We are so honored to announce our February Athlete of the Month: Kacia Lee! Kacia is a dedicated Fit from Home Athlete and we are so excited to feature her this month!
Kacia wanted to keep it real here: “I don’t feel like an athlete, but I do feel like a person who has been exercising regularly over the past 15 months and is a lot stronger for having done it. I don’t always want to get up for class, but I do it anyway because I know the only way to get stronger and healthier is to get up and do it. I’m not competitive, and I don’t really set concrete fitness goals — I just try to show up and do the work, and little by little I find that I’m getting stronger and can do more with my body — like climbing the Waihe’e Ridge Trail on Maui in January (whew! rough climb with 1500ft elevation gain over 2.5 miles, but amazing view! check out the photo above!) Bonus: the more I’ve been working out, the less often my back pain has flared up!”
Coach Amelia adds, “I’ve never met Kacia (rhymes with echinacea) in real life, but I honestly feel like we’re friends after a year of zoom fitness together. She is smart and funny and blunt and tenacious, a delight to have in class. She does a great job of finding a pace or modification that works for her, and doesn’t hesitate to unmute for clarification (which can be scary to do in a virtual class!). Kacia lives half way between Mel-o-Glaze and Baker’s Wife, so make sure to ask her for pastry recommendations. She’s a primary care physician – during a time when it is so hard to be a health care worker I marvel at her ability to carve out time to consistently see to her fitness. Consistent isn’t even strong enough of a word – she makes a schedule and you will see her every single week at that time without a doubt!
My favorite class memory ever with Kacia: we were in the middle of a timed work out (45 seconds of this, then of that, etc) and I’d put on a disco playlist. The YMCA came on and she and the other athletes staged a coup, giggling and throwing there arms up every time the letters were sung. At the end she unmuted and said “it’s physically impossible to stop from doing that dance when I hear that song!” She embodies joyful fitness 100%!”
Kacia also adds that, “I love Fit From Home because it’s such a low barrier to entry: all I have to do is roll out of bed, throw some workout clothes on, and head down to my basement. Then I can shower and get ready for work just like usual, without having to plan ahead, bring a change of clothes, etc. I’ll be honest, this low-barrier format has been the only thing that’s kept me exercising regularly for the last 15 months, and this is the first time in my life that I’ve had a regular fitness practice for such a length of time. I love seeing my FFH friends in the morning, and Coach Garrett always keeps the pace moving with his trademark wit and silliness.”
Coach Garrett F. has so many things to say about Kacia. “ Kacia embodies so much of what Fit From Home and our virtual programming strives for. She has made immense progress during this pandemic in which she is also serving us as a doctor. Her work ethic in classes is incredible. She finds ways to make the workouts meet her where she is in her fitness journey, but she also pushes herself to do the uncomfortable things that it can sometimes take to keep workouts challenging.
She has said that literally any barrier to working out is enough to stop her. And while I believe that may have been true, I have also seen her zoom in from various locations when it would have been easier to just take a week or two off. I believe she has cultivated a connection and an appreciation for exercise and that is keeping her engaged. In many ways, this is what many of us are seeking both as athletes and as coaches creating content. We want the work to pay off and we want the work to be fun, and I think Kacia has put in the effort to get both of those things. Kacia has found that virtual fitness works for her and she has continued to make it work for her and has gotten stronger and built her physical capacity in ways that are impressive.”
“At times other than early M/W/F mornings, you can find me snuggling my cats, doing a puzzle, reading a book, or finishing up all the work I brought home with me. And finally, if I have a platform I’m gonna use it: please get vaccinated/boosted, wear a mask, and keep your social circle small to prevent spreading COVID. Many thanks from your friendly neighborhood primary care doc!” Kacia says.
Coach Garrett also states that, “Kacia is really fun to have in classes and contributes fun takes and interesting information during QOD as well as occasional fun and funny comments during classes. As a Fit From Home coach, I often lament dragging myself out of bed at 5AM to drive through snow and subzero temperatures to get on a zoom meeting, but much like in-person fitness, I always leave in a better mood than I showed up in. That is primarily because of the people that make up the Fit From Home community. Kacia and all the Fit From Homers make the classes fun and I feel so lucky to get to have this expanded community of fitness in a way that works for people when other things don’t. Literally anyone who has ever participated in Fit From Home, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. It has been an honor and a pleasure to do fitness with you. Great work!”
To wrap it all up, Kacia says, “I’d like to add that all of that first “keeping it real” paragraph is meant to be supportive and encouraging! I’m not the one with the most squats, or the PR on the clean and press, or the fastest in the race. I’m just out here doing my thing. So if I can be an athlete, then maybe being an athlete is more achievable than I thought, and other people who don’t think of themselves as athletes can recognize that fitness-achieving aspect in themselves, too.”
Kacia has made fitness work for her and we are beyond proud of all of the consistent effort that she has put in. We can’t wait to see where this journey continues to take her! We encourage you to hop on to a virtual class to meet her and see what our virtual space all about.
A final message to all fit from home/virtual members, we love and appreciate you so much!
Solcana Fitness 