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Home / Fashlete™ of the Month / Tagged: Women's Fitness

Fashlete™ of the Month

Forever Young : CrossFit at 70

September 2013

Name: Kathy Hawkins
Age: 70
Occupation: Retired Nurse, Future CrossFit Coach

Considering all the talk lately of the dangers associated with CrossFit - the talk of Rhabdo, injury, and excessive intensity - I was fascinated by what I was hearing from Kathy - a 70 year old retired nurse whose hobbies range from quilting to CrossFit.

"I have never once in my life considered myself an athlete in any sport.  I think it's funny how well I like CrossFit."

So how does a self-described "couch potato" end up being such a huge proponent of CrossFit? Kathy's story starts with her husband (age 75) and his very bad knees.  About five years ago it was getting harder and harder for him to walk.  Coincidentally, Kathy's daughter Amelia had just started CrossFitting.  She encouraged Kathy to give it a try.  Kathy made a deal with her husband:

“I am a very sweet and devoted wife. I told him, if you do everything you can do to get your knees better and you end up in a wheelchair, I will take care of you. If you are not willing to do do anything, I won’t take care of you. We’re going to go with Amelia for 6 weeks to try it out.”

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No Comparison

Name:  Annette Miller
Age:  33
Occupation: Audit Senior Associate for Cigna-HealthSpring

As a young child, Annette let someone else's words define who she became.  At age 30, Annette finally decided to move past the hurtful words and become the woman she always wanted to be. 

"You're Too Fat"

At age 10, Annette came home from school with a permission slip to play on the basketball team.  Instead of getting the required signatures, she was told by her own family that she was “too fat”.

The words “You’re too fat” kept Annette from playing basketball and followed her into adulthood.  The words kept Annette from participating in sports, from seeing herself as someone with athletic potential, and ultimately from ignoring her overall health.  By the time she reached 30, Annette was 385lbs...

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Passion is Power : CrossFit Women = Strong

JUNE 2013

Name:  Megan Cannon
Age:  29
Occupation: Full-time Secretary for Grandfathers Construction Company

How does one woman's idea become a community of over 70,000 individuals? 

Passion. Passion is power.

I "met" Megan the same way that many people (76,101 people to be exact) have met her - through her Facebook Page, Women of CrossFit = Strong.  Megan's fan base is a testament to her genuine passion for the sport and her ability to encourage, and inspire strong women worldwide.  I was curious about the woman behind the page, how she got started, and where she plans on going.

Although Megan has told me that she does not see herself as anyone "special" in the CrossFit world, I have to disagree.  Not only has she created a motivational online community, she is also quite the athlete herself.  She is a new mom (mother to 9 month old Liam) and just competed in the South Central CrossFit Regional in the team division. In my opinion, she is not just someone special in the "CrossFit world", she's someone special in the world. Period.

I am very excited to share this interview.  I hope that you will visit Women of CrossFit = Strong and become involved in the amazing community that Megan has created. Enjoy!

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Showout Meg : Work Hard, Play Hard

MAY 2013

Name: Megan Parsons a.k.a "Showout Meg"
Age: 32
Occupation: Head Coach at CrossFit Central & Managing Director of Relentless Boot Camp

1. What does it mean to be a "Showout"?  

A Showout is a strong, confident individual. They are comfortable in their own skin and live life to the fullest. A Showout works hard and plays hard. His/her life is all about balance and fun.  I often use the word to refer to myself, my friends, and clients, but it also can be used as an adjective or verb based on someone’s behavior or actions. For example, Paige is showin’ out with her tight, red pants and red lipstick!

2. You have incredible energy and seem to value fun as much as you value fitness. Two questions here -

        a. How do you keep training fun for yourself even when things get challenging physically and/or mentally? 

I remind myself of my goals. It is easy for me to get caught up in thinking I should compete in the CrossFit Games when I am surrounded by a competitive atmosphere all the time at CrossFit Central; however, I look at my goals and see the big picture for me. I train because I love it, I want to inspire others,  and I want to look good! I like variety in my training. Currently my training schedule involves strongman/underground strength training, sprint track workouts, yoga, and a skills/strength day.  By having a variety in my training, I don’t get bored and have fun at each workout.

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Making The Elite : CrossFit Women in Training

APRIL 2013

Name: Andrea Ager aka "AGERBOMB"
Age: 25
Occupation: CrossFit Coach, Elite CrossFit Athlete/CrossFit Games Team Competitor


Andrea Ager is currently ranked 5th in the world on the Reebok CrossFit Games Leaderbord.  In 2011, Andrea finished the open in 17th place in SoCal and was part of the Brick team that placed 5th at the 2011 Crossfit Games.  Since then, Andrea has had her sights set on competing as an individual.  In 2012, Andrea finished the open 6th place in the world and placed 5th at the SoCal Regional.  This year, she will go head to head with some of the nation's top athletes in the extremely competitive SoCal Regional in an effort to claim a coveted spot at the CrossFit Games this July.

Andrea is one of those people that lives and breathes CrossFit.  In 2012 she competed in 12 different CrossFit competitions placing in the top five (often placing first) at each one.  Not only is Andrea a fierce competitor, she is also a dedicated CrossFit coach. She is as passionate about the success of her athletes as she is about her own.  When Andrea and I started talking about her Fashlete™ of the Month Feature, we decided  that this would be a wonderful opportunity for her to talk about a group of female athletes that she trains called "Making the Elite".  I was excited to find out how one of the top CrossFit athletes in the world coaches women who aspire to compete at the elite level.  Here's what she had to say.... 

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