so far!
I'm a single mom to two boys who are passionate about helping people create their best life. I've always been an open book kind of person. So when something is working in my life, when something is helping me, growing me, changing me...I can't help but share it. That's how my journey started. I discovered what significant impact food has on not just our physical well-being, but also our mental well-being and it changed my health and my life. that led to becoming a certified holistic health coach, opening a barre studio and eventually becoming the business and lifestyle coach I am today.

How did you get into fitness?
I've always enjoyed being active. I rowed crew in high school, worked out and started running in college, taught Stroller Strides after my babies were born, became obsessed with Barre and opened my own studio in Nashville. I think because I always struggled with anxiety without realizing it, in the beginning, I was drawn to fitness because it helped me manage my stress and made me feel strong. Pushing through a workout forces you to take your mind off everything else. It's a reprieve from the cyclical thoughts and the negative thoughts that can come with feeling anxious and not having a healthy mindset so I always turned to it. For me, the physical benefits were always secondary to the mental benefits.

What's your preferred style of encouragement?
I celebrate people. I believe one of the most encouraging things we can do for ourselves and others is to celebrate the little things. The huge moments of success are sprinkled throughout life (just like huge moments of disappointment or frustration). Learning to celebrate the little things helps us see and appreciate the progress we are making every day. It keeps us motivated and attracts more of that goodness into our lives.

How do you track fitness goals?
That's an interesting question for me because I don't have an actual "fitness goal" I'm working or other than to consistently show up for myself and my health, which means continuing to move my body and sweat daily. I take before and after photos with each new program I do as part of our online accountability groups and I recognize and celebrate the little changes I see and feel the longer I'm consistent. But for me, I guess I track my fitness goals by how many days I show up to sweat. Hopefully, it's pretty close to 365 days a year because I always feel amazing after a good workout.

What do you track for fitness goals?
Effort. How hard did I push? Did I give it everything I had that day, that moment, that rep? It's personal accountability, learning my body, understanding where it's at and where I can push it. My workouts are just as much a mental challenge as a physical one so the only tool I use to track my success is how I felt and an honest assessment of whether or not I left it all on the mat that day.

Instagram: @coachcalie
Website: www.coachcalie.com
You can also find follow my mindset and retreat work at www.carrieandcalie.com where you'll find links to our youtube videos on everything from affirmations and getting outside your comfort zone, to recipes, and grocery store tips.

Who are your fitness icons/mentors/heroes/inspiration?
My sister, Autumn Calabrese, is one of my fitness heroes. She genuinely cares about helping as many people as possible learn about fitness and nutrition and she works insanely hard every day to do that.

What is your favorite food?
French fries! I don't eat them fried a lot. But I love to bake them in the oven or make them in my air fryer. If you haven't tried breakfast fries you are missing out. 1 small sweet potato cut into fries and baked with a drizzle of olive oil and cayenne pepper, paprika and cinnamon. Top with sautéed kale and onions and 1 runny egg plus hot sauce. So amazing! And great pre-workout fuel.

What is your word for 2019?
I had a really amazing 2018 and one of my fears or insecurities was the ability to maintain the amazing momentum I had built. A friend said to me, it's like learning karate, now that you know the moves you need to execute it's just about muscle memory....consistently doing what you've learned to do. So in 2019, I will be consistent.

What’s your go-to song or artist at the gym?
It's kind of cliche but 90s hip hop is my favorite workout music.

What are three interesting facts about you?
1. I have a degree in journalism.
2. I've competed in three ballroom dance competitions.
3. I love spicy food, spicy mezcal margaritas and I put hot sauce on everything!

What is your greatest achievement and how has it shaped you?
Overcoming a lifetime of negative thinking. Realizing I had the power to control how I feel, how I perceive and react to every day, every circumstance and every person and learning to choose to focus on the positive...to focus on love over fear....that is my greatest achievement and it has changed my life in every way. I'm healthier, happier and attracting more good into my life every day. I own my happiness. I take responsibility for my thoughts, my actions, and my reality and when I things aren't going my way...I know I can choose again. Learning to manage my mindset is by far my greatest achievement and it influences everything else in my life.

Organization. I'm all heart and creativity so I'm not the most organized individual. I kind of fly by the seat of my pants. I'm confident if I could add a little organization to my consistency and intention I could have an even greater impact so that's one of my goals for 2019. Put systems in place to help me increase organization, effectiveness, and impact.