Chelsea Young Of PITYFitness On The Self-Care Routines & Practices Of Busy Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders
May 01, 2023An Interview With Maria Angelova
Anything to help you develop more as a person and be able to share that knowledge with others. The last thing I encourage others to do that I do daily is drink a gallon of water a day! I know it sounds simple yet like a lot. Water has so many benefits for our health including mental clarity, lubricate joints, hydrate organs/skin, helps to regulate body temperature and waste. I have been drinking a gallon of a day since February of this year and have found I have less frequent headaches and dry skin.
All of us know that we have to take breaks in our day to take care of ourselves. “Selfcare is healthcare”, the saying goes. At the same time, we know that when you are a busy leader with enormous responsibility on your shoulders, it’s so easy to prioritize the urgent demands of work over the important requirements of self-care. How do busy entrepreneurs and leaders create space to properly take care of themselves? What are the self-care routines of successful entrepreneurs and business leaders? In this interview series, we are talking to busy and successful entrepreneurs, business leaders, and civic leaders who can discuss their self-care practices and self-care routines. As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Chelsea Young.
Chelsea Young, is the founder and CEO of PITYFitness: “Prove It To Yourself”, a fitness/personal training/macros coaching business. Chelsea Young is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and a NASM Youth Exercise Specialist. She has also been an ER Registered Nurse for over 11years and currently serves as a 1LT in the United States Army Reserves.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! It is an honor. Our readers would love to learn more about your personal background. Can you please share with our readers your personal backstory; What has brought you to this point in your life?
Trust me the pleasure is all mine!! I have spent my life growing up playing sports, being active, always on the go, loving the outdoors, and so much more. Needless to say, busy has always been an adjective to describe me my life. I knew growing up I wanted to help people, but I was not sure how. The moment I turned 16yo I was volunteering at Habitat for Humanity to help give back, that is truly my purpose. It wasn’t until I was in college that I applied to Nursing school and was accepted first try (apparently that was unheard of back then). I graduated and obtained my Registered Nursing Degree in 2011. Once I started in the Emergency Room, I knew that’s where I needed/wanted to be. Throughout the years, 11.5years to be the exact, my passion to help people has remained the same but my direction has changed. After years of trauma and the fast-paced life, I have switched to fitness/nutrition focused. I want to help more people by keeping them out of the Emergency Rooms and saving their lives in a different way.
What is your “why” behind what you do? What fuels you?
My why is easy, I want to help change lives to change the world. When people are at their best and feel good about themselves, they strive to do more not only for them but others. I want everyone to have that sense of pride feeling and want to spread it to others. I love to see other people win.
How do you define success? Can you please explain what you mean from a personal anecdote?
Success to me does not mean having millions of dollars in my bank account. Success means my family is taken care of and not lacking basic needs. We have a roof over our heads, clothes to wear and food to eat. The moment I realized this was when I was in our gym working out. It is in our garage (and there is no A/C), so naturally I was hot and sweaty, but the music was blasting, and I was just enjoying myself. My wife came out to work out and the kid came outside to play while we worked out. In that moment I looked out of the garage door at the blue skies with the flag waving in the wind and realized that was success. That was happy. I did not want for anything else.
What is the role of a growth mindset in your success? Can you please share 3 mindset mantras that keep you motivated, sane, and propel you forward?
Honestly, that mindset is everything!! Like attracts like and what you put out you receive back. I have maintained a positive mindset about life and our growth in the business and I receive that positivity back. I carry around a dollar bill in my pocket daily that has the words “Thank You” wrote on it. It is a reminder to be thankful for all the money I have received in my life, the current money I have and the money I will receive.
“I never loose, I either win or I learn” is my absolute favorite mantra. I have it wrote on my mirror in my gym. I look at every opportunity as a chance to learn something. Even if you don’t hit your mark, sit down take notes as to why and then do better next time.
“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step.” I love this from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr because sometimes you just need to take a leap of faith. This has helped me just go with it and believe it will happen without knowing all the details.
“We Do The Work” is a mantra that I have been using more and more for not only workouts but the business as well. Don’t let excuses out you, you out work your excuses. Put in the work and make things happen.
You are by all accounts a very successful person. How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
Thank you. I fully believe my purpose here is to help others. At first it was by helping people for over 11years as an Emergency Room Nurse. Now I get to help change people’s lives and give them their lives back! People can play with their kids again or get to see their grandchildren grow up. I get to help turn around the negativity in the world. Also, my biggest accomplishment has been giving back locally to our community. On Sunday afternoons I hold a fun functional fitness day for youth in our area. All I ask for in return is donations. I then give 100% of those donations back to different local charities in our area. It is wonderful to get to be a part of so many organizations giving back.
Can you share a mistake or failure which you now appreciate, and which has taught you a valuable lesson?
Oh, this is an easy one! A huge mistake was thinking I could make a business and build a website on my own and people would come find me! So, first off thinking I could do it all on my own, but secondly not realizing the intricacies of the internet. I had no idea how SEO’s worked or how to be found on Google. I was proud of myself for connecting my website and business to Google, just to find out I was unsearchable, and it was never published. I hired a local social media guru to help me and set us up on Google Maps as well as get more traffic to the business. Valuable lesson was do not just guess you know what you are doing! Ask for help!
You are a successful leader. Which three-character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Three character traits that have been most instrumental towards my success would have to be determination, confidence, and enthusiasm. Determination has been a role because I went from being an ER Nurse to starting my own business and training people in fitness. My goal is to change lives to change the world. You must be determined to make that change and take on that challenge. Confidence because I know I can help people. I know I can bring people the best results and make their lives better not just for them but their family as well. Enthusiasm because have you ever seen a personal trainer not peppy! No but honestly enthusiasm because when you truly find your niche and something you love doing, you wake up every day happy and ready to take on that day and change lives.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting new projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?
Right now, I am trying to work on a few things. PITYFitness is helping to sponsor my son’s pop warner football team and we are working on a game plan to help with the conditioning of the team post season. Something to help keep them not only in shape but determined. Something to help keep their confidence levels high and continue developing their skills as they grow. I am also working on putting together new little mini challenges for people to be a part of soon with cash prizes! A fun way to get ready for the holidays instead of waiting for after.
OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the core focus of our interview about Self-Care. Let’s start with a basic definition so that we are all on the same page. What does self-care mean to you?
Self-care to me means making yourself a priority. Not necessarily putting you first but making your life, your health, your mentality a priority. I have a lot of parents that use their kids as an excuse as to why they cannot workout or eat healthier. This is when I tell them, you must prioritize yourself so you can live long enough to see them grow up. If you do not take care of yourself in every aspect you fail yourself. You cannot pour from an empty glass.
As a successful leader with an intense schedule, what do you do to prioritize self-care, and carve out regular time to make self-care part of your routine?
To start with, I get up before the rest of my family usually. I prioritize my movement early in the day especially if I know it is going to be a busy day. I do like to get my resistance training done early because it helps wake me up, get my mind focused and gets me into a great mood! Then if something unexpected does come up during the day, at least I have got one workout in. As the day goes on, I make sure I set aside 30min to read a minimum of 10pages a day of a self-help/personal development book. This helps me come up with better ways to prioritize my day and learn. Then what’s nice, because I have made that example of exercising a priority, after dinner we all as a family go for an evening walk today including our 9-year-old.
Will you please share with our readers 3 of your daily, or frequent self-care habits?
Before I get out of bed, I run through a list of things I need to get done or what I want to accomplish. This way I start my day with a plan in place. As soon as my feet hit the floor I say, thank you. I start the day with gratitude and positive affirmations. Gratitude is a truly overlooked self-care habit. I believe what you put out into the universe is what you get back. Waking up and being kind and giving gratitude will allow all of that to return to you throughout your days. My second self-care habit is something I mentioned above, reading. I believe knowledge is power. The more you fill your mind with knowledge the less space you have for negativity and doubt. Reading 10 pages a day since February of this year has completely changed my mind set and how I view life. That is where I had the idea to wake up and say Thank you from, reading a book. My third self-care habit I always make sure I do throughout the day is workout. Depending on the day I will do resistance training, walking or an active rest day. I always make sure I get in a minimum of 45min of movement. A body in motion stays in motion.
This is the main question of our interview. Based on your own experiences or research can you please share 5 ways that taking time for self-care will improve our lives?
Not only am I in the process of starting and building my own business but I am a wife, stepmother to a 9yo boy, a RN and in the ARMY Reserves, one thing I truly understand is being busy. My days start early and end late. I have learned since starting my business that self-care is a priority to remember because if your cup is empty how can you fill someone else’s cup. I wake up and start my day with a plan in place and know specific times I must accomplish things whether that be a meeting, training, phone calls, etc. This helps to keep you on track for the day and accomplish more. I write a Power List of 5 things I must accomplish for that day. A power list is something I highly encourage doing!! Write 3–5 things you want/need to accomplish for the day. As you achieve them, check them off and then you win the day! Next, Incorporate a minimum of 45–60min of exercise in between tasks. This helps keep your body moving, helps decrease risks of health conditions, helps you mentally focus, so many more benefits! The next task is to set time to be able to spend 30 min performing a personal development task. This can include reading a nonfiction/ self-help book, meditating, reflecting, journaling, etc. Anything to help you develop more as a person and be able to share that knowledge with others. The last thing I encourage others to do that I do daily is drink a gallon of water a day! I know it sounds simple yet like a lot. Water has so many benefits for our health including mental clarity, lubricate joints, hydrate organs/skin, helps to regulate body temperature and waste. I have been drinking a gallon of a day since February of this year and have found I have less frequent headaches and dry skin.
Sometimes we learn a great deal from the opposite, from a contrast. Can you please share a few ways that NOT taking time for self-care can harm our lives?
Like I mentioned earlier, you cannot fill someone else’s cup if yours is empty. Not taking time for yourself can cause not only physical but mental concerns as well. Anxiety can occur easily from feeling overwhelmed and consumed in daily tasks. It can also cause greater distress when something out of blue happens you were not expecting. People tend to be more edgy, moody, and reactive when wound tight due to not taking time foe self-care and allowing themselves to unwind. Physical concerns can occur as well such as being stiff more often, achy feelings and being more tired all the time.
What would you tell someone who says they do not have time or finances to support a regular wellness routine?
I would say, you make time for the things that are important to you. Time is wait you make and what you allow it to be. We all have 24 hours in the day, it’s how we choose to spend them. I say write a list and prioritize the things that are important to you and start from that list. Finances should never be an excuse because it does not cost money to work out in your home and honestly body weight exercises are some of the hardest work outs, I have ever done. I mean, have you ever had to do multiple burpees back-to-back before! There are also house items that can be used as weights such as water jugs. Use water jugs for curls, deadlifts, lunges, etc. Also fill suitcases up with clothes or heavier items and walk around carrying them for a weighted walk. There are ways around both concerns if you’re willing to make them.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we both tag them :-)
The first person I would love to have a sit down with would have been Audrey Hepburn because she truly was a beautiful soul and a great humanitarian but unfortunately, she is no longer with us. I would love to sit down with Andy Frisella, David Goggins or Ed Mylett. All three of these gentlemen have helped me develop my mental toughness and take the leap to start my own business. It’s not always easy to leave a cushy job, start a new business, continue self-care routines and be a wife/mom. These gentlemen help you learn one more, prioritizing and how to dig deep into your cookie jar to keep going.
What is the best way for our readers to continue to follow your work online?
They can follow me in many ways by starting with the website https://www.pityfitness.com. We also have a Facebook group people can join called- PITYFitness Macros, Fitness and More. This group provides a community for people to ask questions about fitness and nutrition as well as just chat and have support from one another. We are also on Instagram as @pityfitness_ for update daily stories and posts.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.
About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher, and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness, and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at [email protected]. To schedule a free consultation, click here.
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