Q & A with Miss Kaie

Hello wonderful Warriors of the World! 

    I hope that you all are doing great and staying safe during these trying times. Over the years I have gotten asked a lot of questions about myself and my lifestyle, so today I thought I would take a little time to sit down and answer some of the most frequently asked questions. 

Q: Where are you from?
A: I generally answer this question sarcastically with a "Planet Earth", however I was born in Portland, OR and we stayed there until I was 8. I grew up in Meridian, ID. 

Q: What got you started in fitness? 
A: My family. Unfortunately they all deal with much worse conditions than I do. Battling everyday against Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, Jaundice, Autism, Diabetes, Depression, Anxiety, MCAS (digestive disorder), and Spinal Degenerative Disease. Over the course of my life I have shown some signs and symptoms of all of these, however managed to avoid them progress due to the lifestyle I lead. My dads late best friend was also a really big influence into becoming a trainer and nutritionist, he passed away in his sleep two weeks before his 38th birthday. I am now seven years away from that age.... crazy. He had diabetes and gangrene, he got sick and was turned away by the hospital to pass away in his sleep the following morning. Taking care of my body and being able to pass that knowledge onto another person to hopefully enhance their life the way that fitness and nutrition has enhanced mine, became my main goal. And thus, trainer Kaie was born. 

Q:How tall are you?
A: Roughly 5'11"

Q:How many days a week do you workout and for how long?
A: This answer has changed as I age, my needs change. When I was competing I worked out up to six hours a day. The unfortunate part of this is that it can lead to overtraining and injuries. Now, however, I only spend about an hour and a half at most in the gym, this includes a warm up, work, and cool down. It has actually shaped my body the way I have always envisioned for myself. I workout everyday in some form or another. It could be weight lifting one day and an active rest with nothing but yoga and core the next. 

Q:What is your squat, bench and deadlift?
A:I honestly do not know. For me, lifting isn't about the lifting and going heavy all the time. Again, this can cause serious injuries over time. But right now, I am beginning again since I am recovered from a back injury two years ago. 

Q:What is holistic/holism? 
A:This is a great question, I get this a lot. There is a true definition which is: (medicine definition) characterized by the treatment of the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors, rather than just the symptoms of a disease. Now with that being said, I full hearted believe in this. My style of training revolves around Holism. We examine everything in your life down to what is stressing you out, how to fix it or control it, fat loss, proper nutrition, mind-body connection, the whole works. Everything that affects your life, we take into consideration when writing your personalized routines and meal plans. 

Q: What is functional training?
A: Functional training is training that incorporates movements that make everyday life easier to move through. This can be anything from a burpee to a simple squat. The point of functional training is to create a mind-body connection, stabilize the joints, and enhance the neuromuscular system before introducing heavy weights, athletics, or other modalities into the routine. This ensures safety and proper muscle building with each and every client no matter their age, gender, level of fitness. 

Q: What diet do you follow?
A: Blue zone eating, it is a plant based nutrition plan that can easily be modified to anyones needs. 

Q:So you are vegetarian/vegan?
A: Absolutely not. Not that I disagree with either, they have a time and place for health reasons. However, for those same health reasons I use and follow the BZE plan because it allows me to be 75-85% plant based and still have animal protein. I do eat eggs, pork (minus ham), turkey and sushi. I do not eat any others simply because my system cannot digest them. It has nothing to do with morals, and everything to do with my own health. 

Q:Have you ever been injured?
A:Yes. I have torn my right rotator cuff twice. Once when I was 13 I fell off of my bicycle and landed on my hand then my elbow and up when the ball into the socket tearing my cuff. The second time I was driving and rear-ended by a former friend. I have sprained both wrists from ice skating. I have bit through my tongue wrestling. And about two years ago I fell in my own living room to sit on my chair and nearly broke my back. About 8 months ago I pulled my abductor brevis complex, that's the inside of your thigh connecting to your groin. It's painful. I had six concussions in 2016 as well. 

Q:Why do you move so often?
A: That answer is simple, I am not a tree. Even they can be moved. However, I haven't moved in many years. I usually stay somewhere for at most a year then I am off to discover a new temporary home to enjoy for awhile. Since I have planted myself here in Austin, TX this is where I have been with my business for 6 years and we plan to stay for at least another few. Moving isn't difficult, it's just tedious. I don't mind it. I don't own a lot, it gets easy to load up my car and go. I now have a boyfriend, dogs, we are moving into a house and starting our own home gym, so this makes it a little more difficult to do what I like, which is to just get up and go explore. I like to see new things. I have to learn to travel now instead of move around. 

​Q: How many calories a day do you eat?
A: Between 3000-3500. I know that's a lot for a woman, but it is what I eat in healthy, organic foods everyday. 

Q: Why don't you drink?
A: I drink! I drink water, tea, smoothies, juice.... The list goes on. If you are referring to alcohol, I have had one too many bad experiences with it. Not only that I put myself in but that others put me in from being around me and drinking. My sister is a great example, while I love her because she is my sister we have not spoken in nearly three years. The last time we spoke she was very drunk, yet again, and pulling a suicide routine to get what she wanted. To me alcohol turns perfectly good people into trash. Yes, I said trash. My sister is a wonderful and intelligent person, you mix alcohol in there and she becomes destructive and narcissistic to those around her. On another note, I find it to be poison. And from a scientific standpoint it really is! It shuts down parts of the brain to cause blackouts, severed connection between the body and mind, the subconscious starts to do what it wants, and all inhibitions are thrown out the door. It is not a good thing for anyone. I like to remember the fun nights I have, not drown them out with sorrow and depression from fucked up hormones the next day. And finally, it's a depressant. So those who are turning to a few glasses of wine or beer after a long day of work should really be turning to the gym to help balance out those depressive feelings rather than enhance them. 

Q:You have an accent, where are you from?
A:Currently I reside in Austin, Tx and I have been in Texas for 7 years.It is easy to pick up an accent when you stay somewhere a long time. If you are referring to the northwest mixed with Irish, that came from my great grandmother and family. While the Texas accent has definitely taken over, the Irish northwest still comes out now and then.I grew up in Portland and spent a lot of time with my great grandmother who was from Kilkenny, IR but grew up in New Jersey. She also had a mottled accent that was mixed. I don't think it really matters where it's form, it's just ... mine.

Q: What do you do for fun? It seems like you only work and workout. 
A: I hike, I swim, read a lot of non-fictional books and articles, paint, draw, dance. I sing and play seven instruments. I learn other languages. I record videos and blog. I spend time with my beautiful little family. I cook and bake. I do SO much more than just fitness related things every day. It is my passion but it does not consume me. 

Q: How many squats do I need to do to get a booty like yours?
A: I didn't just squat for this ass. I worked my WHOLE body for it. Targeting a particular group of muscles all the time doesn't always work, in fact most of the time it won't. you may see that growth, but good luck with your busted back later or knee because you didn't take time to work the whole body. 

These are the main questions I get asked the most. If you have any other questions, feel free to hit the contact tab and drop a line!  

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