Fitness has been a part of Natalie Noel’s life for as long as she can remember. Growing up in Donaldsonville, she spent her afternoons and weekends playing various team sports, and as a student at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, she was a standout on the women’s basketball team.
These days, the 25-year-old marketing executive at Help Solutions only shoots hoops in her back yard, which has a goal she installed not long ago. But she maintains a regular fitness routine by working out three evenings a week at Bally Total Fitness, combining running on the treadmill with weight training.
“I warm up by walking for a few minutes, and then I run,” Noel says. “Really, I don’t do that much cardio compared to some, but it’s enough to keep me in good shape.”
Noel’s weight-training routine focuses on a different body part each day. On Mondays, for instance, she works on arms and upper body. On Wednesdays she concentrates on her lower body, and on Fridays she does a complete body workout. For Noel, weightlifting is a hobby, therapy and stress reliever rolled into one.
“I love working out and lifting weights,” she says. “It makes me a better person and helps me stay focused throughout the day.”
That focus comes in handy when Noel is on the job at Help Solutions, where she is vice president of sales and marketing and is responsible for new and existing clients. The company provides consulting services for customer relationship management software and helps local businesses improve their customer service processes.
It’s a fast-paced, challenging position, and the company is small but growing. Revenues were around $1.2 million last year, and the company is up to eight employees. Noel says the energy and focus she gets from working out and staying physically fit carries over into all aspects of her professional life.
“I find I have more energy and enthusiasm for almost everything I do,” she says. “It gives me confidence and keeps me motivated—and in my field those are very important qualities.”
