Ashley Adams

A big part of our gym culture is to be all inclusive and welcome anyone who walks through our doors. Whether it’s their very first CrossFit class or they’re visiting from out of town, everyone deserves to feel comfortable during their workout with us. Ashley embodies that attitude. Always with a warm and friendly smile she makes hard workouts a little more bearable. And she’s always one of the first to introduce herself to a new face and make them feel at home. Don’t let her pint-size fool you though. She’s strong and can bust out Fran in under 5 minutes. We’re grateful to have Ashley and her family as part of the Mudtown community. Enjoy this interview!

Member since: We joined Crossfit Mudtown Memorial Day 2016. Our first workout was Murph.

What do you do for a living? My previous career was as a School Counselor, specifically elementary and middle school. I’m doing my favorite job now… staying at home with my two boys.

How did you hear about CrossFit and what was your first workout? We were living in North Carolina when Hank started Crossfit first (we actually lived at the 400m turnaround point). I was going to the local gym for spin classes but I got jealous because Hank was making friends and I wasn’t.

How many days do you CrossFit? What classes do you normally attend? We try to go 3-5 days a week to the 4:30pm or 5:30pm class

Favorite CrossFit movement/workout? Air squats:) and any body weight workout

Least favorite CrossFit movement/workout? Snatches

What motivates you/keeps you coming back to CrossFit Mudtown? The friendships and the childcare keep me coming back.

Most embarrassing/funniest gym moment? My most embarrassing gym moment has been I’ve tripped twice over my shoelaces on the 400 meter run…. but as of last week it was when my child threw-up in the middle of the nutritional seminar.

Favorite thing about Birmingham? We’ve moved a lot and I’ve always said that I would love to raise my kids here. Birmingham is so family oriented and has great schools.

What accomplishment are you most proud of (outside and inside of the gym)? I’m proud Hank and I have survived 9 moves in 10 years and the family that we’ve made. Inside the gym I’m proud that I finally got another bar muscle up (waited up there for 12 minutes for Hank to get one).

What is your favorite meal? Red Wine:)

What are some of your interests outside of CrossFit? I love to travel and spending time with family.

What is one goal that you are currently working on? Improving my double-unders.

Do you have a hidden talent? I don’t have any hidden talents- I’m really boring.

Tell us a fun/interesting fact not many people know about you. I was on a sinking cruise ship in Santorini Greece. We made it off safe, but lost all luggage and personal belongings. Makes for a great story over my favorite meal (see above).

Get ready for a food overhaul! Our annual healthy eating challenge will focus on eating real, whole foods for 6 weeks. Here are the deets…

We all have different goals or aspirations when it comes to our health and physique, but the major point of a nutrition challenge is to demonstrate that changing your nutrition will lead to long-term, sustainable improvements in health and fitness. During this challenge we want you to focus on building habits and creating a positive attitude toward feeding your body. Your thoughts create your feelings, your feelings create your behaviors, and those behaviors reinforce your thoughts. It doesn’t start with food, it starts with how you think about food.

Method – 6 week focus on healthy eating Jan. 15 – Feb. 25

1. Phase 1 – First 2 weeks. Focus on eating real food. Overall no dairy, grains, sugar or alcohol (see food list below for more details). Don’t worry about amounts to much yet. Eat these foods until you’re full 3-5 times per day. If it helps to have a visual look at your plate in sections: ¼  protein, ¼ starchy carbs, ½ non starchy veggies. Add in a little fat and and some fruit if you want and you’re good. We’ll get into more specific amounts of food in next phase. Begin tracking food in MyFitnessPal app.
2. Phase 2 – Next 4 weeks. Focus on quality and quantity. Dialing in portions and adjusting to fit personal goals/needs. Adjust MFP or use Zone blocks as guides.
3. Post-Challenge. Find what works for you, add back a few ‘exceptions’ and focus on your attitude towards food. Continue to ask for help and use Facebook group for support.

Getting started:

• Kick-off meeting and measurements – January 11th @ 5:30. A full packet of information will be provided at the nutrition meeting including worksheets to track your points.
• Cost to join the challenge is $20
• Link to register

Scoring factors include:

1. Benchmark WOD: January 16 (all classes this day)
2. Body metrics: weight, measurements, body fat*, blood work*
3. Daily eating points: following the food list showing what to eat and what not to eat (see below) you will earn points every day. You are in charge of keeping track of your points using the worksheets provided. This is on the HONOR system. We trust your integrity and know you’ll award the proper number, but if you’re not sure ask a coach.
   1. 4= perfect day
   2. 3= one minor slip, but not entire meal (one bite of something, cream in coffee, used a little ketchup)
   3. 2= major slip, but not entire meal (full portion/serving of non-approved food, ate slice of bread/cheese/cookie, glass of milk)
   4. 1= an entire meal went bad (ate pizza and had a cookie for dinner)
   5. 0= more than one meal went bad throughout the day (you went off the rails for dinner then went out for drinks)
4. Daily bonus points (earned everyday):
   1. 1= followed through with habit of choice (ex: eat veggie at breakfast. This can change week to week or stay the same)
   2. 1= worked out
   3. 1= did romwod
   4. 1= tracked all food in MyFitnessPal app
5. Overall bonus points (earned once):
   1. 10 = body fat tested*
   2. 10 = blood work done*
   3. 10 = Complete an approved fitness endeavor outside of the gym (race, lifting comp, cf comp, etc.). Talk to a coach if you have an idea of what you’d like to do.

*Body fat testing will be provided at the gym by Driven Fitness Lab using their Bodpod. Cost is $50 and covers two tests, one at the beginning and end. Bodpod comes to the gym each time. January 10th, 4-7pm and January 15th, 4-6pm.

*Blood work is $35/test done at Arcpoint Labs. Workup includes: lipid panel (HDL, LDL, total), glucose serum, height, weight and blood pressure. Call (205) 582-4055 to schedule appointment. Must be completed by January 17th.

Resources to help:

• Packet of info provided at the kick-off meeting
• Private Facebook group – join us!
• Weekly meetings at the gym for 30 minutes – Monday’s @ 6pm
• Weekly emails/blog posts with important info, tips and recipes
• Potluck at the end to show-off our fancy cooking skills and recipes

Prizes:

All members who earn 4’s for their daily eating points the first two weeks will receive a $10 coupon good towards merchandise at the gym.

The final winners of the challenge will be determined by points, benchmark wod, and changes in body measurements.

1st Place:

1 month membership

$250 cash

2nd Place:

1 month membership

$100 cash

3rd Place:

1 month membership

$75 cash

We’re excited to take this nutrition journey with you! Please get signed up today to participate or if you have questions respond to this email or ask a coach.