This tenacious, tattooed CrossFitter took up training in the
Iraq desert and never looked back. Learn how she built a successful career out
of a life filled with challenges, so you can too!
Growing up in Lynchburg, Virginia, where people pledge
allegiance to God, country, and NASCAR in one order or another, Christmas
Abbott always had a rebellious streak. Even before she was a teenager, Abbott
was sneaking out of the house to parties in search of a good time, trouble, or
both. Health problems like chronic asthma and debilitating allergies didn't
deter her from drinking and smoking. She made it out of high school—barely—and
tried to join the Army at 18, only to get rejected. So, she started slinging
drinks in local bars.
Pause the story here, and the notion that Abbott would
become a well-known fitness personality seems laughable. Yet somehow, that's
what happened.
The script flipped in 2004 when Abbott, then 22, shipped off
to Iraq during the war as a private contractor. Suddenly, she had structure and
discipline, and with little else to distract her, time to develop an obsession
with CrossFit-style training. Upon returning stateside in 2007, Abbott
continued her immersion in the sport, improving to the point that she competed
in the CrossFit Games. The 5-foot-3 115-pounder also became the first female
member of a NASCAR pit crew, a physically grueling gig that put all of her
fitness training to the test.
Of late, Abbott has immersed herself ever more fully in
fitness, running her own CrossFit gym in Raleigh, North Carolina, and writing a
book, "The Badass Body Diet," published in 2015. I caught up with her
between workouts.
Did your parents tell you why they named you Christmas? I
hope you were born on Christmas morning or something cool like that.
Sorry to disappoint you, but I was not. I was born on
December 20. My mom had a hard pregnancy with me, so when I was born, she said
I was her "Christmas joy."
You seem so driven now. I was surprised you described
yourself as a smoker and a slacker as a teenager.
Yeah, that's putting it lightly! I was rebellious from a
very early age. When I was 13, I was in a tragic car accident, and in the
aftermath, I embraced an alternative lifestyle. I grew up around bikers, so it
was not very different from what I was already exposed to, except I got to make
the choices for myself.
How bad was the car accident?
The car rolled seven times and flipped twice. My sister
broke her back, and my sister's friend broke her neck. They both survived. I
walked away with no injuries, but to see my sister have to rebuild her entire
life was traumatizing. So, instead of retreating into my family and finding
comfort in their understanding and our roots, I started sneaking out and
partying and hiding from what I needed to deal with emotionally from that
incident.
Did you graduate from high school?
Yes, barely! I walked out a few times, but I did graduate
with some sort of a GPA, if you can call it that.
How did you end up in Iraq, of all places?
The funny thing is, when I was 18, I realized where my path
was leading, and I tried to join the military. But this was before the
terrorist attacks of 9/11, and they weren't pressed for people to join, so they
rejected me because I had so many health issues as a child.
I took the job overseas a few years later, because my mom
told me it was a good opportunity to gain worldly experience and be able to
eventually pay for school. My first job there was as a laundry attendant, and
then I forged my way up into operations management for a camp. To be able to
have a direct positive influence with the military on a ground level during
Operation Iraqi Freedom was an incredible experience.
How do you look back on that time in your life today?
Going overseas was one of the best decisions of my life.
Living conditions were terrible, the food was terrible, and we lived a
primitive lifestyle. Yet, that's why it was so amazing. It was very structured:
I had to work and work out every single day. I had never had that structure
before, and I began to thrive. It taught me how to start a job and finish it,
as well as what sacrifices must be made to get what you want.
Is the military where your interest in tattoos first developed?
No, I come from a whole family of tattooed people. My dad
was a biker, so he had the tattoos all over. Then my mom got her first tattoo
when she was 40. My first tattoo was like a family outing.
How did you get the CrossFit bug?
It started in Iraq. I quit smoking, and a year later, I
started working out. One of the guys in the gym showed me a CrossFit video, and
I was so impressed, because there were girls my size performing incredible
feats of strength.
I was so fascinated with CrossFit that I recruited some of
the guys in the camp to work out with me. They showed no mercy. They would be
done with their workout within 15-20 minutes, and I would be working out for 45
minutes. We didn't know how to scale or modify the workouts, and they found
entertainment in making me their guinea pig.
I was resilient, though. I let them throw whatever they
wanted at me, and I took it. We still get together about once a year and throw
down. Recently, I beat them, which was awesome!
How did your body change once you started doing CrossFit and
going through these grueling workouts?
It filled out. I was just barely making my shorts fit for a
long time. My butt wouldn't fit in my jeans, and I had a little muffin top, and
I was like, "This isn't correct." Once I started CrossFit, my shorts
suddenly fit and looked good. It was a very different change for my body, which
I enjoyed. I was not just a skinny-fat girl anymore.
So, you've been doing CrossFit ever since?
Yeah, I do CrossFit along with other things. Anything that
interests me, I try. What worked for me may not work for everybody. As long as
somebody is doing something they love that's healthy for them, they should keep
doing it. I'm not going to put down what someone's doing just because it's not
what I'm doing.
What made you decide to compete in CrossFit?
I was forced into doing a competition by my training
partner. I had no interest in competing, and they were like, "Just do it
and go and have fun." They literally paid my entry fee and signed me up,
so I couldn't say no. I went and just had a good time. Honestly, it was one of
the best experiences of my life. I found that a different person came out in
competition.
Today, I don't compete with anyone; I compete with myself.
Why do you think CrossFit engenders such intense reactions
online?
You know, it's a culture. We cultivate a community that
supports each other, and today we are still kind of the black sheep of the
fitness industry. And when something completely changes your life for the
better, you are going to defend it with all of your heart. If you love
something so much that you'll go to war for it, that says something, especially
if it makes people have positive changes in their life.
You don't seem afraid to experiment and try new things. How
do you decide when something is worth pursuing?
First, I evaluate what it is that interests me, and then I
weigh it against my moral compass and goals. I want to try new things—I'm
naturally curious—but I also need to make sure it enhances my life and doesn't
detract from my purpose. So, although there are a ton of really cool things out
there to try and do, not all of them will fit into what I am trying to
accomplish for my legacy.
Update me on your various fitness projects.
Oh, man! There are so many cool things I'm working on. I
have a second book in the works, which will be published mid-2017. It's about
developing the mental tenacity I was just speaking of, so you can create better
habits for yourself and ultimately have a more balanced life.
I'm working on an app that will help simplify nutrition for
people who are struggling with it. I'm also doing online programming with my Badass
Body Diet and Badass Life company. These people are having huge transformations
and are able to make life changes instead of crashing and burning on fad diets.
The program helps people learn how to take back their lives in a positive way.
Compiled by Jeff O'Connel
