Vivian has been a member at Queen Street Fitness for over 4 years as a regular with the 9am Crew! Vivian has shown great consistency as she shows up for the gym typically 6 days a week (Monday-Saturday) and recently has added some extra programming to her training schedule. Vivian is a bright light in the 9am class, bringing enough positivity, and kindness for the whole class! Keep reading to learn more about Vivian.

What does an average day-in-the-life look like for you? (food, training, work, recovery, leisure time, etc.): I start my day with the 9am class coached by Cal, then, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I stay for at least an hour to do my individual programmed training. I work from Tuesdays to Thursdays. On the days I am not working, I give myself the luxury of taking more time to eat, I may take a nap, and do errands. On my work days, it's pretty much gym, eat, work, and sleep.

Have you changed the way you eat since you began CrossFit, If so, how?: I have come to take my eating - both what I eat and when I eat, much more seriously since I started Crossfit. I have been doing intermittent fasting for the past 3 years. I train fasted, usually between 15 to 18 hours, with my last meal around 6/7pm the day before, then I "feast" when I come home from the gym, and eat within a 6 to 7 hours window. The bulk of what I eat is consumed when I break my fast, and then I eat a smaller snack towards the latter part of the day. I do consider my macros, though not strictly, and try to eat about 75g of protein a day, watching my carb and sugar intake, and keeping to healthy fat calories. This is what seems to work for me and my constitution as I am a slow digester of foods. I also take supplements: a multivitamin, omega-3, Mg, and vitamin B complex daily.

How does training/CrossFit fit into your life?: Crossfit is my life! It is a big commitment, and it has become my passion. I have found that the physical stamina and endurance I develop from the gym helps me with the mental challenges outside the gym.

Starting my day with the gym sets me up for a great day ahead. I get to hang out and work out with some amazing people, both the coaches and the gym members. I noticed how much I missed it when the gym was closed intermittently during the peak of the pandemic. I felt more isolated and disengaged. It's not the same without my gym buds.

What reasons did you have to train when you started CrossFit? Have those reasons changed? If so, how?: I used to train solo and I think I was looking for a change when I stumbled onto the sport of Crossfit after watching a Netflix documentary featuring some of the elite athletes. I then realized there were Crossfit gyms in Kingston, showed up at a Thursday class at Queen Street Fitness, and I am still here! For me the appeal in Crossfit lies in its constantly variable format, there is always a challenge, and thereby never boring. What keeps me at QSF is the relational coaching and the connectedness I feel with the gym community.

What improvements have you made in the past 6 months that you are most proud of?: Starting individually programmed training with Cal in July of 2021 has been a game-changer for me. It has given me more confidence, and ability coming into the WODs. I find I don't worry about my WOD performance as much, as it is now simply part of the progression of the whole training program.The extra training is an investment in myself, and as such, I find I have dialed in further on my nutrition and sleep regime.

I am very blessed to have Cal be my regular coach and program my individual training. Thus far, he has helped me improve my squat stance, get full push-ups, and increase my core strength.

Do you currently have a main focus or goal(s) with your training? : I am working on getting my pull-up and my toes to bar movements. It's quite the journey - slow and steady.

What would you consider to be your greatest strength as an athlete?: My greatest strength as an athlete would be that I try to be kind to myself. I have learned that listening to my body and working with it is the key to achieving any progress in performance.

What is one thing that you do every day that you feel is essential in contributing to your success in the gym? : I try to work on recovery practice from the time I leave the gym to the time I return to the gym. I do a lot of self-care in this regard. I do a short meditation in the morning, take a hot bath before bed, and I do my own myo-fascial release twice a day.

If you could give yourself one piece of advice when you started CrossFit, what would it be?: Be patient, run your own race, and maintain perspective.

Do you have a go-to self-pep talk? (i.e. something you tell yourself when things get hard with training or during a workout): I try to meet the challenge by doing what is possible. It may mean that I take on one rep at a time, then I attempt another rep ... and so it goes.

Is there anything you would like to add? : I love my gym !!!!!!!