Shelley Meyer - Florida Gators Football Wife Talks Food, Fitness

Shelley Meyer cheers after a Florida Gator win. Photo: Doug Benc/Getty Images

College football has taken Shelley Meyer all over the map. But for the past four and a half years, she has been living it up in Gainesville, Fla., where her husband Urban Meyer, head football coach of the University of Florida Gators, has scored two national championships in four seasons. No doubt, life is crazy.

"Now that we're at the University of Florida -- the elite of the elite of football programs in the nation -- it's hard to put into words how busy we are," says the 44-year-old psychiatric nurse, group fitness professional and mom of three. "It's really picked up to the max."

Still, Meyer makes no excuses when it comes to exercise. She recently told That's Fit how she stays in such great shape (she can do seven unassisted pull-ups!), what she does to stay fit on the road (she travels to every away game) and what she'll be eating in the stands when the Gators kick off their season against Charleston Southern tomorrow night.

That's Fit: How do you fit fitness into the madness?

Shelley Meyer: Most days, once everyone is out the door in the morning, I head to the gym. Sometimes, I work, then I work out. But I work out every day. Five days a week, I go to the gym for sure. On the weekends, I like to do something different. I might run for three miles on Saturday and do stadiums on Sunday. I work out two days a week with a trainer, and he totally kicks my butt. He's hard core, and I tell him he's not nice at all. He won't listen to my whining. Twice a month, I take a day off. I need a day to not exercise. I also teach indoor cycling at Gainesville Health and Fitness Center.

TF: Have you always been in great shape, like you are now?

SM: I was an athlete in high school, and I played sports year-round. Then I went to college, and I didn't play a sport, so I started running and teaching aerobics -- I taught aerobics for 20 years. All the while, there have been ups and downs -- there are times when I am heavier than I want to be, and I'm always fighting 10 pounds. When I realize my weight is creeping up, I start working really hard to get it off.

TF: How did you get back into shape after having three kids?

SM: I kept my same routine. I kept working out and stayed where the doctor wanted me to stay -- I only gained 22 to 25 pounds with all three. I taught classes right up until I had my kids. And as soon as I was allowed to go back and teach after having my kids, I was back.

TF: You wear the BodyBugg. Why?

SM: It's the most reliable method of tracking how many calories the body burns. I use it because I want to make sure my workouts are efficient, and it reminds me not to be sedentary. My goal is to burn a certain amount of calories every day to maintain my weight.

TF: Why do you work out?

SM: I just feel better when I work out. If I don't, I don't feel right.

TF: Cardio or strength training -- how do you vote?

SM: I'm a cardio queen -- I get way more out of it. I love the huge endorphin release. I have to make myself do strength training.

TF: How many push-ups can you do?

SM: I've never maxed out, I couldn't even guess.

TF: How about pull-ups?

SM: I can do seven by myself, then my trainer assists a little bit with three more.

Head coach Urban Meyer of the Florida Gators. Photo: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

TF: Do you and Urban work out together?

SM: We sometimes run together on weekends, when we can.

TF: How do you work in exercise when you're on the road?

SM: I never, ever, go anywhere without my workout gear. And there is a definite routine. I get up on Saturday morning, and since most of the coaches' wives travel for away games, we do a pre-game run, even if it's 6 in the morning for a noon game. It helps me with nerves on game day, it calms me down. Then I go back to my hotel room, shower and get ready for the game.

TF: What's on your workout playlist?

SM: I Love my iPod. I can't run without it. I have a very eclectic mix. I like music with a beat -- hip hop is great workout music and old stuff like Madonna, Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson. I like 80s and 90s music, too, but no country, except for Rascal Flatts.

TF: What's your favorite workout attire?

SM: A pair of Nike shorts and a sport top. I don't wear a sports bra around anymore. I used to, but now I wear a long shirt that covers my stomach. My favorite running shoe -- I have an awesome pair of Brooks, with inserts, that are really good. But Nike for everything else.

TF: Describe your diet.

SM: I am pretty much an everything-in-moderation eater, although I've really been looking at my diet a lot better lately, and for the past four weeks, I've been working with a nutritionist. I'm eating more veggies and less starches -- I need to fine-tune that part of my diet. And I'm paying attention more now than ever to the servings of food groups I need, because my metabolism is slowing, and because I need to be a role model for my kids and the members in my classes.

TF: What's your favorite healthy food?

SM: I really, really love salads.

TF: Your favorite not-so-healthy food?

SM: Chocolate chip cookies -- Tollhouse cookies, made with real butter, not applesauce or something fake to make them healthier.

TF: What do you snack on at the stadium?

SM: Nothing! I can't eat during the game at all. I drink water. I don't even eat much before the game.

TF: Are you concerned with the number on your scale or the size of your clothes?

SM: Unfortunately, yes, I pay attention to the number. But I don't weigh myself a lot, because I don't want to see the number too much and also because usually, I am OK -- I'm maybe not ecstatic with where I am, but I am OK. I am enjoying my life, and I know I'm working out hard. As for the clothes, when they get a little tight, I realize it's time to tweak the nutrition and up the calorie burn.

Quarterback Tim Tebow #15 Photo: Donald Miralle/Getty Images

TF: Are there any lessons you take from football, even though you are not coaching or playing yourself?

SM: Two things. First, in my cycling classes, I believe I am not just teaching the people who attend -- I'm coaching. I do hoot and holler a lot to motivate, and I'm hard on them -- they tell me that routinely. They are paying good money for a good workout, so I give them one. I use a lot of motivational techniques. I make it fun, include good music and role model with my own fitness -- they see me working my butt off with a trainer in the gym, and they know I'm serious.

Second, with Urban's profession and being around colleges all the time, there's a lot of motivation to be healthy and fit. The players are working hard out there in their pads twice a day, doing grueling workouts. It makes me want to stay healthy and active. I don't want my bones to be so brittle they break. I don't want to be frumpy. I want to feel good.

TF: What advice do you have for those complaining they have no time for exercise?

SM: If it's a priority to you, you will find time. It may be 5 in the morning or 7:30 at night, even 9 at night, but you will find time. It has to be a priority, though. You have to decide it's going to part of your life, just like eating.