Why did you decide to join FMFA?
I’ve been doing CrossFit since 2018 and my gyms back home were such a huge part of my life, basically a second home for me and where I met people I couldn’t imagine my life without- they even gave me money for 3 months membership as a leaving gift! I got to fernie last November and joined FMFA 5 days later!
Did you have specific goals when joining?
My goals were mainly social to be honest, moving to Fernie alone was a challenge, but another goal was to train more consistently again, I realised throughout the lockdowns in the U.K. how much I missed being able to be in the gym and how important that time training is for me to feel good mentally more than anything. And obviously to lift heavy is always my goal.
What has kept you coming?
The people! Getting to know people at the start with masks and distancing was hard but the best thing about the gym is the community (and our brilliant coaches). I wouldn’t trade workouts with my 6pm crew for anything and nothing beats a Saturday morning partner workout. It’s so much more than just hitting a workout hard or PR-ing a lift. They’ve encouraged me so much and checked in on me when life has got in the way. You can do this style of training anywhere but doing it here is special.
What are the biggest things you have noticed since joining us (physical, mental, new healthy habits being formed? etc.)?
The weeks when I manage to consistently make it to the gym are always the best weeks, sometimes work is hectic and I’ll be in a bad mood and I’ll realise I haven’t trained in a while. It’s so important to just do things that make you happy sometimes and for me a lot of that is found in the gym. I’ve also definitely seen improvements in my fitness over the last year. When you’re constantly pushing yourself day in day out and it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows sometimes it’s easy to forget the progress you’ve made. I can consistently jump to standing from a burpee now- most people can do that without thinking but for me it’s a huge improvement, my dubs are getting better and I PR’d my 500m row time and my Isabel time at the weekend!
Do you have any advice for anyone looking to start or even for a current member?
Take you leap and do it! Maybe you’ll find a new passion, maybe you’ll meet some new people and maybe you’ll learn some new skills but decide it’s not right for you- either way you won’t regret it. There is no minimum fitness level, I know sometimes it can seem daunting but every single movement can be scaled to your ability and we all start somewhere 😊 and for current members don’t forget how bloody brilliant you are, even on the days when it feels like nothing is going to plan!
What is something we don’t know about you that you would be willing to share with us?
It took me three attempts to walk through the doors of my first CrossFit gym- as in I sat in my car in the parking lot and chickened out every time.
