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May Athlete of the Month - Cathy Guyer

Cathy Guyer is an up-for-anything, no-judgement, try-it-once (within reason) kind of person. She is the mother of three active and athletic boys, ages 8, 10 and 13 and has been married for 17 years. 

“We are an athletic family who in normal times can be found at a swim meet, track meet, baseball game, football game, hockey game or eating,” she says. “I love to travel, taste lots of food, volunteer, gather knowledge on health, decorate my home inside and out and host lots of parties.”

To stay active, Cathy lifts, swims, does HIIT workouts, runs and does plenty of other activities that keep her moving like gardening, hiking and skiing. 

“I’m not a fan of highly choreographed workouts, any workout I have to get up early for or slow-moving workouts. I get bored easily.”

Cathy was a Division I swimmer for KU, and finds it thrilling to pass on her love of the sport to her kids. 

“When you see a child successfully swim across a pool for the first time, it’s a beautiful accomplishment to celebrate,” she says. “I also love watching my boys accomplish their goals and I think that giving them a strong foundation of fitness at home may be an accomplishment to be proud of as a parent.”

To Cathy, fitness is a continuous journey so if she sets and then achieves a goal, she makes a new one.  She’s placed in the top three in running and triathlon races like half marathons and half ironmans and loves hitting PRs in the weight room. Next on her list?

“I want to do a fitness competition. Our busy schedule and Covid have currently sidelined that for the moment, but I'm excited to get back into it.”

To make the best of her Covid quarantine, she took up the piano and is learning songs including Shallow, Don't Stop Believing, and some Bruno Mars tunes. 

Cathy’s reason for exercising changed after experiencing a slipped disk in her neck. 

“I gained about 10 pounds, didn't feel good about myself, was negative, and exhausted all the time,” she said. “I realized that no one could fix this except for me.  I used to exercise to stay in shape, but now I exercise because it keeps me healthy.  If you don't use it, you really do lose it.”

Being a former collegiate athlete, Cathy had to change up her training over the years and learn to dial back her workouts. Her best piece of advice?

“Be good to yourself. I was always trained to make it hurt.  So, when I got hurt, I just stopped training all together.  I had to re-learn what it meant to be an athlete in my 30s and now my 40s.  I've learned that looks a little different from my 20s.  I take time now to stretch, roll out, and my favorite, relax in the hot tub.  It is good for the mind and body to be good to it.”

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Team Natural Wellness
Post by Team Natural Wellness
May 25, 2020

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