MEMBER OF THE MONTH - JEN
Meet Kea’s Member of the Month Jen - January 2025
Refusing to Make Excuses
It’s easy to use an injury as an excuse to skip the gym. Or to postpone starting a workout program altogether until your body is fully healed.
In the back of your mind, it feels justifiable, maybe even the smart way to go…
But somewhere deep down you know it’s just an excuse.
Jen is proof of this.
Now 43, Jen started at Kea Athletics in June, 2023 (although she has been doing CrossFit since 2018).
She has been experiencing chronic pain in recent months stemming from a concussion from a car accident, but still, she’s automatic. Through it all, she has continued to be a mainstay at the 7 am class five days a week.
More specifically, Jen experiences frequent migraines and vestibular issues. Her balance is impaired, she struggles to know where things are in space, and she experiences motion sensitivity. And on top of this, she also suffered a broken toe last year while on vacation in Costa Rica.
“I was actually sober when it happened,” she laughed.
Still, Jen has never used her pain or a toe injury as an excuse to avoid the gym.
Why?
Because it’s still more helpful for her to show up than it is to stay at home, she explained.
That being said, Jen wouldn’t have been so confident continuing to train if she didn’t have Kea owners Eric and Jo in her corner to help her modify her training sessions when she needs to.
“I have to adapt a lot of things. For example, when my traps get tight, my migraines get worse,” she said.
Each day is a new experience, but each day Jo and Eric are there to say, “OK, let’s come up with something else you can do,” Jen explained. “They help me modify so I can still be there.”
For Jen, being able to continue to workout five days a week despite being injured has been instrumental, not only to her physical health, but also to her mental health.
In the past six years, Jen has lost five family members, four to cancer, the most recent being her mother, who experienced a “massive stroke.”
“I had to make the decision about whether or not to take life saving measures. I said no, as she wouldn’t have wanted to live being unable to understand words, speak or swallow. I flew to Ottawa and then watched her die over eight days,” Jen said.
Needless to say, Jen has every right to have wanted to hibernate at home in recent months, grieving.
But instead, she doubled down and made the gym an even bigger priority, as she knows how important it is for her to take care of herself now, more than ever.
“Working out is a great way to help manage, and improve, your mental health. It’s about taking that time for yourself to do something that you enjoy and it makes you feel good and feel good about yourself,” she said.
Jen’s Message
“Kea really is for everyone and anyone. And you can come injured and there are things you can do. Or even if you’re just sore one day, you can modify things. There are always ways around it, and it’s better than staying at home,” she said.
It sure has been for Jen, and she couldn’t be more thankful for the Kea community.
“You arrive and someone tells you what to do, instead of going to the gym and guessing what you should do,” Jen said.
She added: “And it’s very welcoming, and there’s a really diverse cross section of people, but everyone is there helping each other, pushing each other, and it’s actually enjoyable.”
written by: Emily Beers
