Name: Sara Mallett
Age: 34
Occupation: 9 years in real estate
How long have you been a member of CrossFit Northland?
What brought you into our gym? 2.5 years. In July 2020, I found myself very depressed and needed something else in my day-to-day life. I found therapy (or therapy found me) and a couple short months later, I found CFN and it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made and a bonus is I get to do it with my husband!
Tell us a little about your fitness background?
I’ve been active since I was little. At age 3, I started tap. Throughout most of my life, I was in dance, gymnastics and basketball and then I did tennis and soccer for a short time. In my adult life, after college, I still always made working out a priority. I owe all of that to my mom for being such a great role model growing up. I remember being little and watching her in all her aerobic classes. My mom is 69 and still does CrossFit herself!
How do you make fitness a priority, especially with a new baby?
It’s just a non-negotiable for me. You make time for things that bring you joy and that are good for you. It’s really as simple as that. I have to take care of myself first so I can show up as a wife, mom, friend and daughter.
What is on your CrossFit bucket list?
Muscle ups, kipping pull ups
What is something most people do not know about you?
I did competitive inline speed skating for 12 years that led me to travel all over the US to compete and also got to race in France!
What does “living life on your own terms” mean to you, and in what ways are you living life on your terms?
Having a purposeful life. Having flexibility. Being a present mother, wife and friend. Being intentional with my time and my relationships. Work/life balance has been really hard for me the last few years, but I’ve learned that time for myself and my relationships are equally as important as any job and I’ve stopped feeling so guilty for taking some downtime here and there.
What do you enjoy most about CFN?
The people, the programming and those 90 day check-ins w/ David! CFN is so inclusive. No matter where you’re at on your fitness journey, everything is completely customizable to what works best for you. Also, no matter who it is, the person next to you is always rooting you on!
What motivates you and keeps you coming back week after week?
I’ve always had the drive, but having a daughter to now show up for has lit a new fire in me. Aging is inevitable, but how I feel is completely up to me. As I’ve gotten older, how I feel has become much more important. Taking care of my health and body is always going to be a priority of mine.
What PRs or accomplishments are you most proud of?
Probably front squat (125×3). That was pre-baby, but I’m slowly pushing myself to try a little more each time and get outside my comfort zone. I always surprise myself how much I can do if I don’t talk myself out of it first.
If you could have one super power, what would it be?
To read our dogs’ minds. Just kidding. Sort of. In all seriousness, I wish I could cure diabetes. I lost my only brother from a heart attack. He was 32. He was a type 1 diabetic his entire life and I saw it really affect him his entire life. My mom also got diagnosed at age 54 (type 2). She’s doing really well, but it’s just one of those diseases that is very hard to control. It’s really tough seeing someone work so hard on their health day in and day out, but everything fights against them.What is one piece of advice you’d give to someone that is considering starting CrossFit? Just try it. CFN is so inclusive and every workout can be completely tailored to what you can / want to do that day. The CFN community is just an added bonus. I’ve not met better people anywhere. For me, I was getting really bored with the traditional gym and having to come up with workouts everyday and not seeing results. With CrossFit, you show up and the coaches put you to work…you don’t have to think about anything, other than just showing up for that 1 hour.