HOW COACH KRISTY TRAINS AND FUELS HER BODY

WHEN DO YOU TRAIN?

 I train predominantly in the afternoons. My husband and I both CrossFit so when our work allows us to, he attends a morning session and I attend afternoon classes. I train 4-6 days a week and I am currently coaching 3 classes a week.

HOW HAS YOUR TRAINING AND FOOD CHANGED WITH CROSSFIT?

Where do I start with this! Until 12 months ago I would not have known what it takes to support your body for everyday life let alone training.  Through CrossFit I have found a healthy way to eat the right amount of nutrients to support my body for my busy days running after my two little girls and training. 

It all started when I did an 8 week challenge in September 2015 after 9 months of Crossfitting. At the time it seemed very difficult to give up the extra treats I was used to having, but a few weeks into the challenge I started to realise I wasn’t having ‘flat spots’ during my days. I remember vividly before I started my 8 week challenge how I would finish eating breaky then sit down with the kids to play & was struggling to stay awake! I was training better, I was recovering from training and competitions better, I was even sleeping and waking up better! I couldn’t believe my whole life I have lived without knowing how to eat the right foods and that the right food at the right time would make such a difference to my training and everyday functions of life.

The changes had already started to occur in my shape with 9 months of Crossfitting already under my belt but I have no doubt that my healthy, clean eating which I still continue now has made me the athlete I am today.

When I first started to notice the changes in my body from CrossFit I worried about what others would think. My family, friends, strangers in the streets…..I was torn as to how I perceived myself. Was I starting to look ‘manly’? Was I not very feminine anymore? After a lot of searching I came to the conclusion that my new shape, my new physique was the result of hard work, determination and my mental willingness to push myself to the best I can each and every workout. I loved the feeling of every new accomplishment my new physique has allowed me to achieve from allowing me to pull myself up a rope, do gymnastic movements fluently, lift more than my bodyweight in a range of different modalities so why shouldn’t I love my new body that allowed me to achieve these things?? Today I wear them proudly, the support from within the CFMB family in this regard was particularly accepting, it was the norm even the desired.  At the end of the day it’s about how I feel on the inside that matters and I feel healthy and happy so that’s all that matters.  

DO YOU NOTICE THE DIFFERENCE FROM WHEN YOU EAT WELL AND DON’T EAT WELL?

This absolutely goes without saying and I avoid eating things outside of what will help my mood, my energy levels and my training/recovery levels.  I used to really enjoy my savoury treats, choccie’s and alcohol pre-children.

These days a treat needs to be pretty inviting, it has to be good, it has to be worth deviating from what I know will make me feel better, help me train and recover better as that is what makes me feel happy.  My body is no longer used to eating some of the salty, oily, sugary treats I used to enjoy and therefore when I do eat these foods I sometimes get headaches, my mood changes (Hubby & kids can vouch for that) and I don’t have the energy I have if I eat the right amount of foods at the right time.

HOW MANY CHEAT MEALS DO YOU HAVE PER WEEK?

I don’t have a set amount of cheat meals per week. I started out by giving myself only two per week but I find now I don’t need to give myself an allowance of cheat meals. Food has a different meaning to what it did previously, it is simply fuel to keep my motor running. It doesn’t have to be fancy, it doesn’t have to have added flavour, just simple, raw, whole foods are what I crave to help me be the best I can be. That’s not to say I don’t have any of those types of foods anymore, there is the occasions that I do, it’s just they are a sometimes food. Not an all the time food.

CrossFit has changed my outlook on health and fitness in so many ways and I never thought I would be one of the people to say I was wrong on my initial uneducated assumptions of CrossFit.  

CrossFit has shown me discipline, patience, toughness, true all round measureable fitness, friendships that will last a lifetime and helped me to succeed in things I never thought possible.

THANK YOU CROSSFIT AND SPECIFICALLY CROSSFIT MORETON BAY FOR SHOWING ME A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO LIFE FOR ME AND MY FAMILY.