This business dynamo and social butterfly is always sure to make time for exercise; even if it means sleeping in her workout gear.
“The thought of my 5am Crossfit crew regularly takes hold while getting out of bed — there are some great laughs had, even at that time of the day”
Occupation: Subway franchisee and remedial massage therapist.
What activity makes you the happiest? Crossfit.
How else are you getting active? Walking the hill and swimming at Tobruk Pool in-between Subway and clients; plus yoga and the occasional pilates class.
Are you a morning or afternoon mover? Definitely morning — 5am. I feel like I’ve wasted too much life getting up late… my afternoon swim is a bonus if time permits.
What’s your favourite thing to do on a weekend in Townsville? I go to Cotters Markets on Sunday mornings to get my fresh produce for the week and have a coffee at Coffee Dominion where I tend to run into many people I know, so I never have a problem going down by myself. I also try to walk the hill Sunday afternoons to start the week on a positive note.
What inspires your ‘get up and go’? The fact that my greatest fear is losing the ability of my arms and legs, so I’m extremely grateful that I have full ability. And the fact my coaches and peers at Crossfit are good at making me feel guilty when I don’t go!
Your most motivating tune? Best Day of my Life by American Authors – it’s my alarm clock ringtone and, at the moment, Geronimo by Sheppard — I love to support great up-and-coming Australian bands.
Motivational quote? “Exercise is a job you need to do every day like brushing your teeth, having a shower or getting dressed: just do it and get on with it” – Michelle Bridges.
How do you pep yourself up when you’re craving the couch? I sit there and think: How am I going to feel in five minutes time? How am I going to feel after I’ve done something I know I need to do? Amazing, so move your ass and get it done!
Do you prefer to get active solo, or with a buddy? I prefer to get active solo as I seem to get more annoyed when people cancel on me, which dampens my motivation. However, the thought of my 5am Crossfit crew regularly takes hold while getting out of bed — there are some great laughs had, even at that time of the day.
Most annoying fitness fad? That vibro trainer thing… how ridiculous. Stand on it and vibrate and lose fat – what a joke.
What’s your greatest fitness achievement? Being invited to be Crossfit Townsville’s first regional Crossfit team in 2010, which made our first World Games debut in LA for our affiliate.
“Townsville is the BEST place to get out and be active. The scenery is beautiful, the facilities are easy and available, and the weather is perfect at the moment.”
Best active moment? Finishing my first half marathon in the Townsville Running Festival in 2007 with my original personal trainer from Fit Solutions, Kate Wade, and friend Cassandra Webb. I’d never run that far in my life and we built a great friendship getting to know each other on our long training runs. Plus we all finished in well under two hours… I was stoked.
What activity have you always wanted to try (and what’s holding you back)? Kite surfing. I often go down to Pallarenda on the windy weekends and watch the kite surfers do their thing and think, ‘I’d really like to start that’. The thing that’s holding me back is probably the cold weather at the moment, the stingers in summer and the fact it looks like a lot of setting up before you can have fun. I’m afraid I’m a little impatient for that.
What’s something we don’t know about you? I used to do Irish dancing (amongst other forms of dance) after my parents took me to see River Dance. I still tend to bust out a few moves from time-to-time if I’m egged on enough. I love the music and the technical aspects of that particular style of dance.
What’s your next goal? Consistency: between running a business/massaging/cooking and my social life, I become a little overwhelmed and tired, so my training can be a little sporadic. Even though I manage to do some kind of exercise every day, it isn’t always Crossfit at 5am on a Monday to Friday basis. I am aiming for five days a week for the rest of the year as we have a team competition coming up in November.
What are you doing to get there? I am trying to get to bed earlier – less TV, more reading, and sleeping in my Crossfit gear every night so I have no excuse in the morning — I’m already dressed ready to go! Sounds strange and people laugh at me, but it’s worked for me with these chilly mornings.
Most embarrassing moment on the go? I cannot think of one – I don’t get embarrassed easily.
Who would you most like to train with? Chad Mackay – one of Australia’s top male Crossfit athletes. He has a great training program, his technique is immaculate, he’s a pretty decent swimmer, plus lovely guy who’s easy on the eye 😛
The training advice I wish I’d listened to was… “At the level you are now, imagine how good you could be if your training was consistent”. Daniel Strickland is always on my case, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Most treasured piece of fitness gear? My personalised Crossfit shoes that my awesome right hand lady in life (Subway manager) Melissa gave to me for Christmas last year… oh, and my headbands – I can’t stand my hair in my face when I workout.
My best local fitness tip is… Townsville is the BEST place to get out and be active. The scenery is beautiful, the facilities are easy and available, and the weather is perfect at the moment. There are so many different bootcamp groups, running groups and circuit classes to suit everyone. The social aspect in all of these is a bonus — it’s where a lot of my close friends have come from.
Tell us a joke (why not?) This is a lame Crossfit joke:
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Orange who?
Orange you glad we’re not doing “Fran” today?
Last words? There are plenty of excuses you can make when it comes to getting out and doing something active, but really they’re just excuses. Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right… but just do it…now.
