Christie Skelton - FitSights

Stack Magazine, a local new magazine- photo shoot for their calendar

Why did you become interested in fitness?
I wanted to be a role model for women over 40. I have had 6 children, and have worked hard to achieve my goals. I would like other mothers to know that it is possible to dare to live your dreams! I am just like any other wife and mother, but I have made a choice to be fit and I love weight training.

I have been the elected President of the Reserve Firefighter program in the city of Kirkland. I not only need to be fit for the job, but my CO-workers see me train hard and respect me for that too. Taking the time to take care of myself is a key factor in keeping fit. I love training hard and have had lots of wonderful experiences competing.

When did you first start working out?
I started working out at the gym 12 years ago, while training for the Fire Dept. testing process. That's where I met my husband! We trained together for several years just to keep fit. Then the kids came along and it became more difficult to get to the gym and stay motivated. I stopped for a while, then started again about 3 years ago. After my last child, I wanted to reclaim my body!

So I worked hard and trained with weights again for the Fire Dept. test. I was hired as a reserve firefighter and have loved doing it ever since. I saw several athletes training at my daughter's gym and thought I could do what they were doing. So I started training for my first fitness competition 1 1/2 years ago.

I challenged myself to do things I had never done before. I was the only mom taking gymnastics with the young girls! It was great fun. When I finally got my front handspring, the whole gym cheered. I will never forget the satisfaction of learning and growing to reach my goal.

What other physical activities do you enjoy to stay fit?
I love to hike and bike ride, and take nature walks. While in Hawaii last year my husband and I kayaked on the open sea for 6 hours along the Napali coastline! I couldn't have done that if I hadn't been in great shape! It was awesome.

What are your goals within the fitness industry?
I am a competition suit designer. I love creating custom made suits for each of the girls. There's nothing more satisfying than to help my client's look and feel beautiful after all their efforts and hard work in training.

Additional Notes
Thank you for this opportunity to express my thanks to all those who have helped me on my journey these past 1 1/2 years. My coaches, and nutritionist, choreographer, and the loving support of my family.