Jen is one of our OG members at the gym, joining the gym 4 years ago. Jen is in and out of Kingston with work and travel, but whenever she is in town she makes sure to join us at the gym, usually at the 6:30am or 4:30pm class. Jen has a very full and varied schedule, working on average 50-60 hours a week. She inspires us all with her consistent prioritization of health and fitness, and her infectious positivity. Read more to learn about Jen’s favourite snacks, her marathon goals, and why she thinks we should all pay closer attention to our air squats!
Do you consider your training or athletic performance when you are making food choices? Yes
What do you eat on a typical day?: Breakfast = 2 eggs + 2 egg whites fried in ghee +/- spinach & salsa +/- cottage cheese, lots of coffee w/ cream
Lunch = protein (usually chicken, turkey or salmon) with all of the veggies +/- sweet potato or grain (rice or quinoa) +/- handful of nuts
Dinner = usually similar to lunch
Fav snacks = daryl protein bars, costco/kirkland protein bars, greek yogurt
Have you changed the way you eat since you began CrossFit, If so, how? For sure! More mindful of moderating refined carbohydrate intake. It made me realize that you can easily obtain 80+ per cent of your daily caloric intake from refined carbohydrates without even trying!
How does training/CrossFit fit into your life? It's essential. It provides balance and energizes me to keep up my other commitments.
What reasons did you have to train when you started CrossFit? Have those reasons changed? If so, how? I started it because it was new and fun... and it still is!
What improvements have you made in the past 6 months that you are most proud of? Mobility work and using CrossFit to help me train for running marathons.
Do you currently have a main focus or goal(s) with your training? Have fun in the Open and then run the Boston Marathon this April!
What would you consider to be your greatest strength as an athlete? Consistency; even when life gets busy, I always try to tell myself that even 5 minutes of burpees in a hotel room is better than nothing.
What is one thing that you do every day that you feel is essential in contributing to your success in the gym? Paying attention to my nutrition (cooking whole foods at home as much as possible) and getting enough sleep.
How do you like to rest and recover? Romwod, walk the dog, make up recipes on the fly
If you could give yourself one piece of advice when you started CrossFit, what would it be? Strive for virtuosity in your movement. Go back to "basic" movements (e.g. air squat) and find out something new that you could improve in yourself – there is always something.
Do you have a favourite quotation or mantra related to training? Coach Glassman on virtuosity: "Unlike risk and originality, virtuosity is elusive, supremely elusive. It is, however, readily recognized by audience as well as coach and athlete. There is a compelling tendency among novices developing any skill or art, whether learning to play the violin, write poetry, or compete in gymnastics, to quickly move past the fundamentals and on to more elaborate, more sophisticated movements, skills, or techniques."
http://journal.crossfit.com/2005/08/virtuosity-1.tpl
Is there anything you would like to add? This gym is an amazing community and place to train! I feel so lucky to have gotten to spend 4 years here!