1) Who is Hannah Leigh? (where are you from, what do you do, a bit about yourself (hobbies, etc)
I'm 32 from Houston. I'm a fitness enthusiast, social hermit, and dog mom to 5 dogs.
2) How many years have you been training? (Including how you got started, etc)
Roughly 4-5 years. I gained over 50 pounds after graduating college and was very uncomfortable in my own skin. My confidence was extremely low and I decided I wanted to lose weight to change that. After dieting for awhile I took a chance on the community aspect of crossfit and fell in love with lifting weights and seeing my body change for the better.
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)
The weight gain cycle and "starting over" so many times has been hard but I feel like I get better each time. I know what my body is capable of.
4) What does your typical workout/diet routine look like? (With any particular protocols you rate).
I follow a progressive overload style of weight training broken down into separate mesocycles of 4-5 weeks at a time. I rarely do cardio and lift for about 1-2 hours 6 days a week. My diet routine varies based on competition prep or offseason. Offseason is more flexible dieting and tracking macros. For competition prep, I prefer a meal plan and eating the same foods daily for several weeks at a time.
5) What new knowledge have you learned over this past year regarding training, lifestyle and nutrition? (And How has it changed your focus for the future).
I have learned the reality of the post-show rebound and seen firsthand just how difficult it can be to get the extra weight off. My body wasn't responding to dieting for a long time and it has taken much longer to get lean this year compared to last year. Lesson learned. This offseason will be different!
6) Whats your favourite cheat/Treat meal?
Mexican food! Chips and queso with margaritas and cheese enchiladas.
7) Whats one supplement that you could not live without?
Protein powder. It's so versatile when it comes to healthy desserts to curb cravings for sweets.
8) If you had to start your Journey from scratch with both your health & physique what would you do differently and why?
I would do a better job at keeping things in check instead of flying off the rails when I'm not in prep. My new goals are to look and feel good year round.
9) Who do you look up to in the fitness industry and why?
I look up to those who are spreading science and evidence-based information on dieting and exercise instead of those spreading false information on things they know nothing about but just because they see others doing it or their coach tells them something is true. For example, topics such as "bro-split" training, fasted cardio, and pushing useless supplements onto followers just to make money.
10) If you had to give one bit of advice to people starting out what would that be?
Take it one day at a time and be patient with progress. Don't ruin a diet phase just because you aren't seeing drastic, immediate results.
11) What new goals do you have on the horizon?
I'm looking forward to challenging myself to stay fairly lean this upcoming offseason so my prep next year is much easier on my body.
12) Where can people find you? (website, social media accounts)
Instagram.com/hannah_leigh_lifts
Website hannahleighfitness.com
