| CBI Interview |
CBI: Along with early detection, exercise can also play a role in helping people cope with COPD— isn’t that correct?
DP: I’d imagine that, at this point in time, everyone realizes that working out is important for heart health, for cardio- vascular health, for your blood, for your lungs, and for your brain … and let’s not forget those lovely endorphins that you get when you spend some time at the gym. I’m not a doctor, but I know that, if nothing else, if you’re working out, but find that you can’t work out well— that’s an indication, an early warning sign, that tells you something is wrong. If you can’t exercise properly without quickly running out of breath, go to your doctor, talk to them about it, and discuss your options, which could include a walking routine.
CBI: As the public face of COPD awareness, you, yourself, are the very picture of physical fitness. What exercises best address the demands of your sport, IndyCar and NASCAR driving?
DP: Definitely a bridge between car- diovascular training and weightlifting. Our races are between two and four hours long, and you definitely need to be strong. Indy cars don’t have power steering, so you have to use your own force to steer the wheel. Driving stock cars is very repetitious, and you use different muscles to turn the car. Racecar drivers don’t need the strength of a bodybuilder or the endurance of a triathlete, but we definitely need a lot of both.
CBI: What’s your workout like during the racing season?
DP: I lift weights three days a week—two days of upper body, pushing and pulling, and a day of lower body. I do cardio to build endurance nearly every day. Occa- sionally, I like to get out and take a bike ride, and I walk a lot. Sometimes I do fast-and-hard cardio and some- times I do long-and-steady.
38 Club Business Internat ional | DECEMBER 2011 |
CBI: How does your workout change during the off-season? Do you focus more then on strengthbuilding and body- sculpting for the work you do as a model/spokesperson?
DP: There are times when I make use of different types of training to prepare for swimsuit shoots and things like that. I have to take time off at the end of the season—especially from weightlifting— to give my body a break. I like to do a little bit of yoga in the off-season. I don’t often get a chance to do it in-season, so I incorporate it when I’m not racing. And I also just take a break. My off-season runs from around Thanksgiving to early to mid-February. I like to take December off, then spend the month of January in the gym, which affords me some time to be sore, because you can’t be sore when you’re driving, when you’re in the car.
CBI: How often do you hit the gym when you’re at home and when you’re traveling?
DP: I travel with my running shoes. Running out-of-doors is the best way to see a new city or area. I love running. Even if someone told me I could lose weight if I stopped running, I don’t think I could give it up. When my husband and I were in Australia a couple of years ago, we got up early and went running on our last day there. We were staying right underneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and we ran around the Sydney Opera House and through some beautiful gardens. Sometimes, when I’m travel- ing, I use the weight room in the hotel where I’m staying. I try not to use a lot of gyms when I’m traveling. I belong to a health club, and, most of the time, I try to use the gym I have at home.
CBI: We’ve talked about your exercise routine. What do you do with respect to nutrition, both when you’re on and off the track?
DP: My job is very physical, so I need to eat, and I need to eat enough. Because I don’t overeat, I require food every three to four hours. Good snacks, for me, are
ihrsa.org
anything from turkey sandwiches and peanut butter toast to good, healthy protein bars and fruit and nuts. Your body doesn’t waste energy breaking down fat if you give it carbohydrates and a little protein. In the off-season, when I’m away from the racetrack, I can eat pretty much whatever I want in moderation. You know, I can have a cheeseburger with a fried egg on it, but half of it is all I’ll eat. Just eat a salad first and fill up on the stuff that’s good for you—that’s what I do.
CBI: There’s been a lot of talk about the possibility that you’re going to switch from IndyCars to NASCAR. Why the shift?
DP: Well, I’m not switching—at this point, that’s just speculation. I haven’t made an announcement yet about my future plans. I started racing on the NASCAR circuit last year, and it was definitely a learning experience. This spring, I placed fourth at the Sam’s Town 300 Nationwide NASCAR Series race in Las Vegas, which was the highest finish ever for a female in a NASCAR national. And I came close to winning the Daytona 500 in July. As with anything new, competing in NASCAR involves a learning curve. I love racing. And if you find something that you love, you tend to want to do a lot of it and to do it for a long time.
CBI: How do you perceive your role as a woman in a male-dominated sport and, also, your role in inspir- ing and empowering young girls?
DP: To be honest, I don’t think about that. I don’t think about being the best girl—I think about being the best racecar driver. I don’t think about being a woman in a male’s domain, or about being a social trailblazer. I just think about being the bestme I can possibly be.
CBI: Maybe that’s the message for girls right there—just be the best, period.
DP: Exactly. That’s the message! —|
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