Who I am - words that describe me:

• always delve into a task headlong
• strive for excellence
• will accept nothing but the best from you (a student)

My personal challenges:
Embrace challenge - never give up
At age 45 I began a competitive "career" in triathlon (open water swim, road cycling, road running). I qualified for the National Championship Race several times and went to Hilton Head, SC for the race in 1988. I ended up competing in the aftermath of Hurricane Gloria, later dubbed the "Hilton Head Washing Machine." I finished fourth in my age group under conditions in which over 200 competitors never made it through the surf.

I was one of the very first women in the US (perhaps, world) to earn a Ph.D. in Exercise (Applied) Physiology. When I went looking for a position, it appeared that only southern universities were interested in me - to teach administrative courses or history of physical education, not exercise physiology - because "That was in the men's department." It became obvious that they wanted me to be their token woman Ph.D. Rather than do that, I sought out a position in Canada in which I was expected to organize an exercise physiology laboratory from nothing and provide leadership for a graduate program.

My career challenges:
I have always been interested in learning new things. My closest friend says, "There's never a dull moment around Chris." This trait has definitely helped me in my career. As I describe in the career section below, I've dealt with several different research areas, and I've dealt with all three major writing arenas (academic, professional and trade). Because I've been willing to attack new areas of interest and to start from scratch sometimes, I have a very broad knowledge (and appreciation) for my field of work. This has led to many opportunities that would not have come my way had I stuck with a narrow view of my field or been unwilling to tackle new things.

My career:
I've had a 28-year career as a professor of exercise physiology at three major universities. During that time, I've pursued several areas of research: physiological responses to heat stress, effects of the menstrual cycle on responses to exercise, cardiovascular responses to exercise in people with spinal cord injury, and most recently, the association between physical activity and chronic disease in women.

A major part of my work was directing the work of graduate students in these and other areas. About mid-way through my career, I published a major book on the physiological responses of women to exercise. Recently I retired from university teaching/research to pursue writing about women's health issues relative to physical activity because I believe there is an important point there that needs to be filled by someone other than movie and TV celebrities. I am currently working on two books -- heart disease in women and a lifestyle approach to menopause.

Likes/Dislikes about career:
There were two things I liked best about a university teaching career: One was the sense of freedom I had to "do my own thing." The second was the opportunity to work with young people and to help them shape their careers.

What would I change? The committee work and various mickey mouse administrative tasks that go with just about any job.

Influences:
Dr. Eunice Way, currently retired, but formerly of Smith College and Central Michigan University. She had a knack for knowing exactly what you needed to know before you could advance to the next step - but she'd never tell you. Instead, she'd give you just enough information that you'd discover it for yourself. She always encouraged me to pursue whatever I most wanted to do and helped me gain the perspective I needed to find my way to the goal.

Future goals:
I have long believed that women fear and lack confidence in their bodies, and that they have not experienced "joy of movement" or "joy in physical effort." I'd like to change that. I believe this fear (even hate of their bodies) is the root to why women are so physically inactive, and why in turn, there is so much obesity and chronic disease in American women (heart disease, hypertension, diabetes). My goal is to enable women to experience joy and pleasure in physical activity and exercise.

I also want to go helicopter skiing in the Canadian Bugaboo Mountains. Why? Because skiing is to dance on snow, and to do so in high wilderness must be like going to heaven.

My thoughts about space exploration:
Any sort of exploration interests me. To find new ways of doing things, to see what is beyond the hill, to explore new ideas and cultures is the essence of life. I'm especially interested in anything we can learn about the human body relative to environmental conditions that are different from our customary Earth life; for example, lack of oxygen, zero gravity, or in the case of undersea environments, high barometric pressure. All that fascinates me. In my next life I'd like to be a marine ecologist.

Personal information:
I recently moved to Taos, New Mexico, along with my companion of 15 years, two loving cats, and an aging but highly intelligent dog. We designed and built a lovely pueblo-style adobe home only nine miles from Taos Ski Valley and world-class skiing. Taos was chosen because of its beautiful outdoor surroundings, its rich artistic and literary heritage, and its proximity to skiing. I regularly bicycle, hike, lift weights and ski, and have begun to dabble with pastel painting and writing about nature. I formerly studied classical piano and today enjoy nearly every kind of music and dance. My most immediate future plans involve completing the two books mentioned above. I have plans for a third, but I'm keeping the topic a secret for now.

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Ocotber 1, 1998