Name: Heather & Shawn Bostwick
Age: We’re both 40-years old
Height: 5’2” and 6’2”
Weight: 139 & 210 respectfully
Crossfitting Since: February 2013 & May 2014
Attends Class: (times per week?) 5x/ week
QUICK HISTORY on US
Shawn and I have been together since August of 2003. When we first started dating I was an avid gym-goer and he was a runner and roller-bladed a lot (since he lived on the LES and worked in mid-town). I remember him telling me that he would never lift weights again because he had back surgery in 1996 due to a weight lifting injury that ended his college football career. I honestly didn’t think much of it because he was so healthy in other ways. Running and roller blading definitely kept him in great shape. Then we fell in LOVE…
You know what happens – we started taking cabs everywhere, stopped going to the gym as regularly – and we ate out…A LOT! This of course resulted in us putting on a few pounds. Fast forward a few years, we took the pounds off for the wedding, then on again after the kids were born. We were never obese thank goodness – but out of shape would be a good way to describe us.
HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT CROSSFIT?
Our now 6-year old twin boys attended daycare at the Hoboken Business Center and I used to drive by CrossFit Hoboken everyday on my way to pick them up. My brother and sister-in-law had started CrossFitting in 2012 and talked about it OFTEN and how much we would love it. In February of 2013 I decided it was time for a change and I joined CFH. I never anticipated Shawn would join just a year and a half after me – but based on my results and the fact that “40” was just around the corner he decided it was now or never.
WHAT IS YOUR SCHEDULE LIKE? YOU BOTH WORK OUT 5x PER WEEK, HOW DO YOU MAKE THAT WORK?
Our routine is a balancing act but one that works for us – having twins prepared us for “THE SCHEDULE” which we honestly respect and couldn’t do without. Our weekends are for the family and we try to relax (after we get a Saturday WOD in). But most weekdays look something like this:
5:15am: Shawn is up getting ready for the 6am class
6:15-7:30am: I wake the boys, get ready for work, feed the boys breakfast, prepare their lunch and ultimately get them ready for school. When Shawn gets home he helps with whatever is needed and then walks them to the bus
8:45am-5pm – DAY JOBS
5pm – I get to go to the 5pm WOD – YAY
6-8pm – Shawn picks up the boys from aftercare and feeds them dinner. I come home & check their homework & then one of us gives them a bath/ shower, we read to them, watch a little TV, brush them up and then they go to bed at 8pm
8pm-10pm – Shawn cooks for us, we eat, relax on the couch, go to bed
REPEAT…
EXERCISING AS MUCH AS YOU DO CAN BE STRENUOUS ON THE BODY. NOW THAT YOU ARE 40 HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN HEALTH AND BALANCE?
Shawn and I are big believers in Applied Kinesiology Chiropractic medicine – the holistic total body kind. If we feel pain of ANY kind (that is not our typical Crossfit WOD soreness) we immediately go to our doc in the city who I have been seeing for the past 12 years. We may be 40 BUT so far we’ve found that as long as you take care of any issues as they come up you can keep going and continue to be strong (or get stronger).
What advice would you give to CrossFitters who are new parents or planning to be?
Sleep training your baby is a MUST which pays off for years (and if you can get them to sleep in on the weekends, well, please give that info to us because we haven’t figured that one out yet lol!) The sleep training will start you on the path for the schedule you’ll need to balance your family, your career, exercise and everything else that fills the limited 24-hours in a day. One of the selling points of CrossFit is the 45min to 60 min WOD. It’s consistent; you know you’re going to get an efficient workout every time and it fits in perfectly with all of your other responsibilities. Plus it’s fun (even the worst WODs are great when they’re over!)
How has CrossFit affected your relationship and family?
Honestly it has only had a positive effect on us. We feel great, we look good (and how many people can say that their husband has gotten BETTER LOOKING with age!!!) And we’re starting to get our sons involved in the sport. CFH recently launched a CrossFit Kids program that we signed them up for immediately. They love it so far and I’m HOPING CFH continues the Saturday morning program (it’s the only time Shawn and I get to work out together!).