Living Life To The Fullest: a Q & A with Christy Miller

I’m super excited to share this “Real Women, Real Balance” interview with you today. I grew up with Christy and her family and we danced in the same company and on the same team throughout high school.

Thanks to Facebook we’ve kept in touch and she is now a wife and mom to a beautiful baby boy. She is juggling a lot, as we all are, but I love her perspective on ENJOYING life and finding balance in the midst of it all. Enjoy!

Hi Christy! Tell us what you do for a living…

Hmmmm, where do I start?

I am a personal/ executive assistant for a VP at the home security company Vivint.

I teach dance to 7-18 year olds at a studio in salt lake city called The Dance Project.

I have started my own fitness curriculum called Barre Pump which I teach in Provo and the Salt Lake area.

I also do fitness and print modeling through the Wilhelmina Urban Talent Agency.

Lastly and most importantly I am a wife and mother.

What does a typical day look like for you?

A typical day for me means waking up next to my extremely handsome husband and usually by that time a cute little baby face has suckered his way into my bed as well. By the time I have fed and dressed the baby, let the dog out, and helped my husband find socks, keys, phone and anything else he’s missing I have about 15 minutes to get ready.

I pack the baby up and head into the office. I get done as much as I can there before I have to run home, drop the baby off with a sitter and teach my Barre Pump class at the recreation center.

After class I’m picking up the baby, grabbing coffee for my boss and heading back into the office.

One night a week I leave the office and head to the dance studio to teach for 4-5 hours.

Most days I head home from the office, make dinner and spend time just hanging out as a family. When my head finally hits the pillow I am beat, but could stay up talking to my husband for hours. If only he would stay awake :).

What do you do when you’re not working?

When I’m not working I do projects. I love projects. I just recently repainted my kitchen cabinets and also refinished two chairs in my living room. I love garage sale-ing and thrift store shopping. To me it’s treasure hunting. Finding a piece of furniture that needs a little TLC and making it beautiful is very satisfying to me.

As you know, The Balanced Life is all about empowering women to approach health & fitness with a balanced mindset. How do you handle the pressure as a woman to look or act a certain way?

I love The Balanced Life and am very passionate about empowering women.

My whole life I have been surrounded by strong women. My mother is a great example to me, because no matter what the trial she always has a positive mindset and is figuring out a way to get through it. She is a problem solver, a hard worker and the kindest person I have ever met. She has so much strength in her.

I really believe that people are stronger then they think they are. I constantly tell the ladies that take my Barre Pump class to turn off their minds because their bodies can do it. This is a physical example, but I think often our minds hold us back.

Our minds tell us it’s too hard, or I’m not smart enough, skinny enough, strong enough, talented enough, brave enough, good enough, etc. I am a victim of this too and it’s not right. We need to believe in ourselves.

I got certified in a fitness course recently and the instructor said something I’ll never forget. She told us to give ourselves permission to be great. I love that and preach it now.

Being a professional dancer for 5 years makes me very familiar with the pressures women feel to look or act a certain way. Dancing for the NBA I was weighed and measured every month, but it went either way. We couldn’t be overweight, but also couldn’t be under weight. We had to look healthy and fit.

I think one of the most crucial ways to stay in control is to surround yourself with good examples. Be around people who care about being healthy. Eating disorders don’t just affect a period of time in your life they affect you forever. Falling into these pressures and “perfect” ideals is a dangerous game.

I say be happy with who you are and look the way you are comfortable with, the way you feel happiest. If you don’t like it then let’s fix it in a healthy way, but if someone else doesn’t like it then that’s their own problem.

What does balance mean to you during your current season of life?

Balance to me is sitting down for dinner with my husband, spending time playing with my baby, going to church and being able to step away from all my jobs and responsibilities even if for just a moment.

I enjoy doing a lot of different things. I try and fit them all in, which causes chaos. The trick is finding my priorities and setting them straight. My life can be insanely busy, but as long as i have these things i feel balanced.

Who/what inspires you to keep living well?

I really love life and want to take advantage of every moment. Whether it’s a new recipe or sky diving, if I’ve never tried it before I’m interested.

Church leaders, music, pictures, friends, family, dance, nature, and more inspire me to be who I am and to live a well and fulfilling life.

I think you can find inspiration in all things. Sometimes I will go on a hike and come back feeling inspired and motivated to live well. Other times I will be sitting in a meeting at work and my boss will tell a story or share a thought and I’ll leave with a strong drive to be a better person. Most often I take a dance class and the movement has such an effect on me. I feel uplifted and inspired to be happy and grateful for what I have.

Inspiration is all around us.

What is your best tip for maintaining a healthy lifestyle in the midst of a busy life?

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle in the midst of a busy life can be hard. Really hard. Sometimes I’m digging around in my car for something/anything to eat while running from place to place. Somedays my diet is really bad. I might eat candy all day at the office because I just don’t have time to stop and eat a meal or go somewhere.

You know what though, it’s okay.

I know that the other 95% of the time I get my fruits and vegetables and eat well. In the midst of a busy life you need to give yourself some grace.

Try your best to plan ahead. Eat enough healthy foods so that you don’t find yourself famished at the end of the day and eating anything in sight.

Don’t deprive yourself.

Work out so you feel good and can have a treat when you want and not stress about it. I have a treat everyday and I’m okay with it. It makes me happy. This life is short. I want to fill it with all the things I love, God, family, friends, dance, work, nature, and chocolate chip cookies!

Thank you, Christy! If you live in the Salt Lake City/Provo area and would like to take class from Christy check out Barre Pump on Facebook and The Dance Project SLC.