Angela Shirk is in the ultimate boys’ club. As one of the only female trainers in NASCAR, she helps make sure drivers are in tip-top physical shape for the road ahead. It’s a long and demanding season (38 weeks from February to November) when weekends often have her jetting across the country to go to the races. Sports training is in her blood — her father played for the New York Giants — and eventually one of her coaches encouraged her to become a certified athletic trainer. She now works with OrthoCarolina’s Motorsports division and treats members of several motorsports teams.
In between all that work, Angela finds time to take care of her dog, hang out with her girlfriends and even run a successful It Works business from home. Here’s what her typical day looks like:
5:15 a.m. … Wake up! Unless it’s race day — then I’ve been up for more than two hours. On Sundays when we race I have three alarms (my phone and two alarm clocks) to make sure I’m up at 3 a.m. — I definitely do not want to miss the plane! On Mondays I don’t get up until 6:30 a.m. … I need that extra hour of sleep after being at the track all day on Sunday. Then Tuesday through Friday I am up around 5:15 or 5:30 a.m. and Saturdays I try to sleep a little longer. I set my alarm clock other mornings but I don’t really need it because my dog Jayda wakes me up. I don’t hit the snooze button because I’ve always been one to jump right up. You could say I’m a morning person.
5:20 a.m. … Read my Bible and devotions. My day seems to go really well if I spend time with God first.
5:30 a.m. … Sneak in a workout. I try to do my workouts in the mornings Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Monday and Wednesday they are usually in the evening.
6 a.m. … Feed Jayda. She’s on schedule to eat at 6 a.m. every day. After she eats I usually make my breakfast and list what needs to be done for the day. Breakfast varies on what I’m in the mood for. Most of the time it is a protein shake with banana and peanut butter and a packet of It Works Greens. I don’t drink coffee but the Greens give me my caffeine kick, and I can take it with me especially on race days. Other days I may have a piece of toast with peanut butter, banana and cinnamon because it’s fast and easy. Saturdays because I have more time I usually fix eggs. One of my must-haves when I get to the track is bacon. One of the teams I work with, Richard Petty Motorsports, has Smithfield as their sponsor — there’s always plenty of bacon!
6:10 a.m. … Check my phone for the first time and put an inspirational or motivational post on Facebook and Instagram. Then send text messages to my pit crew to let them know what time to see me that day for treatment. I usually don’t check my emails until after I get where I am going in the morning. I do all that from my phone.
6:15 a.m. … Hop in the shower. I use the products (cleanser, toner, Preventage and lip & eye cream) that I sell with It Works, and I’ll throw on some powder base, eyeliner and mascara. Some days I will wear a little more. It just depends on what I am in the mood for that day. Getting dressed is fairly easy because I have work shirts that say OrthoCarolina Motorsports on them for the days I am doing treatments and at the track. Other times I will wear an It Works shirt. If I didn’t have it that easy I would end up standing in front of my closet trying to figure out what to wear!
7 a.m. to noon … Off to my first team to do treatments — or not — depending on what day it is. Mondays and Wednesdays I am on site for treatments. Anyone who has an injury will come and see me while I am there. Tuesdays I don’t have treatments until the afternoon so I will work out and then work my It Works business. This can vary from meeting with someone to talk about our products and business opportunity, or signing new customers and distributors to my team. Thursday mornings I am on call; if I need to go to a team in the morning and do treatment I will. If not, I will work out, work on continuing education and make sure notes are up-to-date on everyone I’ve treated that week. Fridays are my Saturdays so I usually workout first and then on my It Works business the majority of the day. Saturdays I work out and do laundry first thing. Sunday as soon as we get off the plane and are at the track I check in with the NASCAR Nurses at the Infield Care Center, send out a group message to let the guys know when treatments start, the location of where I am providing treatment and then I set my table up and get started.
Noon … Lunch time! I usually make myself a salad with lettuce, spinach, egg, veggies, avocado, croutons with oil and vinegar on it. If I don’t have that then it’s a peanut butter and jelly sandwich — or I meet a girlfriend for Mexican or sushi. Sundays I eat lunch at the track with my team: chicken breast, salad, green beans and fruit.
1 p.m. to 5 p.m. … Afternoon work begins. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I have treatments all afternoon for my teams I work with. Thursdays I’m on call just in case someone was injured in practice or we need another day to get a treatment in so they will be good to race on Sunday. Fridays and Saturdays are my time to spend with friends or running errands. On Sunday, races usually start around 1. An hour before the race I am stretching guys, taping them up getting them ready for start time. During the race I am available in case someone needs something or they get injured. I’m always in one pit stall — that way if I’m needed, anyone of my 10 crews know where to find me. The end of my workday varies: on Sundays it depends when the plane arrives back in North Carolina.
6 p.m. … Dinner time. Since I don’t like cooking for just myself, my girlfriends and I get together and take turns cooking trying out new recipes. Usually there’s chicken involved. I don’t drink a lot but if I do my preference is beer. Although I do like a good pomegranate martini every once in a while.
7 p.m. … Church or an It Works wrap party (depending on the night). Monday night I attend church since I can’t make it on Sundays, then I am on a conference call at 10 for It Works. I usually don’t have plans during the week to go out except for going to my girlfriends’ when we cook dinner, but even then I’m usually home by 8:30 or 9 p.m. We usually get together two or three nights, or if I have a new distributor on my team for It Works I may be helping her with getting her business going.
9 a.m. … Start winding down and getting ready for bed. I like hanging out with my dog Jayda, following up or signing people up or I may do a Live It Works Facebook Party, a little bit of reading, or whatever.
11 p.m. … Lights out.
