NAUTI WARRIOR: POWERLIFTING PAIGE

This week we wanted to feature one of our own Nauti Warriors- Paige Bartell!  Paige is an inspiring Nauti Warrior inside and outside of the gym. She truly kills it at lifting - including lifting up those around her. Enjoy her honest and positive perspective on health and wellness ~

What does wellness mean to you? 

To me wellness means being able to focus on what your body needs at any given time and honoring that. For example, I am personally pretty dedicated to the gym but, if I am super tired and not going to perform well or need to prioritize something like sleeping or studying over the gym, I should respect that. A good sense of wellness is listening to what my body and mind needs at any given time.

Describe your favorite ways to be active.

My personal outlet for fitness is powerlifting. My brother actually owns a powerlifting gym in Irvine, CA and I am lucky enough to be trained remotely by one of his coaches. I am pretty dedicated to powerlifting and over the last 8 or so months I have really seen a lot of progress in that area of my life. 

Do you have a Nauti Warrior inspiration, a person and/or a mantra or quote? 

As for a person, my brother. He has come so far in his fitness journey. He definitely inspires me to be my best self in terms of health and wellness. In terms of a quote, my favorite is “be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire” and I really think that applies to all parts of my life, especially fitness. It truly does make me happy and feel good, which makes it easy to commit to. 

You have quite the fitness routine, can you describe how you find the daily motivation to stick to it?

One thing I always tell myself, and I personally don’t feel like this is guilting myself, is that there has never been a time where I feel worse after working out. It is always something that makes me feel better and overall more awake and energized for my day. Additionally, looking at my weekly calendar and actively setting aside time for the gym helps me be intentional about my time. I think being very aware of all my responsibilities and considering fitness to be an element of self-care that is just as important as other obligations really helps. It is the most flexible and can’t always be the number one priority but it is truly a personal priority in my week that is worth the time because of how it makes me feel. 

You are always so collected and put-together, how do you handle stress and take care of yourself? 

I would definitely say I channel a good amount of my stress into fitness. I do like to talk things out but, my nickname used to be “Panicky Paige.” I have found that talking things out too much sometimes can drive me crazy. Learning to take a step back and let things happen as they will and focusing on myself and my needs at any given moment has definitely helped me be a more relaxed and “put-together” person. Focusing my energies on the things I can control and letting things go more easily has been a true area of growth for me throughout college. 

What is your guilty pleasure?

Food wise, I love the salt and pepper potato chips at Trader Joes. If I open them it's truly dangerous. Also, I love a good cinnamon dessert. 

What is your favorite thing about yourself? 

My favorite thing about myself, and I honestly don’t think I could’ve said this a year or two ago, is probably my confidence. It has really grown quite a bit and I think a lot of close people in my life can attest to that. It has not come naturally but, I can say now that this is the happiest I have ever been with my body and mind. I have a lot of different things and people to thank for that and growing my love for fitness has definitely helped. I have found that making an effort to take care of your body is a really good way to start working on your confidence. 

Advice for others?

My biggest piece of advice would be that a goal can’t just happen overnight. For example, I know a lot of people who try to jump into a fitness resolution with an intense four or five day workout schedule. Provide yourself with attainable steps that build in the direction that you would like to go and you will be happier with the results and the process. 

What is one way you want to grow as a Nauti Warrior this year?

For me, I want to continue to strive to find a good weekly balance of “work and play.” I don’t know where fitness really falls within work or play but, I think I want to focus on being 100% there for myself before taking on more responsibility.  I have a tendency to spread myself very thin and to try to be there for everything and everyone. I want to strive for a more effective balance in my life so I can continue to grow as a person and be better able to be there for those I care about.  

Thank you for sharing your Nauti Warrior words with us, Paige! 

We are so lucky to have a sisterhood full of amazing Nauti Warriors - express gratitude to a sister for inspiring you to live Nauti this week. 

♡

Crista