How do you stay lean when ‘Parent life’ takes over?
You have played sport all of your life and been accustomed to a regular training routine and a great group of team mates that you always looked forward to training with.
Suddenly life is all about racing the kids around to basketball, football, nippers. It becomes very easy to fall victim to the usual excuses and sacrifice your own health and fitness.
Craig Eckersley is one of the busiest blokes we know and is living proof that you can balance a hectic schedule, parenting and still take care of yourself! Craig has always been a super athletic guy who excelled at AFL and thrives off that team dynamic. Now up to his neck in the ‘Super Parent’ phase of life, Craig and his wife Amy are exceptional! Together they ensure that their 2 Boys Jarrod 11 and Zac 8 can have every sporting opportunity possible, run a very successful Plumbing business and for the past 18 months have consistently trained together at the Shake UP 3 to 4 times a week!
Strong training communities need characters like Craig Eckersley. Legends who bring some classic banter, continually raise the bar and are always super supportive of the rest of the team. 30 plus years of playing team sports will do that to a person! We recently caught up with Craig to Chat about what it takes to balance being a parent and enjoying your training time.
So Craigo, tell us a bit about yourself?
Alright… I am almost 40 years old. Married to my beautiful wife Amy for…um…ah… Thirteen years. Got two boys Jarrod and Zac. We are a pretty sporty family, I reckon between the 4 of us we are hitting somewhere around 25 sessions/week!
How long have you been training at The Shake UP?
It must be about 18 months! Loving it! Short sharp and direct!
How does the mental resilience you develop here make you better outside of here Craigo?
Yeah everything these days is a challenge. Nothing is handed to you on a plate so you learn to work your ass off! You definitely take the strength that you develop here into being a parent, business owner. Whatever you want to achieve.
What do you think about during a Shake UP session?
Numbers! I crunch the numbers to get through! That helps me focus on the task at hand.
I like to look around during a session and you can see that everyone is having a crack. To be honest I draw a lot from motivation from Ams. She’s a go-er! Nathan, Kate, Mil…They all lift you to that next level.
What keeps you coming back to the Shake UP Craigo?
I enjoy that we never know what we are going to do here but one thing is for sure, it’s always going to be a massive mental and physical test. Life is a lot like that.. it’s a challenge and you’ve got to be tough!
Your Boys Zac and Jarrod are always down here seeing you train. That sets a pretty solid example. Can you tell us about that?
Yeah its handy being able to bring them down here to kick the footy around while Ams and I train. Both of the boys have strong work ethics in sport and in life in general. They know that they need to help out and have responsibilities around the house. Amy is really enjoying the 10 Week Challenge and the kids are seeing the example she is setting in the kitchen. We are all benefitting from improving our eating habits.
Worst exercise? You know it…I know it…Everyone knows it! Doesn’t need mentioning!
Craig is our November Shaker of the month and we are so proud to have him as a valuable part of our training community! For his endless energy and commitment to the Shake UP, Craig has scored himself a $50.00 Zarraffa’s gift card from the awesome crew at Zarraffa’s Pacific Pines.
