Athlete Spotlight: Meg Begany

Name: Meg Begany

Nickname: The ones I kinda like…MegBeg, Megster. The ones I really can’t stand…Meggy, Margaret (Well, really Margaret isn’t a nickname, it’s my real name, but I still haven’t grown to love it yet)

Age: 40

Occupation: Neonatal Nutritionist (dietitian for sick or premature babies) at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Hometown: Coopersburg, PA

Favorite WOD: Well, I’m terrible at making decisions. This has been a lifelong problem that anyone who knows me well can attest to. And it’s not any different for making a decision about my favorite WOD….I’m still pondering the choices.

Favorite lift: Deadlift and Power Clean…both thanks to Zach. I had poor form for both of these lifts and Zach encouraged me (made me) drill my form over and over. I was frustrated at the time, and although my form still needs work and I am no powerhouse, I actually understand proper form for these lifts now. I can feel when I am performing them right and when my form is not there. Understanding these lifts and seeing improvements in my strength and ability has made them my favorites. (Don’t ask me to choose between them though…remember, I’m really bad at making decisions)

How long have you been CrossFitting? The first time around was for almost 2 years. Then I took 2 1/2 months off and very recently returned to CFDV…this time around, I’ve been CrossFitting for 6 days (as of Jan 17th). (Yes, I’m VERY sore…please don’t touch me)

Which class time do you usually attend? 7pm on weeknights, 10am on Saturdays. Whenever my husband is available to watch our kids.

How did you find CrossFit? Really it traces back to a bumper sticker. My husband knew about CrossFit and was very excited when he spotted a CFDV bumper sticker and found out there was an affiliate nearby. He asked the owner of the bumper sticker for information (thanks Kieran Kelly). When the introductory classes (now Elements) didn’t fit into his schedule, he suggested I give it a try. I’m not really sure what motivated me to show up at that first class, but I don’t think I’ll ever regret it!

What is your athletic background? In a word…laughable. I have tried many things for short periods and was not good at any of them. Out of all of them, I stuck with running the longest.

How has CrossFit changed your life, lifestyle, level of fitness? Hmmm… I’m at my highest weight right now and my clothes are too tight after my 2 1/2 month hiatus so the timing is bad for me on this question…but several months ago I saw some muscle definition, my clothes fit better and I had lost inches around my waist. Prior to CrossFit my approach to fitness lacked structure and variety. The encouragement I receive from the trainers and athletes to push myself has been invaluable. I have really enjoyed being exposed to weightlifting and other exercises that I would not otherwise attempt. CrossFit has taught me a lot about the functional aspects of fitness. I now think about proper form when I go to lift something heavy. CrossFit has made me do some strange things too. I have looked at short walls and wondered if I could jump on top of them (and box jumps terrify me!), bought the biggest bag of dog food just to see if I can carry it all the way to the car, and done air squats at work when no one is looking.

What motivates/inspires you? 1) Making my kids and my husband proud of me. I would love to be thought of as a “strong mom” and also want to be an active parent for many years to come; 2) many of you at CFDV. Seeing the hard work, dedication, and successes achieved by CFDV members and trainers is so inspiring; 3) my mom…never met a harder working person willing to sacrifice so much for her family; 4) not gonna lie…losing weight, fitting into smaller size clothes, looking better naked, pictures of girls with what I would consider the ideal body (no, not those kind of girly pictures; I mean the kind in fitness magazines). I have a picture of a girl’s amazing abs on my fridge; 5) seeing the numbers on the barbells go up; 6) being in a learning environment, which for me is one of the best aspects of CrossFit. We can all learn something from each other and I learn something new every time I show up!

Name one goal/personal achievement that you would like to achieve through CrossFit: I would love to say that I can do a pullup. I have never done either a kipping or a strict pullup without a band. Another goal is to CrossFit at least until I am old enough to be in the Masters category….as a 40-year-old, it’s hard to keep up with the 20- and 30-somethings, but I am curious to see how I would compare to the abilities of other masters age CrossFitters when I can no longer use age as an excuse.

Hobbies/interests outside of CrossFit? My kids–love to be with them; love to talk about them; and love the humor, challenges, love and happiness they add to my life. Complaining/worrying–I can always find something to complain or worry about. Gossiping–I work in a field that’s 99.9% female, so there’s always drama and gossip. My life is consumed with work and my kids’ activities. I am now a cheerleader mom and an ice hockey mom.

What is your favorite cheat food? I have weird food issues…too many issues to be able to answer this question without it becoming an essay (It’s part of my occupation–it’s hard to find a dietitian that doesn’t have some sort of food issues).

Tell us something about you that most people wouldn’t know: Jager is my favorite shot. Also, I’m not afraid of heights, I’m just afraid of falling and hitting the ground.

Name at least one embarrassing guilty pleasure: I am a reformed Gossip Girl addict, but it’s been a couple of years since I’ve seen an episode now. I still love America’s Funniest Videos…never fails to make me laugh. I will definitely ask if you are okay of you trip or fall, but forgive me if I also laugh…that stuff is funny!

Any advice for new members? Listen to the trainers. You may not always agree with them or like what they ask of you. You may not even like some of them at first, but in the end, they are there to help you, they can help get you where you want to be and they know their stuff. I can’t say enough good things about the CFDV trainers. Also, start working on your repertoire of ways to cook meat and get ready to eat a lot of it.

Have you met Pukie? Nope. I like to think that I never will because I have a really strong stomach, but it’s probably because I haven’t pushed myself hard enough…