Athlete Spotlight: Emily Daly
The athlete spotlight this week is Emily Daly. Emily has seriously been so amazing the last several months of working together. She's so compliant and she's never been afraid of me increasing her calories because she is all about chasing performance, which I LOVE. It's crazy how much we've worked her calories up. The performance gains are also amazing to see because we do the same CrossFit programming and I get to see her progress everyday/week on the Misfit blog. So proud of you!
How were you introduced to Ashleigh/A-Hub Nutrition?
I found Ashleigh through MisFit Athletics’ blog. I had been following the programming for a little while and was feeling pretty low energy during my workouts. I noticed that Ashleigh was doing successful nutrition coaching so I reached out to her for help.
How long have you been coached by Ashleigh?
We are in our fourth month of coaching.
What is your background like? (Hometown, hobbies, sports, etc) -
I am originally from Virginia and was a lifelong soccer player. I played collegiately at Virginia Tech and then moved to Charlotte, NC to become a teacher with Teach For America. I taught in Charlotte’s low income schools for seven years and this past year transitioned to full time coaching and managing at my local CrossFit box. I live in Charlotte with my husband and like to be active through CrossFit, hiking, exploring the city, etc.
What was your nutrition like before you started with A-Hub Nutrition?
I have always loved cooking and eating. I generally ate healthy most of the time, while also enjoying eating out and exploring new foods. However, I didn’t realize was how much I was under eating for the type of training I was putting in. I had a totally skewed view of how much I needed to eat to properly recover from training and be able to expend energy during training. I certainly wasn’t eating enough carbs and food in general.
What is your style of training and do you compete?
I CrossFit and have been doing local competitions. We’ll see where this next year takes me with this newfound source of fuel and energy!
What are some of your goals?
Honestly, I just try to get better every day. This past year I have been working on learning how to handstand walk and do strict handstand push ups and finally achieved those goals. Now I am focusing on improving my Olympic Lifting and Strength numbers, with the goal of Snatching 150 lbs and Back Squatting double bodyweight.
Has your performance in the gym changed at all since tracking macros?
Dramatically. I surprise myself on a daily basis with new PRs and performance in workouts. I had been doing CrossFit for five years before I finally realized I needed my nutrition to match my training. I am stronger, leaner, and faster than ever before and attribute much of that success to my nutrition.
What are some changes you've made in your life since tracking macros?
I always felt like I ate healthy, but now I pay way more attention to the amount of nutrient dense foods I am eating. I realize how much my body needs good food to work properly. I was always a bad sleeper and now I sleep way more and better than ever before, which is amazing. It has honestly helped me improve in all aspects of my life, in and out of the gym. Also, I have abs which is pretty cool :)
What's your favorite workout and/or lift?
I tend to like gymnastic movements best: pull ups, bar muscle ups, muscle ups, etc. I’m leaner since I started tracking macros (even though I’m eating way more) so now, I feel like I can fly through the air.
What's your least favorite workout and/or lift?
Heavy barbells, thrusters, rowing. I have been getting stronger since I started paying attention to and tracking my macros, so hopefully I won’t always dislike heavy barbells. I’ll probably always dislike rowing though.
What is your favorite food?!
That’s a tough one. I really love food. Probably a really good, foodie kind of burger. The kind on a Brioche bun with bacon and cheese and fancy toppings.
Last but not least, what is one piece of advice you would give to someone wanting to make a lifestyle change and hire a nutrition coach?
I feel like some people are scared to say they need a coach for something because they think should be able to do it on their own. Reaching out for support or help however, is not a sign of weakness, I think it’s actually a strength. Having a nutrition coach can change your life in so many ways, far beyond gym or athletic performance. It is absolutely worth it and I am so glad I have Ashleigh to help me!
