The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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AUGUST 2022 THE WOLVERINE 53 WHERE ARE THEY NOW? program and has more than 21 workout circuits available on her website. For as much joy as she gets out of peaking her- self physically, helping others is a passion of hers. "I found my love and I enjoy work- ing out," she said. "I know a lot of other people don't, and that's kind of how I got started in personal training. I always loved working out just topically and how it makes me look. I found a way to use my platform to help people become healthier and better and just live a higher quality of life. "It's cool that I've been able to do it for myself and my limits, but nothing is as compelling as when you see someone saying how they're finally confident. I was able to do that, and that's one of the reasons we've come out with so many programs. It's been cool just to use my knowledge from my degree and then all my personal training experience, my gymnastic background and competing in CrossFit to create these different pro- grams to help people. "We came up with a 10-minute pro- gram because nobody can have an excuse not to take 10 minutes a day for them- selves. We just tried to make a way for people not to have excuses and to be able to get it in. It's just been amazing to see the transformations, and like I said, just how people feel differently and feel good about themselves in their own skin [is gratifying to see]. Those are a couple of the things that I love so much about it." Motivation can be hard to find for some, but Pearce made it clear that the quickest way to make a change is to take the first step. "In any workout, you need to figure out how to make it easier on yourself," she said. "[Find] the designated spot in my house that [you're] going to go work out or 'I have a spot in my basement or in my garage' and put a time in your day to just do it. Getting started is the hardest part, especially on Day 1 of any program or the first week. You're usually sore and your body is working in ways that it's not tradi- tionally used to. But after you start to stay at it, people see changes in the first couple of days. If you can stay consistent, you end up getting addicted to it. It's just cre- ating those habits and just getting started, which is the hardest part. And then you realize how good it makes you feel, and it does become a lifestyle. "We just got done with the 21-day summer body challenge because they say [three weeks] is how long it takes to cre- ate a habit. We had nearly 2,000 people do it and it was so good to see how people [achieved results]. We have one body, you have to make the best use of it, and if you don't care for it now, you're going to be dealing with that further down the line. Just get started. And that's the hardest part." Everything Pearce has accomplished in her professional life in some form traces back to her time at Michigan. Plocki's program sets a tone of everyone maxing out and giving their best, and Pearce took to that message. "The University of Michigan prepared me for all of it because I learned so many life lessons, especially doing gymnastics and as a student-athlete. I'm a perfec- tionist in what I do. It forced me to push my limits and get uncomfortable, because I wanted to study and be a force when I was there. [Plocki] wouldn't have any- thing less than our best, whether it was in training or whether it was in the class- room. Pushing myself and the limits and both of those aspects have just taught me what it's like to do my best in whatever I do. "That's what's been able to allow me to be such a successful CrossFit athlete, but then also have a successful business that continues to grow. I always want more [and] I just want to help lift everybody up." ❏ The Kari Pearce File M i c h i g a n Acco m p l i s h m e nt s: Four-time Big Ten champion (2008- 11) ... Three-time Academic All-Big Ten (2009-11) ... All-Big Ten second team (2008) … U-M Unsung Hero Award (2008). Professional Accomplishments: Six-time CrossFit Games partici- pant … Four-time Fittest American Woman (2016, 2018-20) ... Two-time Crossfit Invitational Team USA Mem- ber … Holds the New York State bench press record at 240 pounds … Founder of PowerAbs. Michigan Memory: "Winning our Big Ten championships was one, but also the Notre Dame football game in 2011 at night right after I gradu- ated. It was incredible." Favorite Spot In Ann Arbor: "The gymnastics building, but I am also a huge fan of The Diag." Education: Graduated from the School of Kinesiology in 2011, ma- joring in movement science. Family: Daughter of Randy and Tina Pearce. Pearce was a four-time Big Ten champion with U-M women's gymnastics and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree between 2008-11. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY