Athlete of the Month-Kristin Trostle-“Kristin T.”

When I first joined CrossFit KOP in June 2010, I knew I would like it. The thing I didn’t know was how much I would LOVE it, become OBSESSED with it and how much it would IMPACT my life. When I say that CrossFit has changed my life for the better, it is an understatement. Words cannot express how critical CrossFit has been in my growth as an individual and an athlete. I have never wanted to work out and hang out at the gym so much! I have developed a greater appreciation for strength and pushing my body to the limits. My continued improvements in movements, lifts and WODs at the gym have helped me to develop a greater confidence in myself, which permeates through to all facets of my life – work, family, relationships, etc. I finally feel like the strong and confident woman that I always wanted to be!

I am constantly challenged at every WOD and excited/motivated by the variety in exercises. Besides the benefits of the intense work outs, I love the community. CrossFit KOP offers such a great and supportive community. I truly feel like I am part of a team, a family and a network….something that I haven’t had since team sports in high school! The coaching and continued words of encouragement have helped me to push myself beyond even my wildest expectations! I enjoy sharing in others’ successes just as much as my own! I feel like I am constantly learning and growing from everyone around me and overall I just feel so lucky that I found CrossFit KOP!

In addition to the workouts, I have also become committed to improving my nutrition through CrossFit. About 3 months ago, I noticed that the “package” memberships (Gold/Silver/Bronze) offer a FREE 20 minute monthly nutritional counseling session that I hadn’t been taking advantage of for almost a year! So I contacted Aimee and in our first meeting, she explained the principals of the ZONE diet. She provided a food list with portion sizes and lots of great tips! Basically, on the ZONE you can eat ALL foods, but you need to monitor the portion sizes and be sure to eat protein, carbohydrates and fat with every meal/snack. I have been interested in nutrition my whole life and over the last 5 years, my daily diet has been generally healthy with emphasis on whole foods, but I had difficulty with shedding those extra pounds! When I started following the ZONE diet, I found that the missing “ingredient” for me was the portion sizes and focusing on adding the good fats into my daily meals! I have found that it has been so EASY to follow the guidelines of ZONE because I feel SO good! I feel that my blood sugar is balanced and this makes me balanced in life in general! My energy levels are elevated and the best part….I AM NEVER HUNGRY! As long as I eat my meals and my snacks, I am happy. I definitely don’t crave sugar like I used to (um yes, I used to think that I needed chocolate/ice cream/desserts every night)! Ultimately, I feel like I am fueling my body with the right balance of nutrients so that it can perform at its best! I have hit PR’s like never before in the gym, and I want to continue to feed my body this way because I have never felt better! Over the last 3 months or so, I have been following this plan and I’ve lost almost 15 pounds! For the first time in my life, I feel that this weight loss is sustainable because I have found the right balance in my nutrition and workouts. Thanks Aimee, for offering such great support and advice! You have helped me so much!

I feel like I’ve been looking my whole life for the community, work outs and nutritional guidance that CrossFit KOP offers and I’ve finally found it! I am constantly inspired by all of the coaches and members and I know that CrossFit will continue to be an important part of my life for many years to come!

Get to Know Kristin T. – Q &A:

Hometown: Wilmington, DE

Current Location: King of Prussia, PA

Age: 28

Occupation: Accounting

College: Penn State

Did you ever play sports? I played Field Hockey and Lacrosse in high school…..and then Beer Pong and Flip Cup in college (do they count?!)

When did you start CrossFit? June 2010 (a little over a year ago!)

What is your biggest achievement at CrossFit? Pull-ups! I started CrossFit on the thickest band and now I can now do kipping unassisted pull-ups! Amazing! I didn’t know that would be possible for me! In fact, I did 82 at the Angie work out!! I have never done that many in my life! Huge PR!

What do you feel that you still need to work on? Hand-stand push-ups…..and not to mention, muscle-ups. Both movements are really difficult for me and I think it will take a lot of time/patience/practice before I am able to do these Rx.

What is your favorite time of day to WOD? You will see me hanging out with the early morning crew at 6 AM. We have a breakfast club going on! It is often cooler in the mornings the summer! If not the mornings, I will come to the 6:30 pm.

What's your favorite WOD? This is a tough one, but I will have to go with “Karen” (150 wallballs for time). This was my FIRST Rx’d WOD (pre-ZONE) and I improved my time by almost 1.5 min last time I did it (post-ZONE)!

What’s your least favorite WOD? I don’t have one in particular, but generally, I am not a fan of any with hand-stand push-ups or muscle-ups.

What’s your favorite lift? Deadlift! This is the lift where I’ve see the greatest improvements over the course of my first year with CrossFit.

What’s your least favorite lift? Bench press. I struggle with this one a lot.

Any other PR’s since ZONE? Rx’d Grace (never knew this was possible!), PR’d my 5k time, and major improvements in pull-ups/toes to bar/rope climbs/wall climbs!