How Country Singer Carly Pearce Stays Fit on Tour

Country singer and CMA-nominee Carly Pearce sat down with us when her tour stopped in Kansas City to talk about her music career and how she fits fitness into her busy life! Carly wears the Forerunner 245 Music. 

• Garmin: How has your tour been so far? What is your favorite part?
• Carly Pearce: It’s been great. We are nearing the end of the year, It’s winding down. It’s been a really busy year! We have done 140 shows. But I think my favorite part is the live show experience we get to bring, and showing what makes us “us” to the different fans. Also seeing different cities and seeing what’s unique to them. We get the luxury of waking up in a new city everyday and that’s awesome.

• G: What’s something that is unexpected that has happened while you were on tour?
• CP: Well last night our bus almost caught on fire. This is not our normal bus [laughing]. I mean this is just a day in the life. We were leaving Nashville and all of the sudden they had to pull off on the side of the road because everyone smelled smoke. [Our bus driver] came running back to the bedroom and thought it was on fire. We had to transfer everything from our bus company at 1:00 am to this bus. You just never know whats going to happen. We live on wheels, it’s kinda like you go from airplanes to bus life, to weird showers and weird catering and weird venues. I have taken showers in really strange places [laughing]. And I live with five grown men. It’s like summer camp. 

• G: It’s been an exciting year for you, you got married, you got nominated for a CMA new artist of the year award, you’re on tour. What are you most proud of?
• CP: I am proud that I moved to Nashville ten years ago and wanted to be my version of the 90’s ladies I fell in love with like Trisha Yearwood, Faith Hill-that version of country for this generation as a female artist. I was told so many times you missed your mark, you should have been here in the early 2000’s or the 90’s and I’m proud the music identity I wanted to make, that people told me would never work, is still who I am and it’s exactly who I am. I never changed for anybody.

• G: You do such a great job showing your followers a glimpse into your real life. Do you think that’s something that helps you connect with your fans?
• CP: I think it does, I think everybody sees the highlight reel of our lives and the makeup and the hair and the fancy clothes and things like that. That is us but it’s also our job. I just want people to feel like they get to know me as the girl who is out running, at the grocery store, it keeps me normal. It connects me and it humanizes me to them.

• G: Clearly staying fit and healthy is a big part of your life. What motivates you to keep going? 
• CP: For the last 10 years I’ve really prioritized that. My dad had a massive heart attack when I was a teenager and it just kind of rocked my world. There is heart disease in my family now and cancer is a big part of my family history and health. I feel better when I work out, I feel better when I eat right and I feel like my mind is in a better spot. My entire life is chaotic, as far as on a daily basis. If I can have that little time to control, I almost use it as meditation to run, and my body feels good to play shows and perform for an hour and sing and not get winded. When you have people looking at you 24/7, and taking pictures of you, you want to look your best and feel your best. I always said if I wasn’t an artist I would go into nutrition or sports medicine, I really love all things health. 

• G: When did you first start running?
• CP: I was 18, and I was working in Pigeon Forge, people know I used to work at Dollywood. I was getting ready to work at another theater and I needed to lose a little weight to fit into some of the clothes. I’d never really thought about running, I started running and fell in love. Dropped the weight but never quit. It’s become a lifestyle for me. It’s truly something I’m really passionate about. Some people think it’s weird [laughing]. I used to not be able to run to the mail box. It’s very different now.

• G: You wear a Forerunner 245 music, how do you use your watch, just for running, anytime in the gym?
• CP: I use it anytime I’m working out or running. I really want to know how far I run, I compare miles, calories and all of those things. One of my favorite features, is that I can be running and at any given moment it will vibrate and I know that I just hit a mile and I know I can look down and see what I ran that mile in. I can see my time and that motivates me. It’s very efficient- I always have it on in my workouts. 

• G: So what are some of your favorite features?
• CP: Probably my favorite feature is knowing when I’ve finished a mile. I love being able to post those watch photos of how far I ran, what was my average pace, all those things. I really love it. 

• G: Is it hard to keep a healthy diet on the road? How do you do it?
• CP: Yes! In my house with my husband we don’t put things in our house that we want. Unfortunately, I live with five guys who don’t watch their weight like I do, they have all these bad things[laughing]. I’m lucky that I am militant with my diet, I bring all of my food. Getting a tour bus was a game changer. I have a hot plate and pots and pans, an oven and refrigerator on here. I am cooking oatmeal when we’re going down the road, or I bake chicken on the road. You have to make it. It’s inconvenient, but I will make sure that I bring the food so I’m not tempted and to eat fast food. They like snacks, and I like them too, I just don’t keep them in our house but this is like my house. 

• G: What is your favorite city to run in? 
• CP: Boston. We played there not too long ago, we ran along the Charles river greenway. Any kind of outdoor greenway in the city is my favorite. Chicago is really fun to run in. In Boston I ran 8 miles that day just because I couldn’t stop. 

• G: What’s something your fans don’t know about you?
• CP: I am very introverted. What you see on social media and what you see on stage I am very open and honest and sociable but at my core I’m pretty introverted. I like to be by myself. Before I met my husband I used go to dinner by myself, I would go to movies by myself, and I am fine [laughing]. But I still love country fans!

Carly’s self titled album, Carly Pearce, just dropped and you can check it out here.