1) Who is Meg Fox? (where are you from, what do you do, a bit about yourself (hobbies, etc)
I'm a Boston-based private chef. My work ranges from nutrition/CrossFit coaching to events, designer cakes but my main gig is in-home meal prep for my clients who range from professional athletes to stay at home moms. In my spare time I also run a gluten-free vegan (but not on purpose!) dessert company called @realsmartcookie and a new apparel company which is still top secret for the moment while the legal stuff gets worked out. Somehow, outside of that I still manage to have time for music, non-fiction reading, travel and of course the ever constant pursuit of defying gravity.
2) How many years have you been training?
I've been doing CrossFit since late 2011, and coaching since 2012.
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've had a variety of setbacks over the years. All sorts of setbacks ranging from physical to professional. But I've managed to conquer them all. Back in 2013 I messed up some discs in my back and tore my meniscus. That went on for a few years. None of the docs or specialists I was seeing to try and get better were helping. This ultimately resulted in my taking over a year off. That was a tough pill to swallow. CrossFit is such a part of me that it left a serious void in my life. I didn't give up though, and eventually I found an awesome doc and PT at Boston University who were able to get me back in the game. I will never forget the frustration and the feeling of being sidelined from doing what I love. I appreciate every day I get on the barbell now.
4) What does your typical workout/diet routine look like?
I don't have a set in stone routine. I tend to be an intuitive athlete and go off of how I'm feeling and adjust my training/diet based on that. At this point I know what foods make me feel like garbage and which ones help me perform better. I am a huge believer in eating real foods (things that grew out of the ground or had eyeballs at one point or another) and avoiding fake processed "foods". I try to minimize alcohol and sugar but definitely still enjoy a fair amount of organic grass-fed dairy. Sometimes I reset with a few months of macro tracking and have had great success with it. As far as workouts go, I work out five days and rest two, but this can change a lot with my demanding work schedule. Some days I'm just happy to make it to the gym for an hour. And I always try to make it fun. If you're not enjoying it, then what's the point?
5) What new knowledge have you learned over this past year regarding training, lifestyle and nutrition?
I learned this back when I was injured, so a few years ago, but... I never realized exactly how much sleep and rest impact performance in the gym. We all "get" that the breaking down of muscle that happens WHILE we are at the gym isn't what makes us strong, it's the rebuilding of that muscle that happens during recovery, but after having taken such an extended period of time off for injury, I learned exactly HOW much of a difference getting those 9-10 hours of sleep a night that I never previously had a chance to get made. I also realized that I had been overtraining on the competitors programming I had been on and because of that, just wasn't making progress the way I could have been. After that year off I returned at a pretty high percentage of all of my pre-injury maxes, and very quickly started lifetime PRing lifts that I had previously struggled with. Doing 8 pieces a day, working from sunrise to sunset and sleeping 3-4 hours a night was a recipe for disaster and I knew that, but it took a year off, lots of sleep and lots of rest to really drive that point home for me.
6) Whats your favourite cheat/Treat meal?
Taco Bell. Crunch wrap. 100%. It doesn't get much worse than that.
7) Whats one supplement that you could not live without?
I really like ZMA. Very few supplements are proven for both safety and efficacy, but this one has some pretty solid evidence supporting it. I'm completely on board with anything that improves quality of sleep and recovery. Sleep is life. Add to that the anabolic and metabolic benefits it offers, and it doesn't get much better.
8) If you had to start your Journey from scratch with your health & physique what would you do differently and why?
I would have started SO much sooner. Looking back I'm super proud of my parents for being way more strict than my friends parents as far as nutrition goes, which at the time I thought was lame, but the definition of good nutrition has changed so much since then! Once I started doing CrossFit I discovered paleo, and zone, and then macros and what it really meant to be eating real high quality food and get out from under all of the garbage information the food industry in the US has crammed down our throats for years. I wish we had more of that knowledge when I was a kid. And of course CrossFit. I am super envious of all of the kids who got a chance to start super young!
9) Who do you look up to in the fitness industry and why?
I don't have any specific idols or athletes that I look up to, but what I can tell you is that I have major respect for anyone that I come across in this industry who is secure enough with themselves to keep it real and authentic. There's so much fake and filtered, especially on social media these days that it gives people unrealistic expectations on what to think, how to live their lives and what's actually important. Yeah, your quads are huge and you back squat a house, but did you do all that and still manage to leave the people around you better than you found them at the end of the day? THAT is the type of athlete I look up to.
10) If you had to give one bit of advice to people starting out what would that be?
Just get to the gym. Just try it. As a coach, I hear all the time from people that they want to get in shape BEFORE they start CrossFit, when in actuality the best way to get in shape for CrossFit is to just start doing it. It can be intimidating. I know. I still get nervous sometimes when I walk into a new gym, even as an experienced and proficient athlete. Take your time with it. Be patient. Be coachable. Learn the movements well before adding intensity. And just manage to find joy in it all. It's about the journey, not the destination.
11) What new goals do you have on the horizon?
This year was my first year as a CrossFit (baby) Masters athlete and I would really love to participate in the qualifier next year. This year I was on a cross country road trip during the open and still managed to fall just outside the top 400 worldwide. It's crazy to think that could literally have been the difference between doing better at a second attempt in just one workout. With a chance to take a second crack at all the workouts (preferably not after sitting in the car for days at a time) I am hoping to qualify! I also want to continue growing my businesses and reach some more education goals I've been working on.
12) Where can people find you? (website, social media accounts)
Instagram: @themegfox
