Saturday, January 11, 2014

Introducing...2014 BDHQ / BDHQ2 Ambassadors!!

L-R: Joanne Macdonald, Raeleen Siu, Leah Mack


This fall we put a call out for our 2014 BDHQ Ambassadors. It was fun to hear from many dedicated BDHQ’ers about their fitness goals and to see such great progress by so many! We’re proud to say that we have selected three amazingly self motivated, social superstars as our 2014 Ambassadors.

These three are stellar examples of goal-oriented, driven BDHQ’ers who work their butts off (literally) to make their workouts happen.  They're social, they spread BDHQ love around the community and each of them have great stories to share about why they do what they do…

Leah Mack is a hard working professional who (sometimes) rises with the birds to get her workouts in before her work day calls. If the morning is too much, she will make it happen at lunch and Saturday mornings.

More about Leah...
·         Home town: Victoria, BC
·         How long you been w/ BDHQ? 3 + years, started in outdoor bootcamps and then found my way downtown.
·         What's your fave class: Don’t ask me to pick a favorite, I love them all.  But if I have too……. Probably Cardio Burnout – you are guaranteed a well rounded workout of cardio and resistance, with a team mate cheering you on.  
·         Favourite exercise? Box jumps.  There’s always a bit of risk you’re going to fall on your face, so a real sense of accomplishment when you don’t. So far, I have not!
·         Least favourite exercise? Push-ups with your feet in the TRX. So far, I just swing.  I’ll keep you posted on any progress.
·         Can’t say no to: TEAM SPORTS, name it, I have probably played it, or am currently on a team (softball, ortho, fastball, soccer, lawn bowling, flag football, volleyball, dodgeball). 
·         2014 goals: A faster, stronger, leaner, energized me!  Me 2.0.  And maybe a half marathon, but I am such a scaredy cat. 
·         What I love about BDHQ:  I fell in love with the efficiency of BDHQ: you will get the best workout, at any class, on any day, with any instructor.  I love the other members - it's like a (non-)secret club. Nothing is more fun than running into a fellow member in the "real world", dressed in real clothes.  Like Superheros.  And I love the music.  

Joanne Macdonald is a long time BDHQ’er and busy working mom. We’ve enjoyed seeing more of Joanne this year at classes at both locations as well as at outdoor bootcamp as part of her quest to rebuild from “multi-tasking mom burnout”.  In the past months Joanne has shifted priorities and instead of working 60 hour work weeks she’s now rocking the workouts including 30 workouts in 30 days in November. 

More about Joanne...
·         Home town: Born & raised on the Island, been in Victoria since 1987
·         How long you been with BDHQ? Started with BDHQ Outdoor Bootcamp after my first daughter was born in 2003, before BDHQ had studios, kettlebells, baby bootcamps and such. I’ve been in and around BDHQ ever since.
·         What's your fave class: I like different classes for different reasons.  Kettlebells for the strength, spin for the sweat, Bootcamp for the outdoor fun and the Drill for the awesome live tunes!
·         Favorite exercise? All ab work, especially sit-ups with the ball overhead cause I’m keen to improve my core strength.
·         Least favorite exercise? Rings and hamstring curls with your feet in the TRX. I’m sure they are both very helpful exercises, but there’s nothing fun about those ones for me.
·         Memorable 2013 goal achieved? Left my demanding job in July and spent the latter half of the year recovering from burnout and appreciating having time to workout, re-invent my career and catch back up on life. Ran the October half marathon within one minute of my personal best time, plus ran the 1.5km kids run with my two girls as a cool down.
·         2014 goals: Continue to wage the battle on work-life balance, putting fitness and family first as I launch a new business. Run a half marathon in June, continue to build strength by hitting BDHQ classes and refine my food & drink choices for a leaner body in 2014 (hoping that less work stress = less need for wine!).
·         Why I love BDHQ? I love the great workouts, people and positive energy. I appreciate the varying classes that keep my workouts interesting and I love the music as it keeps me moving. I love the fact that BDHQ’ers represent such a wide range of people and body types - there truly is something for everyone at BDHQ! No matter how many reasons I might have for not getting to a workout, I always leave happy. All you have to do is get there and you know you’ll work hard and feel better for it. I love that. Check out my blog for more on how BDHQ has helped me achieve my goals: http://themomcape.com/2014tools/ 
 
Raeleen Siu walked off the street and into BDHQ in the summer of 2011 and said to trainer Lovisa, “I need to change,” and has been married to the gym ever since. She went from zero workouts to six classes a week through BDHQ’s Biggest Winner program, losing 35 pounds in 9 months. Since then, she’s had another baby and kept the weight off, thanks to BDHQ’s Baby Bootcamp. Raeleen’s two hyperactive boys, aged 1 and 4, keep her accountable to staying fit so she can keep up with them!

More about Raeleen...
·         Home town: Born in Vancouver, spent my 20’s in Edmonton, and have been in Victoria 6 years
·         How long have you been a BDHQ’er: 2.5 years
·         What’s your fave class: Cardio Burnout—there is nothing I’d rather be doing during my lunch hour than having James calmly request ridiculously hard exercises with a car tire, and keeping up with Dawn’s crazy spin bike routines. And, last year I religiously attended Baby Bootcamp with Trish which was the best use of maternity leave, EVER.
·         Favorite exercise? Planking! I can go for 5 minutes and it’s helped get my core back into shape after having 2 babies.
·         Least favorite exercise? Rings! They make me feel like a large sea lion out of water trying to do upside down push-ups. Awkward!
·         Memorable 2013 goal achieved? OMG. So many…I was on maternity leave and spent it staying in shape, losing 30 pounds of baby weight, and training for and running 2 half marathons (finished the Goodlife Half in October in 1:57, my PB)
·         2014 goals: This is the year I hit my final weight goal/dress size and start maintaining. Run at least 2 more half marathons and do it faster. The scariest goal for me is I promised myself if I am chosen as a BDHQ Ambassador I will sign up for courses to become a personal trainer. And, figure out those rings.
·         Why I love BDHQ? I love how it makes me feel—uplifted, less stressed, inspired, and appreciated. It’s partly because the classes are challenging and I sweat a lot, but I keep coming back because of the people. Michele has it dialed when it comes to amazing service. They knew my name the second day I walked into the gym and called me out when I missed classes.  There is seriously good energy at BDHQ and I need to be a part of that.