Rose Wetzel is a professional obstacle course racer and PurePower brand ambassador who competes in some of the most grueling races out there, from American Ninja Warrior to Spartan Elite Racer.
For Rose, exercise is a huge part of her life. “Exercise and movement are paramount to my health and my identity too, to the point where it’s hard to imagine not doing it. I love racing and challenging myself, but I also just love to move—I love to feel strong and fast. It really helps me to feel capable in all aspects of my life.”
Rose also works as a personal trainer, something which she says she is grateful for as it has allowed her to work with people from many different walks of life, helping them to get moving. So what’s her advice for people who want to get back into exercise for the first time, or even to start exercising for the first time?
- “Start small and work your way up!”
- “There are many paths to the same destination, and if you’re looking to get fit, find the path that works for you.“ Despite her love for running, Rose knows it isn’t for everyone. If you don’t like it, she suggests finding something that you think you might prefer—it could be dance or swimming or rock-climbing, as long as you’re going to want to keep doing it.
- Listen to your body and allow time for recovery: “If your body is saying it’s too sore to work out, then take an extra day off.”
- “Find friends to exercise with: they can help to hold you accountable.”
- “It takes 21 days to create a habit. Be consistent, challenge yourself, and just know that it’s not going to feel good at first. But after a few weeks, it starts to feel not so bad, then it even starts to feel good and you feel a sense of empowerment!”
Rose sees this sense of empowerment as one of the most important motivators to exercise and move more: the empowerment that comes from feeling yourself getting stronger, recovering quicker, running further, or beating your personal best. “These things can really contribute to an overall sense of confidence in your life, helping you feel capable and strong.”
Rose experienced the power of empowerment first-hand recently when she reached a podium position in a Spartan National Series race for the first time since giving birth to her daughter two years ago. “It felt amazing,” she says. “It gave me a sense of all the time and work I put into this, just getting myself out the door, dealing with postpartum depression, wondering if I was doing the right thing… It really validated all the effort I have put into this.”
Soon after, the messages started to come in from other Spartan moms, saying how empowering it had been for them to see Rose, a new mom, up there on the podium, and how it was inspiring them to start racing again. For Rose, this was an incredibly powerful and emotional moment.
Of course, juggling exercise with a young family hasn’t all been smooth sailing. “I just don’t have as much time or energy for my workouts,” Rose says. It was this that encouraged her to start taking PurePower supplements. “Power Up and Daily Boost help me to get started for the day—wake me up, get me rolling. Then Reboot helps me to combat inflammation after a workout, allowing me to recover quickly even if I work out twice in one day. Finally, PowerDown helps me to sleep deeper and longer, which is crucial as an athlete and as a person.
It has been super valuable to me to be able to take PurePower products so that I can sleep better, have a boost in the morning after sleeping well, and then recover quicker—all of this has been crucial in helping me to reach my personal and athletic goals, and in doing so be a better parent.”
