Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/1528788
FALL / WINTER 2024 23 living fit work-life balance she juggles with the sports schedules of three kids—a 9-year-old son and twin 7-year-old girls—and her role as a wife and mother. "ere are a lot of things in my life that are out of my control," she says. "My workouts are one of the things I can control. And I always leave feeling better than when I came in." On a recent Wednesday, Carlie met Michelle in Coed Fitness for a high-in- tensity interval routine. "You've got it, no problem," Michelle said while Carlie switched from weighted-ball throws to hammer curls. "You've always got it." A couple of days earlier, Carlie sat upstairs by a window eating a protein brown rice bowl in the WAC Café. "I have tried to be very deliberate in attempting to prioritize myself and my own mental and physical health," she says. "I can't tell you how many days it's like I have a million other things that are on my plate, and if I didn't have that accountability to Michelle I would not be here." Date morning Like a lot of us, Jackie Walsh wears a fitness tracker on her wrist. In her case, the oversize Garmin delivers key statis- tics from regular workouts with WAC personal trainer Sebastian Vargas and road runs while traveling. Jackie and husband Mark Larrañaga started train- ing with Sebastian shortly aer joining the WAC about a year ago. "Having a partner who can say, 'Let's make sure we're both going to be there,' I think helps," Mark says. e couple also attends fitness class- es as their individual schedules allow. As a lawyer and a judge, respectively, Jackie and Mark oen find spare time in short supply. To prioritize workouts, Jackie is constantly looking ahead. "I think about what the next week is and where am I going to be," she says. About a dozen years ago, Jackie realized she was out of shape with no change in sight. "At 48, I said 'Enough of that!'" she recalls. "I was letting work consume me and not making my work- outs a priority. I also realized how much I didn't want to be judged by my age." She started liing weights and, eventually, training for triathlons. Mark made the change, as well. e couple rotated through a few gym member- ships before landing at the WAC. "We needed a place with a shower and not just classes," Jackie says. e compre- hensive offerings of the WAC made the decision easy. "We just started to say, 'OK, let's make this part of our life routine.' And we've done a pretty good job of it," says Mark, who balances regular workouts with a busy position as a King County Superior Court judge. In addition to twice-weekly morning workouts with Sebastian, the couple attends WAC fitness classes, although oen not the same ones, and Jackie frequently runs during business trips. "Working out makes everything bet- ter," she says. "You sleep better. You feel Mark Larrañaga and Jackie Walsh work out with WAC personal trainer Sebastian Vargas in Coed Fitness. Continued on page 24 "Working out makes everything better. You sleep better. You feel better. You do better work because your focus is better." —Jackie Walsh Sign up for personal training on the WAC app: Athletics & Fitness > Training