Media personality, presenter, model and freelance writer Stacey Holland likes to challenge herself – from CrossFit and Impi to completing her first Momentum 947 Cycle Challenge. Now, she’s prepping to take on her first triathlon in 2015, while juggling her training in an unusual schedule.
– BY LAUREN VAN DER VYVER
MA: Is it difficult fitting in training?
Stacey: Diarising training helps and it’s about decision-making. 
One business session I attended explained life like a juggling act: You juggle glass balls and plastic balls. Glass balls break when they fall. Plastic balls bounce. You have to know what is glass and plastic. Work is a plastic ball, your children would be glass. If your kid is sick, that would be your main priority. People think health and fitness is a plastic ball, but it’s not! The benefit I have is that my time is flexible. I have to fit in auditions, writing for Longevity and castings, and I work around my diary.
MA: Then that session is unmovable?
Stacey: Yes, my agent would call me and ask me if I can go to a casting and sometimes it would fall on my gym time. You can hear him thinking, ‘Hello! This is your livelihood we’re talking about!’ but the industry revolves around us looking good. It was my escape when my mom was diagnosed with colon cancer last year and she underwent chemo. In a situation like that, you think ‘okay, cancel gym,’ but I needed it. A good cry is something, but you need an outlet. For most, gym is the first thing you reschedule when times are tough.
MA: You completed your first Momentum 947 Cycle Challenge last year. How did that journey begin?
Stacey: Pure Nutrition were looking for 10 novices and approached me. We received bikes that we eventually handed over to the Diepsloot Mountain Bike Academy for youngsters who want to pursue the sport. I loved that I’d be giving back, especially after sitting in a saddle for five hours, cycling a good 100km. I had never pushed myself to t