Sask. mother to compete for chance to be world's strongest woman
'Just keeping your body glued together, it's like having a second full time job'
You'll rarely find Tracey Halladay lounging on the couch.
The Regina mother and teacher is currently the only Canadian qualifier set to compete in the World's Strongest Woman Competition.
Come December, she'll be taking on the toughest competitors in the world, lifting anvils, tires, logs and other massive objects.
"I was always athletic, and did sports, but I was never a person who was like 'I'm going to go the gym and to get strong.'
"My husband had to bribe me to start training. He bought me a new jacket, and I was hooked from then on."
'Keeping your body glued together'
Halladay qualified for the World's Strongest Woman Competition in May, when she placed third at North America's Strongest Woman Competition in Regina.
While the location for the competition has not been set, Halladay — who can dead lift up to 500 pounds — is deep into training.
"I train three or four days a week, for at least three hours at a time," she said, adding she eats "four or five thousand calories per day."
She also visits a physiotherapist, a massage therapist, and an acupuncturist on a weekly basis.
"Just keeping your body glued together, it's like having a second full time job."
But for Halladay, it's all a labour of love.
"The competition is amazing ... especially as a female doing what's still considered largely as a man's sport, it's addictive."
'Strong is beautiful'
While winning medals is a priority for Halladay, she says one of her greatest rewards is seeing her five-year-old daughter's enthusiasm for the sport.
"She's our biggest fan. When she comes and watches a show she's right up there cheering, and turning around and telling the rest of the audience exactly what we're doing in the event.
"She does her own little workouts: some deadlifts, and she flips the little tires," said Halladay with a chuckle, adding that getting her daughter involved is about more than just having fun.
"It makes me pretty happy, especially with the world we live in, with body image, especially for females … It's good that she knows that strong is beautiful."