1) Who is Mia Edgar? (where are you from, what do you do, a bit about yourself (hobbies, etc)
I am from Aurora, Colorado and I am a US Navy Undersea Medical Officer (basically a doctor that is also a diver). We take care of specific communities in the Navy (Divers, Submariners and Special Operators). I've lived all over the US mainly for higher education, I went to undergrad at Boston College, went to medical school in Washington DC and did internship in San Diego, CA. Currently, I'm stationed in CT. I enjoy working out in all capacities, thus an avid Crossfitter. I love traveling, trying new foods and of course scuba diving!
2) How many years have you been training?
About 7 years now, I started my second year of Medical School to prepare for Dive School. I did a little gymnastics growing up so I knew I could do pull-ups, I just wanted to get 20 strict in a row.
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)
During my internship in Internal Medicine (which is the first year you have an MD behind your name) I suffered from a C5-C6 disk herniation losing strenth in my right arm. Luckily, I did not have very much pain and I figured out what was wrong in a couple of weeks. I immediately had surgery in November and I worked my ass off to get back into competition shape for the Open while working 80 hours in the hospital. I was fortunate enough to compete at the Southern California Regionals on the Team level with Invictus Unconquerable.
4) What does your typical workout/diet routine look like?
I workout once or twice a day, my 'active recovery' days usually consist of AB intervals or Burpee intervals. I consume 25-30g of protein every couple of hours and increase my carb intake right before and after a workout. I have very litlle fat in my diet.
5) What new knowledge have you learned over this past year regarding training, lifestyle and nutrition?
I have tried to increase my knowledge on rehabilitation exercises for the low back and shoulder. I have also tried to focus on hamstring development since Crossfit can be a very anteriorly focused sport. Basically, trying to balance out my glutes with already very powerful quads. This not only helps with increasing back and pulling strength for olympic lifts but also helps with patellofemoral syndrome since the Quads can get so strong it pulls the patella out of the correct tracking path.
6) Whats your favourite cheat/Treat meal?
Anything ethnic with lots of cream or curry sauce.
7) Whats one supplement that you could not live without?
Creatine for sure. It might be placebo, but if I miss it the day before I feel like I'm slower and have less energy in my workouts.
8) If you had to start your Journey from scratch with your health & physique what would you do differently and why?
I would start tracking my macros sooner! To me it is like a human experiment. Once you start tracking you can make small changes and see the effects within 2-4 weeks. I think I was too focused on trying certain 'diets' like the paleo diet or the ketogenic diet. I really wish I would've just started tracking the numbers sooner.
9) Who do you look upto in the fitness industry and why?
I love Sara Sigmundsdottir, she is always so entertaining to watch and is always smiling. Every year I want her to win and I know she will! She's absolutely hilarious.
10) If you had to give one bit of advice to people starting out what would that be?
Consistency is everything. Committ to trying one thing for a couple of weeks and really focus on it. Make a schedule and stick to it, like MWF I will work on Double Unders. In medical school, I would try and do at least 30 practice questions on Pharmacology specifically because I knew it was a weakness of mine. If you make it part of your routine it's not as scary and you can look back and say I worked on this one thing as much as I could and that was my best effort.
11) What new goals do you have on the horizon?
My team (Ocean State's Finest) is going into the Northeast Regionals in the Top 5, so I'd like to stay there and move on to the Games. The Northeast Region is extremely competitive and I'd be honored to represent our team when we advance.
12) Where can people find you? (website, social media accounts)
Instagram: @mia_fitmd
Website: www.miafitmd.com
Pinterest: Mia_FitMD
