1) Who is Beth Spearman? (where are you from, what do you do, a bit about yourself (hobbies, etc)
I am a Christian, a wife to Ryan, a mother of 2 beautiful kiddos (Ansley, 8 and Caleb, 6), a sister, a daughter, a teacher, a coach, and an athlete. Growing up with a football coach meant moving around a lot, but we settled down in Houston when I was in 8th grade.
I am a part time PE teacher at a private school and a CrossFit coach. I like to hang out with my family, do renovation projects at my house, read, sleep and shuttle kids to their activities.
2) How many years have you been training?
I’ve been an athlete my whole life, a gymnast for 15 years, then became a pole vaulter in college. I played basketball through high school as well.
I found CrossFit in 2008 after I “retired” from pole vaulting. I was so bored at the regular gym, so I googled cross training workouts and found CrossFit.com. I started doing the mainsite workouts at the globo gym and eventually hooked up with Grace Patenaude and we would take our spartan-esque equipment out to parks and do workouts there. Then she opened up Atomic CrossFit and I’ve been coaching there ever since.
3) Whats been the most challenging/hardest part of your journey so far? and how have you overcome them (set backs, rejections, injuries, basically anything difficult that you have had to overcome)
I would like to say having kids as a challenge, but that’s not the biggest obstacle I’ve encountered. The toughest thing I’ve overcome is my own self-image and how I talk to myself. I spent so much time and energy putting myself down that I reached a point where I had nothing left. Upbeat and happy on the outside, inside I was crushing myself with my own criticism and unrealistic expectations.
Part of overcoming that has been asking for help. My perfectionist personality doesn’t like to let anyone know there’s a problem, and i kept a hard shell on the outside. I had to break that to finally own up to it and start to let it go. It’s a process that I’m still working through each day. It’s an intentional exercise of the mind each day to actually believe in myself and not be afraid of failure.
4) What does your typical workout/diet routine look like?
I train 6 days a week on a wacky schedule. Between work and family, I fit things in where I can. Sometimes that’s 2 good sessions a day, with adequate rest and recovery and sometimes that’s a huge session with breaks for homework and playtime with the kids. What’s been a blessing for me is being able to piece together a nice garage gym. I can typically get a quick session in at Atomic Crossfit and then get the other half of training done at my house.
I count macros for my diet. This works the best for me and I’m able to be a bit flexible with what I eat if I want to. I ebb and flow with strict measuring and just going off of feel. I’ll weigh in to make sure I’m not going overboard. I do like to enjoy all the foods :)
5) What new knowledge have you learned over this past year regarding training, lifestyle and nutrition?
As an athlete - don’t neglect accessory work! I used to skip accessory work when I ran out of time, but I’ve found since I really started making that part of my training day, I feel so much stronger, my joints feel better and I feel less “beat up” after a tough day.
As far as lifestyle
6) Whats your favourite cheat/Treat meal?
I love cookies from Great American Cookie Company...especially ones with icing in the middle! Blue Bell Ice Cream is also something I would eat everyday if I could. Oh and pizza and Doritos...but not together. Almost forgot Mexican food with margaritas….How long can this list be?
7) Whats one supplement that you could not live without?
Definitely protein powder! I’m not a protein lover, so eating TONS of meat and eggs is not high on my list, so protein powder helps me.
8) If you had to start your Journey from scratch with your health & physique what would you do differently and why?
I would be consistent. I’m very Type-A, perfectionist person, so I tend to fall into an all or nothing mentality with a lot of things. Therefore my training and nutrition would often take these huge swings of being super-focused on every last detail, then I would get mentally worn out and swing the other direction where I wasn’t doing anything and eating whatever I wanted. If I could go back and do it again, I would work hard on finding the middle and allowing myself
9) Who do you look up to in the fitness industry and why?
I really look up to the people that walk through the doors of Atomic CrossFit each day. The moms, the dads, single parents, people working 2 jobs, retired people, college students, people with injuries and disabilities, strong women and men, strong kids. All these people work hard each day and then come in to make their lives better through fitness. I love that. I love that they prioritize fitness and their health. Their stories and struggles lift me up and motivate me to be the best that I can be.
10) If you had to give one bit of advice to people starting out what would that be?
You were created to be uniquely you! You aren’t someone else that you see on social media, in magazines or on TV, so don’t try to be them. Be present in your journey, stop every so often and reflect on how far you’ve come. Set your goals and only use yourself to measure against. When you step into the gym each day, tell yourself “I’m going to do something today to make me better than I was yesterday”. That’s the measure of success in any journey in life.
11) What new goals do you have on the horizon?
Right now I’m focused on training and my family!
My goal is to qualify for the Games again this year in the Master’s 35-39 division. Outside of CrossFit, I’m working towards building my remote client training and nutrition coaching. My passion in life is helping and teaching people and I love using this outlet to do that. Personally, I’m focused on being present in life and slowing down to savor the small moments with my husband and kids.
12) Where can people find you? (website, social media accounts)
Facebook - Beth Spearman
IG: @beth_spearman
