Athlete of the Month: July 2018

Lindy Moore

Many of you already know this, but... Lindy Moore is one fit mama...with one really cool accent! You can always find Lindy in the gym with a smile on her face and a look of determination in her eyes. Just last month, Lindy completed her first "Murph" after having participated in Windy City's annual Murph Team Training, where her leadership and perseverance really shined through. What you may not know, however, is how accomplished Lindy is outside of the gym. She's an executive producer at Music Brief. She's a mom; a wife; and an amazing example of someone who lives BIG. She represents much of what we value here at Windy City by getting outside the gym and using her fitness—hiking, biking, climbing, paddle-boarding, etc. You name it, she's probably done it. We're lucky to call Lindy one of our own. July is yours Lindy...enjoy it!

Nickname: "Lindy Lou" (maiden name is Lewis)

Member since: October 2017

“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it." - Maya Angelou

How has training at Windy City helped you?

I have been active my whole life and it’s always been a really important part of my life. Starting out I was a gymnast and junior surf life saver and with water sports playing a big part, I surfed and water skied. Growing up on the coast in Australia meant that you were outside year round. My brother got me into mountain biking and I loved it. Starting out with cross country and then moved into downhill. I met my husband, and he introduced me to multi-sport and adventure racing. 48 hours is the longest adventure race I’ve done. It was in that time that I truly came to understand pain and using your mind to embrace it and accept it. It’s funny how ‘endurance’ once was 48 hours and it is now 15/20/30 minutes.

After the kids were born, I fell back into running here and there, and that was about it. Our daughter became a ‘nipper’ (junior surf life saver) and I was the U8 coach. So I focused a lot of my time for them. It was so incredibly rewarding teaching these girls skills in the surf, fitness and a healthy lifestyle. To see some of them so fearful at the beginning of the season and by the end, they were tackling the waves head on.

I was feeling that I needed more for myself and I had always loved strength training which I did to supplement our adventure racing training (MTB, kayak, running). My husband suggested Crossfit to me as he thought I would love it. There was a Crossfit box down the road and on the way home from school drop off. Despite feeling a little intimidated and nervous, I wanted to give it a go. I immediately fell in love with it. I had been training there for about 6 months when we found out we were moving to Chicago.

When we arrived in Chicago, I went back to running and really just focused on settling everyone into our new home. We were here for almost a year when my dad became very ill. He had been diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis but he deteriorated incredibly quickly. I had decided to come back to Australia to support mum and spend time with dad, when my mum and brother called me to say that I needed to get on a plane ASAP. It is the one thing that you dread living abroad and my heart ached and felt disbelief that we were living that reality. I took the kids out of school, packed our bags and we were on a flight in a matter of days. We arrived back home and two days later dad died. My whole world fell apart but I felt so grateful that I got to tell him that I loved him. Not everyone gets that chance. The kids and I stayed with mum for a few months but eventually it was time to get back to our life in the States. When we got back I knew that running would not be enough. That I needed to get back to doing what I loved, for many reasons, but in particular as a part of healing.

Training at Windy City has done more for me than you could possibly imagine. I can be having a really bad day dealing with grief, loss and separation from my family. I walk into the box, and whilst those emotions don’t go away, what happens, is that the smiles, the encouragement, the hard work, the laughs, the banter, the camaraderie, and support from the coaches and members is like a giant hug. A hug that says, ‘we’ve got your back’.

Since training at Windy City, I am truly excited not only about discovering what I am capable of, but the road to travel to get there. Believing in myself, that I can achieve anything I put my mind to. With consistency, hard work and showing up. Pushing the limits each time. It may seem obvious, but to actually live it, is a different story. Windy City has fostered and encouraged that, and has been instrumental in that through their genuine care, guidance and friendship. I am so inspired by everyone at Windy City and so grateful for everyone there. We are all very fortunate.

Coming to Windy City has given me a place to lose myself and be completely and wholly in the present moment. That’s really hard to do these days with all of us filling our lives to the brim. I can then take that practice to other parts of my life. That truly is a gift.

Moving countries and being so far away from family can be very hard and at times lonely. I have been searching for my tribe and I’ve found it.

What adventures, events, trips, races do you have planned?

We are traveling to Portugal this Summer for an Australian friends' birthday. She lives in London and I’m so excited to see her. It’s been a long time since we have seen each other.

What would you do and where would you go if time / money were not object?

I would travel the world with my family. Especially go to the places that I have never been to before. I would also donate to children’s health and education organizations in all countries.

Goals

• Fitness: There is so much I want to do and I really need to break it down so it doesn’t get too overwhelming! The good news is that I have the rest of my life! I don’t ever plan to stop. I’m 47 and just getting started. Initially, I really want to focus on building overall strength, lifting technique and gymnastics skills. I made a promise to myself last Christmas on the beach in Australia that I’d get handstand walking by the year end. I try and spend as much time upside down as possible.

• Professionally: I have just started freelancing for two Australian start ups that are keen to get into the US market. One is an online music production company (MusicBrief) and the other is self testing / auditioning app for performing artists (iTalentCast). I also have my own business idea that has been bubbling away for some time which I’m starting to develop. My goal is to get all three up and running.

• Personal: For me it’s about being in the present moment. Life is so short and that really hit home for me when dad died. I don’t want to miss out on anything that’s happening in the now, especially with my kids. I’ve started daily meditation practice and I’ve noticed a difference already.

Something that most people don’t know about me:

When I was 13 and heavily into gymnastics, competing and completing my levels, I was diagnosed with a condition in my back called Scheuermann’s Disease. It’s a skeletal disorder in childhood that usually runs its course and it did for me. I was in and out of a back brace until 17. I was told by specialists that I would never do anything remotely related to gymnastics again in my life. Turns out, I proved them wrong.

Words to Live By

I’ve learned in life that the path to self discovery and ultimately happiness is to authentically seek YOUR truth by being open to, and lean in to, vulnerability. To have experiences that make you feel uncomfortable or are fearful of. Whether its in your training, emotions, relationships or work. That’s where the growth happens and the magic begins. I believe that then, you can truly serve others wholeheartedly. It’s not easy and I don’t think it’s meant to be. It takes constant work. But you know deep down, in the face of adversity that whatever you are going through, you will learn and it will propel you forward. Your trajectory is going to go up.