Member Of The Month – June 2023
Our June MOTM award goes to the brilliant Harriet Hales
Harriet is an absolute unique character – there is nobody like her that’s for sure! From the moment she walks in the door (and sometimes before she even gets to the door!) she is chatting away to anyone and everyone, about everything… I mean who am I kidding…”chatting away” is a mild way of putting it… she literally has verbal diarrhoea and although we are constantly having to tell her to be quiet she does take being told off quite well 😉 She has no filter, she has an infectious laugh, she is always interested in people and what they have been up to, she is constantly coming up with strategies on how to get through the workout, usually by turning everything into an EMOM, and we love her. To give an example of the sort of person she is, she is currently very pregnant, her due date is on the 27th July and she has agreed to do her Member of the Month workout on the 22nd… 4 days before due date!* She is amazing (if not a little crazy ;)). She has been training consistently throughout pregnancy, whilst working full time, as well as being mum to her first born Roman and just takes everything in her stride. She is superwoman! We are all proud of her and more importantly proud of how friendly she is to everyone in the gym, always making new people feel welcome and part of the community and checking in on everyone else too. Let’s find out a bit more about her CrossFit journey so far….
*update* she actually ended up going into labour on the 21st of July, meaning this post and her member of the month workout got postponed! We are posting this now, and when Harriet is ready we will get her member of the month workout sorted! Congratulations Harriet on the birth of your lovely little boy Saxon!
M – How long have you been doing CrossFit?
HH – I started doing CrossFit in January 2020 just before Covid hit.
M– What class time do you usually attend and why does that work for you?
HH – I do the 12pm class routinely! So I can have a good chat before, during and after 😍
M– What is your why? Why do you put yourself through it each day? Do you have goals you want to achieve?
HH – I have a couple of reasons why, with no end goal apart from just continuing to be happy and enjoying my training:
1. Good routine structure and having a class I can attend without having to think about planning something really supports a positive mindset for me.
2. I love having a good social with everyone in the class. It’s a nice break from ‘work’. When I am feeling a bit “meh” about coming I just think about everyone in the class being there and how they make me feel a lot better, it motivates me to come and have a good session.
3. Whilst I love being a mama to Roman when I come to the gym I am Harriet. A time where I don’t have to think about changing nappies, the ticking time bomb of the next tantrum and whether I have packed enough snacks!!
4. Being fit, healthy and active allows me to be the best mama to Roman. I want him to look up and be proud of his mama, what she has achieved and cherish all of the incredible memories we will make.
M – What advice would you give anyone wanting to start CrossFit but is either unsure or nervous? We get people all the time saying they need to get fit first or they could never do what we do? Any advice for those people?
HH – Just take the leap! You don’t have to be super fit, strong or look a certain way. Just be willing to learn, listen to the coaches and have a good laugh! Everything is tailored to your ability with progressions as you improve and learn new skills. I scale a lot of my movements, it gives you motivation to come when you see the improvement week on week.
M – What is your biggest achievement so far in CrossFit and what are you most proud of?
HH – Oh gosh! Well this first one isn’t CrossFit related but definitely deserves to be in the answer!
Coming to the dance class at M Squared Fitness, this was out of my comfort zone by an absolute mile! I have 2 left feet (everyone in the class will tell you!) I was so nervous about coming but now I wouldnt look back! Sarah (the teacher) has made me feel so comfortable, everyone in the class is so supportive and I am now seeing some movement. I am no longer 20 seconds behind everyone, more like 10!
My biggest CrossFit achievement would be coming back into excerise/fitness after having Roman. After I had him my body changed alot! Abs were none existent, skips are still a complete danger zone never mind the fact I could wee at any given opportunity! Mentally it was so hard too, I felt like I was running in treacle, my strength dropped off a cliff and I honestly felt like every session was the hardest thing ever. If I hadn’t had the support of the coaches and friends in my class to motivate me I wouldn’t be where I am now.
M – Aww Harriet, you big softie. You are mega, and everyone loves having you in classes! Now lets get your member of the month workout done before baba number 2 arrives!!!
