Athlete of the Month – Jen McCarthy

1. Tell us about yourself in a few sentences.

I grew up outside of DC, and went to Ohio State for college – Go Bucks!! After graduating, I moved to Chicago for several years, where I was lucky enough to meet my fiancé, Frayne. Anyone who knows us, knows about our 4-legged children, Bear and Harry. We have been in Charlotte for exactly a year now, and I love the fact that we can be outdoorsy all year round. My favorite part of the day is taking the dogs for a hike through the woods in our back yard.

2. What do you hope to achieve through CrossFit?

CrossFit has given me more confidence than any other exercise regimen I’ve tried. I hope to continue to build that, and to be able to show our children (someday!) how to be strong in so many different ways. I also hope to continue being able to eat pizza, macaroni and cheese, and ice cream from time to time and tell myself it’s ok because we lifted heavy that day!

3. What is your favorite CF exercise?

I love me some cleans! And Olympic Lifts in general. There is a special kind of feeling when you understand how to use your whole body to hit a perfect set of movements that fast.

4. What CF exercise do you least like?

Wall balls. When I become president, all wall ball targets will be 8′ high.

I didn’t grow up in a household with a great deal of emphasis on athletics. I started doing bootcamps at our local globogym in high school, and added yoga in college. Although I loved the physical and mental benefits of both of those activities, I could feel a plateau. Some of my girlfriends started posting about CrossFit, and I couldn’t wait to try it. After about 18 months, I feel healthier, happier, more confident, more capable, more alert, and all-around like a better version of myself. The constant variation of the workouts will keep you interested and avoid letting your body get “comfortable” in a certain shape. The community – especially during a Saturday morning, team workout – is unlike anything else: support, encouragement, and hard work coming together so that everyone can be amazing at the same time. And finally, the diet – join CrossFit and you get an unlimited vault of tried-and-true healthy recipes. How much easier would it be to see results at the gym if you knew you were using the right movements, with a great team holding you accountable to show up every day, and a bunch of people all eating the way you need to in order to see a difference?! Even better: everything can be scaled down, so don’t worry about being the best every day – just be YOUR best by giving it a shot.

We feel you on those wall balls, girl.  You get our vote for President!

Way to go Jen!  We are so proud of all the hard work you put in and are lucky to have you as a part of our community!  Keep up the great work!