1. When did you join CrossFit BC?
I started privates with Rob in October 2019 because my daughter challenged me to do a 35lb dumbbell snatch by the time she got home for Christmas. I joined the classes in late December 2019.
2. Why did you choose CrossFit?
My old friend’s trainer’s husband was a major competitive CrossFitter, and I asked her what CrossFit was. She told me; it sounded fun, and then I noticed the big CrossFit sign at CrossFit BC’s gym near my house.
3. What changes in your health, physique and overall performance have you seen since starting CrossFit?
CrossFit has had a super positive impact on my health. I had brain surgery that left me with untreatable epilepsy and chronic headaches. With CrossFit, my seizure frequency went down, and 98% of the time, if I have a headache, once my blood starts pumping at the gym, it goes away. Plus, I just feel so great after a work-out!
My physique has changed for sure. I have broader shoulders, my wee bum has gotten a little bigger, and I have abs underneath my had-two-babies belly flab.
I love that CrossFit has made me so much stronger for other things. I don’t get out of breath on the tennis court, it has made me a better hiker with more mental endurance on big treks. We were just at a dude ranch, and it felt cheekily good to be hiking with people less than half our age who were practically dying and because of CrossFit, it felt like nada to us!
4. What advice would you give to someone with regards to starting CrossFit?
Most people feel like a knob in the beginning, so don’t worry about not being able to do something, or even anything 😊. The soreness will subside and you will be able to use your arms and legs again!!!
5. What is your favourite CrossFit exercise?
I love rope climbs cuz it makes me feel like a kid again, and I kinda have a sick love for burpees. I love cleans and the Olympic weightlifting bit even though I am not so good at it.
6. What is your favourite activity outside of CrossFit?
Too many – I love hiking, tennis, riding horses, cross-country trail biking, and geeky games. Sitting on the couch is lovely too.
7. What is your proudest accomplishment at CrossFit?
I went in hoping to do a two-rep max deadlift at 210ish and ended up doing 235. That was a happy day! My first strict pull up was another! Oh ya, and after trying for 6 months just to learn to hook my feet around the rope, it felt pretty good to reach the top!
8. Have you made any changes to your diet?
I have always been a big eater, but now I eat even more!! I stick to a low-carb, high-fat diet for health reasons, but now I can sneak a carby smoothie in after a work-out or a “cheat” meal without knocking my body out of ketosis. I really appreciate that!
9. Is there something that people would be surprised to know about you?
I still live with my mother.
10. What/who inspires you the most?
People who do things that they “shouldn’t” be able to – the woman with MS who deadlifts even though she can’t walk and has to be carried to the platform; people who are told they will never run again but manage to find a way; my daughter Taya for her amazing grit and fortitude; my little one Ella who does things even though they really scare her; my boyfriend Peter for being such a genuinely good person; and the people at the gym who work so hard and barrel through with 150% effort.