Q & A » INTERVIEW: NICOLE SEYMOUR

We've watched how this lady has gone from strength to strength, either in the competitive fitness field, her career, motherhood and now as a CrossFit athlete and gym owner.

Challenge yourself with her “Intensify your training” feature in the Jan/Feb 2015 issue or pick up a digital copy here. We caught up with our resident fitness superstar to find out more about what she has planned for 2015.

Q: How do you tackle the start of the new year in terms of your fitness routine?

I always see it as a new fresh start! Time to be a better you than the previous year. I take a little time to reflect on the previous years highs and lows and decide what worked and what didn't work. I have come to love the saying by Albert Einstein: “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”I always try to do something new and a little different and monitor the response or change, and most importantly to have fun while doing it!

Q: Top motivating tips to stay on track?

What you put in is what you get out. I know for a fact that if I was unhappy with something the previous year the only person who is going to change that unhappiness is me. You need to constantly monitor your progress and decide if you are happy with where you are currently, and if not you need to reassess and make the necessary changes in order to achieve those goals!

Q: What are your future plans for 2015?

My number-one priority is happiness. I aim to enjoy every second of every day and take challenges head on! Life is too short, we need to embrace change and know that it will only make us stronger!

Q: Any lessons learnt in 2014?

Yes, everything has a season and things will one day make sense! Till then you need to stay positive and as long as you keep moving forward with a positive attitude towards your dreams you will achieve all you want to.

Q: Give us a day in the life of Nicole. What does your normal daily schedule look like?

I wake up 3:50am, have breakfast and get ready for work. I leave home at 4:30am to open the box and get ready for our first morning session until 9:00am. I then get any admin / queries etc up to date and hopefully try to fit a training session in around 10:00am or 11:00am. Then it's off to fetch kiddies, running around after them in the afternoon, shopping, playing etc.
Some evenings I will take a class and I normally try have dinner ready before I leave so that I know my family is happy and fed. I like to eat dinner between 5:00pm and 6:00pm, any later and we have very grumpy children! After that it's bath time and a little chill time and play time with the kids before they go to sleep. Once they have settled I try catch up on any mails / admin / queries etc.
As much as possible I try get to bed around 9:30- 10:00pm. If I go to bed any later I can feel it starts to catch up to me, and rest is vital to physical and mental strength.

Q: Do you face nutritional or fitness challenges? And if so, how do you overcome them?

I think everyone has their own challenges to overcome. I can't think of anything off hand other than I don't think I will ever be 100% happy with my strength / fitness and physical capabilities as I believe that is what motivates me. I will always strive to be faster, stronger, fitter, healthier....So I guess that in itself is my biggest challenge.

Q: What's your number-one goal for 2015?

To live with passion and share it with all those around me. I want to enjoy and make the most of every second of 2015 and live it to its fullest! It's my year to live life not just do life.

Q: Where can our readers find out more about you?

Facebook, I guess as I'm getting better with posting things and this whole social media thing. Or, you can pop into our Iron Angel CrossFit Box in Ballito!