Which exercise sculpted this UAE Wonder Woman? Find out here

WE'RE NOT PRONE to taking advice, but looking at Jamie's physique, we can't wait to listen to what she says. The New Zealand CrossFit champ has taken Yas Ladies, the women's only gym at Vogue Fitness, by storm with her intense circuits and positive attitude, guiding women to their health and wellbeing goals.
It only took three weeks after landing in the UAE for Jamie to get her hands on the Dubai Fitness Championship trophy in 2014.  Since then she has placed first at the Reebok CrossFit Open individual female category and this year, at the CrossFit Games in Madison, Wisconsin - a three part process to identify the fittest people on Earth, she came eighth amongst 400,000 competitors.
We caught up with Jamie to chat about why CrossFit is so good and what changes we need to make to get in shape.
In your opinion what is it about CrossFit that makes it so popular?
The community, everybody is there for the same reason; to get fit, healthy, meet with new people and have fun, it's a very welcoming vibe wherever you are. It makes it a much easier exercise regimen to stick to and that's all you need for good results - consistency, and continued commitment.
 
Do you have any other favourite workouts? What are the benefits in comparison?
I like swimming, running, climbing, biking but this can all also be considered 'CrossFit' as they all fall under the category of 'functional fitness'
 
What benefits did you witness when you concentrated on CrossFit?
I found I became a lot more motivated in day-to-day life out of the gym. I also increased strength, lost body fat and became a more rounded athlete. My endurance, mobility, agility, and coordination all increased. I also met a lot of new people, many becoming more like family to me.
Can anyone participate?
Anybody! And anyone! It doesn't matter what fitness level you're on, or your capabilities as every workout or movement is scalable (possible to change) to suit your needs or fitness level. The idea is that everybody is feeling a similar way from the workout that is set out. Also you are coached through everything in your standard CrossFit Class.
 
How many times a week should you do it and how long are the sessions?
It's dependent on your goals, anywhere between three to six times a week is suitable for your regular Crossfitter. No more than an hour a day is needed.
 
Would you recommend this exercise for someone looking to just getting in shape, or looking to become more muscular?
Both of course! And they will see many other benefits along the way, such as increased stamina, agility, balance, coordination and strength.
 
What are the benefits of a single-gender gym?
Sometimes it helps for some to feel more comfortable and in the UAE it is suitable for some ladies as they then don't have to worry about fully covering up while working out.
 
As a fitness professional, what resolutions do you most recommend people take on to lose weight?
It's all about small changes at a time. No one sticks to anything if it is a drastic change, that's just not feasible. I recommend to start with one goal e.g. eat five vegetables a day, stick to this for a week or so then add another goal in like cutting out processed foods and so on.
Making small changes will add up in the long run without having to sacrifice your whole life to become healthier.
 
Your personal fitness journeys have been eventful with all the competitions, what has been your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?
My biggest challenge was the year I snapped my Achilles doing box jumps. I was in recovery mode for nine to 12 months. Mentally this was very hard for me, as I love to train and I worked at a gym as well, so I couldn't even work to keep myself occupied. But it taught me to work on the things I was bad at in CrossFit and to be patient and do what I could. I learnt to slow down a little and now in the long run I can see it was of benefit for not only my CrossFit but also the way I approach life... to be a bit more appreciative.
Jamie's everyday diet and fitness tips
 
Diet
1. Eat food that will go off within a few days.
2. Drink at least three litres of water a day
3. Eat enough! Your body will thank you for it, if you spread your food evenly throughout the day you will find your energy levels becoming much more level rather than ups and downs around big meals or no meals.
 

Fitness
1. Find something you enjoy? If you hate it you will never stick to it!
2. Workout with friends. The motivation helps and it's harder to say no when you are letting someone else down.
3. Work with intensity, a 10 minutes hard workout is better than 60 minutes of mucking around in the gym. It saves you time and you see better results.
david@khaleejtimes.com