Kirkwood Member of the Month: Janice D.
FitWit folks! Our member of the month for February is the riveting Janice D.! She has been with FitWit for TWO years now and comes hustlin’ from work always ready to get down with some squats. Just a few of the strong attributes that have given Janice MOTM for the month are; She challenges herself to dig deeper, prioritizes her fitness, and is always a friendly and welcoming face in our FitWit socials! If you see her around the gym in the evening, give her a LOUD FitWit high five! Read on to learn more about this awesome member of our community:
Hometown:
Both: Ensom City (St. Catherine, Jamaica) and Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario, Canada)
Age:
Um, how dare you. I’ll say it this way… JLo is exactly 2 days older than I am
Occupation:
Software Trainer and Instructional Designer
When did you first start FitWiting?
Dec 2017
What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and fitness since starting FitWit?
In a nutshell: I feel firmer, leaner, and overall healthier than when I started FitWit. I haven’t kept track of my stats so I’m not sure how much longer I can do various exercises, or how many more reps I can perform but I know I can do waaay more than when I first joined and that I’ll continue to improve over time.
Tell us about your sports & fitness background:
I dabbled in different sports as a kid (baseball, basketball, karate, and even curling), and engaged in occasional bursts of exercise/workouts as an adult.
What sort of changes in your life have you experienced out of taking on something like FitWit that were totally unexpected?
Mostly, I just find myself doing everyday things differently… like when I walk, I feel my glutes and qauds actively kicking in (instead of loosely flinging my legs in front of me); I stand up directly when getting up from sitting, no more leaning or pushing off like I used to; and, I hinge for absolutely everything — I was picking up a button recently and realized I was hinging.
Why do you FitWit?
Even though I routinely feel like I might pass out during the workouts, it makes me feel accomplish and energized once I actually make it through; there’s so much workout variety there’s little chance to get bored; I love the team-oriented spirit FitWit encourages; the coaches are ridiculously supportive and so darn awesome; the group events and competitions are a cool touch; and, though I haven’t taken advantage of this, I love that that FitWit shares unexpected resources with members (like the park pass and water equipment).
Favorite workouts?
I tend to prefer the EMOM ,Tabata, and AMRAP-type workouts. Also, I can squat like a beast, so bring em on.
Least favorite workouts?
I’m admittedly not a big fan of cardio-heavy workouts a la running, ergs, air bike. I guarantee if you see me on a running/erg/bike assessment day, it’s because I didn’t realize that’s what the workout was going to involve.
Three words to describe you:
Curious, open, fiscally-responsible
Fitness Goals?
To be fit and stay fit!
Words to live by?
It may not be sexy, but one of my faves is: Knowledge is Power (Bacon)
Something cool we don’t know about you?
Hmm, I don’t know if I can claim any “cool” attributes, but things people find surprising are that: I’m Jamaican (mostly lost my accent during the Canada years), I’m the 8th of 11 kids in my family, and I go on weeks-long trips with only a backpack’s worth of clothing (granted, it’s a large backpack).