It’s a new year, and as you know I am focusing on cutting waaaay back on sugar this month. My Sugar-Free January is marching along and so far so good! It definitely helps to have a plan and a why. My why – why am I cutting out added and refined sugar is simple – to live a healthier life.
Many of us are always looking for ways to better our health and fitness. Looking for ways to make small and large adjustments to our lifestyle that will benefit us. Joining me today is an amazing athlete who has some timely suggestions and easy tips to inspire people to get fit.
Meagan Martin is a professional rock climber (How cool is that?) who is best known as She-Wolf on the show American Ninja Warriors. Watching her crush the obstacle course and physical challenges thrown her way is impressive!
Megan is widely considered to be the best female on the American Ninja Warrior circuit, having made it far into stage 1 of the National Finals two years in a row.
New Year’s Fitness Tips from Ninja Warrior Meagan Martin
I love the tips Meagan shared with me!
- Cleanse! After all of the holiday fun, it is time to cleanse your body and reset you fitness and health habits.
- Find a favorite guilt free and indulgent snack to head off cravings.
- Find a way to stick to your fitness routines while even on the road.
- Understand that progression takes time and baby steps will get you there.
I totally agree with Meagan. It is time to reset, and get moving! Baby steps will get you there.
More about this amazing athlete
As a kid Meagan climbed trees all the time. She was home schooled in elementary school and her mom made her read for an hour each day. So, Meagan chose to climb up in a tree with her book to do her reading. For her, it always seemed more fun that way. Meagan started climbing at Aiguille Rock Climbing Center, which is a gym in Orlando. Meagan joined the climbing team at the gym with about 8 other kids. “Growing up being a gymnast I climbed things all of the time at the gym when I was goofing around.”
Competitions:
Meagan started competing in gymnastics at the age of 5. “In regards to sports, all I really knew starting out was competitions. I love the exhilarating feeling that competitions give you. There are so many things going on, not only around you, but also in your head. You train really hard for that moment when you walk out in front of the crowd and do your thing. I do really love the crowd; they definitely pump me up!” says Meagan. Coming from a competitive gymnastics background, competing in climbing became the natural thing to do.
Pole Vaulting:
Meagan first tried Pole Vaulting in January of her freshman year of high school. “At first, I wasn’t really interested in trying pole vaulting, but my mom really thought that I should try it. I ended up loving it, so I guess my mom was right! I think that Gymnastics and climbing were both helpful in my transition into Pole Vaulting. Gymnastics gave me the body awareness, speed, strength, and acrobatic skills I needed to be a good Pole Vaulter. I think that climbing kept me strong after quitting gymnastics, so there was an added strength that I was able to apply to Pole Vaulting.”
Climbing 2.0:
At the end of her Junior year of college, Meagan realized that she wanted to pursue climbing competitively again as well as make it her career following college graduation. She had gone to the climbing gym in Nashville a couple of times, but with school and track, Meagan hadn’t made climbing a priority. The summer before her Senior year of college, Meagan pole vaulted and climbed all summer. When she returned to Vanderbilt in the fall, Meagan made a point to climb at least once a week throughout the school year. “I would choose one day a week to climb for a few hours after track practice. It was quite exhausting, but I knew I would be in better climbing shape to start my training after graduating.”
On the Future:
“I just want to continue climbing and enjoying it. I love competitions, so I will always do as many as I can. I also want to focus on outdoor climbing and sport climbing. I hope that my involvement in climbing will help the sport grow, because it’s such an amazing sport that more people should enjoy.”
Community Involvement:
Meagan is currently a coach at ABC Kids Climbing Gym in Boulder, Colorado. “I love having the opportunity to work at ABC. I think what Robyn and Didier have done with their program is great, and I enjoy getting the chance to work with the future generation on a weekly basis. I also teach clinics for both youth climbers and adult climbers. In the future I would like to get involved with more climbing based foundations so that I can give back to my community even more.”
