Meet Natalie Petersen, Iron Woman, CrossFit Athlete, Coach, Olympic Weightlifter, Wife, Ultimate Sports Mom
My exercise passion started in high school with basketball, volleyball, cross country and track. Later, when I started having kids, I unfortunately let that all go a bit. After a lung busting experience at a pickup basketball game years ago (I thought I could taste blood, I swear), I vowed to never be in that place physically ever again.
Around this same time, my first husband was killed in a snowmobile accident leaving me with two young daughters to raise. Exercise became my medication, it kept me sane. Ultimately, I remarried and my new husband and I ran our first marathon together step for step. We eventually added two boys to our family as well. I found triathlons along the way and even though I really didn’t know how to swim, I did my first Olympic distance race and followed it up with almost a dozen half-Ironman races and two full Ironmans as well, one with a stress fracture!
In 2012 I completed my final half Ironman race and tried CrossFit. I was immediately hooked! CrossFit provided new challenges EVERY day and has changed the shape of my body in the best way. I’m now a Level 1 CrossFit coach and after discovering a passion for weightlifting, became a Level 1 USAW coach as well. I entered the CrossFit Open in 2014 and ended up in the top 200 in the World in the Masters (age 40-44) which qualified me for Regionals. I’m training for the Open again held in February of 2016.
I competed in my first USA Weightlifting competition this past summer and set a state record in the clean and jerk and total for the 75kg Masters (ages 45-49) division and later set a snatch record as well. I love the grind and the work much more than I like to compete, but I need the motivation of competition to push me. What motivates me most is how far I can push my body. I love seeing what I can do!
I coach 2-3 hours a day in between my own workouts, plus I work 20-25 hours a week for an insurance company. I love having a plan because my schedule is pretty tight with my two boys in high school and both involved in different sports. Kimble is a state champion swimmer and Carter plays on a competitive soccer league, both CrossFit with me on a regular basis. I love crossfitting with my boys! I always put their schedules in the calendar and plan mine around whatever they’ve got going on, you do what you have to do!
I’ve got plans to set more state records in Olympic Lifting and hope to make it to a big Worlds meet. I’ll be signing up for my third CrossFit Open soon with hopes of making it to Regionals again. Mostly, I just want to always be fit and strong enough to do things with my friends and family. It takes much more focus on recovery and mobility these days with my age creeping up, but it’s fun to feel so young!
I think Nat never met a challenge or a goal she didn’t face head on and that’s about as inspiring as it gets! Chances are, you’ve got goals too. Let IdealLean help you meet and exceed them.
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*These women may or may not be actual users of IdealFit products. We simply want to share their story.