Terri-Lynn really exemplifies what you can accomplish by “just” showing up to class, 5 days a week. Terri-Lynn works hard and works smart, and she takes her balanced approach to health and fitness to all parts of her life. Since joining the gym two years ago, Terri-Lynn has grown greatly in her fitness and her mindset, and has become a staple member of the 5:30am “rooster crew.” Read below to learn about how Terri-Lynn eats to support her active lifestyle, how she conquered burpees, and what she considers to be her biggest strength as an athlete.

What does an average day-in-the-life look like for you? (food training, work, recovery, leisure time, etc.)

An average weekday for me starts with my alarm clock at 4:53am. I get up, get dressed and ready and eat anywhere from half to a full banana (with or without PB), depending on how I'm feeling, and then I head to class with the rooster crew. After class, as much as I would love to stick around for extra training, I have to get home to take our dog Olive out for a walk or run (depending on how beat up I am from class), make breakfast (eggs & avocado or PB toast) and a protein-spinach smoothie, pack my lunch (some sort of leftovers from the night before) and get ready for my work day, which starts at 8am. Luckily, I have an amazing husband who is able to help me out and take turns with the breakfast-making and dog-walking so we have enough time to do it all in an hour.

The majority of my work consists of emails, phone calls, and various meetings - a lot of sitting. I was able to request a Sit-Stand Desk at work so I try to rotate between the two throughout the day. I also introduced "FitMinutes" to my office where we do a minute of some type of activity/exercise/mobility to get moving more. I drink my smoothie around 9am and eat another snack (RX protein bar/carrots/cucumber - whatever is on hand) mid-afternoon.

After work I head home and usually have a quick snack (hummus and crackers) and then we take Olive to the dog park, make dinner and essentially spend the evening relaxing - either with a book, a TV show, board/card games, or spending time with friends. Dinner usually consists of some sort of protein, green veg and a starch and I'll typically be in bed by 8-9pm so I don't usually snack in the evenings. I drink water all day long, with every meal and don't usually drink anything else.

Whenever I can fit it in I like to do yoga, go rock climbing, hike, swim, paddle, ski, skate etc. I love being outdoors and try to get outside as much as I can!

Have you changed the way you eat since you began CrossFit, If so, how?

Yes. I've always been a fan of the "everything in moderation - including moderation" lifestyle - but since beginning CrossFit I started recognizing that my diet was a little out of proportion and not conducive to the type of training I was doing. I was more likely to overeat or binge wherever there was a big food spread and definitely did not have enough protein or veg in my diet. Since joining, I feel more balanced in my eating and strive to incorporate the things I need to supplement training, and strive to eat more real/less processed foods.

How does training/CrossFit fit into your life?

I've always been an active person and have always had "a thing" - I started out with cardio kickboxing back with my high school girlfriends, began running when I joined the military, then I found yoga in University, started rock climbing with Di when I worked at lulu and now CrossFit. It's never been a question that I would fit some sort of activity into my daily routine, it's just been what that activity would be. I've found that my preferences have always been aligned with the community I've been a part of - and in Kingston, the strongest sense of community I've felt has been here!

What reasons did you have to train when you started CrossFit? Have those reasons changed? If so, how?

I started CrossFit when I worked at lululemon and had some sweet sweaty benefits that covered the membership costs. Many of my coworkers at the time worked out at the gym and after 2 years of hearing them talk about it I finally got the urge to give it a try. I had been missing a sense of community from my yoga practice and I didn't feel like I could progress further with rock climbing as I didn't have the desire to further my practice on real mountains and rock walls (outdoor climbing scares me a little). I loved the daily challenge and despite my non-athleticism (having never played any sports), I felt athletic and like it was something I could do well. I started to feel success and I loved how the training made me feel strong. 

I now feel the best I've ever felt in my life with regards to health and physical fitness. I love that I've been doing this for two years and no two classes have felt the same. I love the people I've met and train with and get excited to see what the next work out will be and to wake up a 4:53 am every week day.

What improvements have you made in the past 6 months that you are most proud of?

I have had a bad shoulder on and off for the past year, and have been consistent with doing my physiotherapy exercises as well as modifying training where I need to and my shoulder is finally in a place where I feel like I can strengthen it again! 

I've also changed my attitude around some of the activities I used to struggle with. I would always openly hate on burpees and the assault bike and I realized that a lot of my dread to do these was coming from my attitude. I made the conscious choice to catch myself when saying or thinking anything negative about these things and flip it to something positive ("think about how these burpees will help with your cardio"). Now I find myself actually enjoying these movements and even getting better and faster at them.

Do you currently have a main focus or goal(s) with your training? 

My main focus with training is to live a healthy lifestyle and to continue to challenge myself and grow. I know I want try and find time for extra work to develop some of the skills I hope to learn, but for now I'll be coming to class 5-6 days a week, listening to my body, and working on what I can there.

What would you consider to be your greatest strength as an athlete? 

I would say I love to learn. I love getting feedback from the coaches about how I can improve and strive to remember every cue and tip they give me as I work on consistency with my form to continually get better and grow as an athlete. 

I'm also not a naturally competitive person - I always try to be my best and improve myself, but I feel like I'm pretty good at checking my ego at the door and letting others push me to be the best I can be, not the best in the class.