Hannah is kind, calm, and incredibly consistent. She joined us as a highschool student and is currently pursuing a Masters of Public Health at Queen’s, we’ve been lucky to be part of each transition over the last five, nearly six years. As an athlete, Hannah has always taken a wonderfully balanced approach to training, listening to her body and keeping the bigger picture in mind. You can find her putting time into extra work and accessories most days of the week, and will surely notice the extra spring in her step every Country Thursday. Read on to learn more about this delightful human and her healthy habits!
What initially brought you to Queen Street Fitness? Way back in 2017, my aunt and uncle had been going to a new gym and they kept telling me that I might enjoy it. At the time, I was in grade 12 and had just finished 12+ years of playing rep hockey. I was really missing the structured training and a team environment. I remember my first class was a sweaty deck of cards WOD in the basement of the church! I initially kept coming to the 4:30 class after school to hang out with my family (my cousins had joined too, how cool is it that 1/4 of the class was my fam?!) but I quickly fell in love with all that crossfit and the gym had to offer. Now almost 6 years later and into my second degree from Queen’s, I’m still hanging around!
Now, more than five years later, what motivates you to continue showing up? I could probably write a whole paper on this! The gym has been a place where I’ve grown, both as an athlete and a person (quite literally, Vivian once said that I’m a “child of the gym”). From all the highs and lows of my transition from high school to undergrad, and now into grad school- the gym has been my constant. It has always been a place that feels like home to me. I’m a big family person so to me it feels safe. To narrow it down, I continue to show up for two main reasons:
1. For myself. I am doing a Masters of Public Health right now so it would be cruel of me not to mention that I understand the long-term health benefits of daily exercise and socialization. I feel 10x better showing up to the gym and moving. Not just physically, but the gym is my mental health outlet that has gotten me through everything life has thrown at me thus far. I set myself up for a good, productive day when I start it with a WOD at Queen Street.
2. For others, the community that is Queen Street is the biggest thing for me. I come not only to make my day better, but to hopefully do the same for others. I love the cheering, smiles, jokes, 9 am life lessons, and laughs. You can’t find that anywhere else.
Tell us about a typical day-in-the-life. My days look quite different than they did in my undergrad since I live outside the city now so it involves a lot of planning ahead. I come to the gym in the mornings 4-5 times a week, and 3 of those I stay after class for extra work. My mornings are like clockwork. When I have a morning class at school, I get up at 5:50 am and let my dog Rex outside. I always have my clothes laid out, gym bag, school bag, and lunch packed the night before to minimize any brain power and so all I have to do in the morning is start the coffee pot and grab a little breakfast before I’m out the door at exactly 6:25 am. I love my drives into town- it gives me time to wake up and think about my day. I get to the gym for the 7 am class (unless I’m going to the 9 where I get an extra hour of sleep, yay). If I don’t have to shower and rush off to class, then I always stay around after to do the “successories” as labelled by Storm and Emma.
I pack a lunch everyday so I can take advantage of a full day in town which is quite boring- class, library, study. I try to get as much work as possible done during the day so that I don’t have to think about school when I get home around 5. I’ll read my book until it’s time for dinner (and pack leftovers for tomorrow's lunch). My nights aren’t that exciting. Watch an episode or two of whatever series I’m into then in bed by 9pm. Just the way I like it!
What do you do outside the gym to support the things you do inside the gym? Sleep and keep a routine! I’ve worked really hard to manage my time efficiently with my schoolwork which allows me to take time for myself, unwind at the end of the day, and get lots of sleep! I am way more productive during the day when I can do this for myself. It was a tough transition moving to outside the city. I definitely miss the convenience of living 2 minutes from campus, but it has made me stay diligent with my routine. Especially since I bring my lunch everyday, not only does it save me a ton of money, but it has helped me to make sure I am fuelling my body enough.
How do you define success for yourself in the gym? Success for me in the gym and my training has never been about PRing my lifts or finally getting a long-awaited gymnastics movement. It has always been about consistency. Everyday, I make an effort to give my training 110%. Whatever 110% feels like for that day. My hard work will pay off and I’m now seeing that. Being patient and consistent each day is what success is for me.
Tell us about the progress you’ve made in the last year. Looking back at the last 5+ years, progress for me has always been slow and steady. However, in the past year I have consistently been doing the extra work after class and it has been a game changer. No, I haven’t PR’d my lifts by 20 lbs or gotten handstand push ups yet, but I feel SO much stronger. My lifts have all improved which has been super exciting to see. I truly believe it is because I have been building more confidence and believing in my abilities. Normally, Cal would come around and tell me to go heavier or put on more weight because he sees what I’m capable of. I am starting to see that for myself now. Big wins!
You have recently been working through a shoulder injury, and haven't missed a beat with training. How have you dealt with this mentally and what steps are you taking to get your shoulder back to 100%? Initially, I was a little shaken up and felt upset about the injury. Mostly because my first thought was ‘dang, all the work I’ve done on my strict pull up strength just out the window after one push jerk’. But then I thought, what a perfect time to build my lower body strength! I’ve been so invested in the extra work programmed that there was no way I was going to just stop. So, the next day I continued my training as usual- modifying anything as it came. I’m in my training for the long run so I knew I can’t rush into anything, but I can take advantage of what I CAN do in the moment. I will admit I do have a mental block thinking about putting anything overhead, but I have been so supported since my injury that all I need is time. A couple days after, Emma (my hero) gave me lots of shoulder rehab exercises to help with my recovery and to also help (hopefully) prevent another shoulder injury. I’ve been working away every day with my rehab and things are looking up!
What kinds of things do you tell yourself during a tough workout? I have a hard time getting wrapped up in the “how am I going to finish this workout” mentality. I’ve done some really long and mentally challenging workouts. So, when I find myself thinking about this before a workout or in the midst of one, I always tell myself “just 3 more reps”. I try to stay present and think about what I am doing in the moment. Luckily enough, “3 more reps” does get me to the end of the workout. I remember several years ago after a hard workout, I laid down on the ground immediately after finishing trying to catch my breath. Cal came up to me after and told me to try not to. To take a breath but stay on my feet. I have done so ever since. After a tough one, I’ll collect my thoughts and cheer on my teammates instead.
As a 5+ year member, you’ve been part of many evolutions of the gym, what changes stand out to you the most? I feel very fortunate to have been able to see the gym evolve. From the church basement, to the move, through Covid, babies, new programming, and to now seeing the new vision Cal and Storm have for the gym- its not the changes that stand out the most for me. It is what has stayed the same. Through everything, community and the health of the members has always been the priority. I can’t emphasize enough that I have grown up to be who I am now because of this community. I don’t want to start getting sappy, but I feel so lucky to have seen it all. Excited for what’s next to come.
Can you share one of your favourite gym memories with us? Soooo many amazing memories flood my mind when I think about it. And I feel so lucky that I have a hard time picking just one! But if I had to…several years ago when the gym was across the street Julia Meerakker and I decided to do the Crossfit Team Series. 8 partner workouts in total. I remember one had synchronous toes to bar (we did knees to chest). We had to stop and restart the workout probably 5 different times because we could not synch up. I think we got our workout in from just the laughs we shared. Good times!
If you had to choose one song to workout to for the rest of your life, what would it be? Everyone in the morning crew knows that I am a huge Country Thursday fan! I love too many songs to pick one, but I would be fully content if every day was Country Thursday. Unpopular opinion, I know!