WEEK #7: LINA MIRANDA

 

Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

 

I grew up the youngest of four children to immigrant parents in Mississauga ON.  Growing up I was never involved in any school teams or after school sports, so for me, the power of fitness and leading an active lifestyle was something that I adopted as an adult.  In my early 20s I joined my first ever sports team, it was an all female cancer survivor dragon boat team.  My first taste of true fitness and the magic of sport was with 20 other ladies who like me had a reason to push ourselves, to train hard and to be each other’s supporters; we were all survivors.  Since my first taste of what sport and fitness can do to the body, mind and soul, I had branched off and started partaking in half-marathons, and group fitness.  Now, 19 years later I am a group fitness instructor and an avid crossfitter.

 

I am a wife to an amazing man who was a varsity athlete and semi-professional soccer player.  Together, we are the most proud parents to a lovely 5-year-old girl who has been involved in sport since the age of 2.5.  Our daughter’s life revolves around being active and going to Crossfit with Mom and Dad; her norm is fitness, to be active and to push the boundaries.  Being active is not a choice for our family, it is a norm, and it is part of our lives.

 

Please share a story about an internal or external barrier you have faced. How did you overcome that barrier?

 

At the age of 21, I was diagnosed with a late stage stomach cancer, after having most of my stomach removed and months of treatment, I faced the biggest battle of my life which was to survive the next 5 years; which for my staging at the time was 15%.  It was at this point in my life that I turned to fitness and to sport.  Initially my thought was that I needed to be active in order to be healthy and to have the best shot at beating my odds.  What I soon started to realize is that fitness and sport offered me so much more than just good health; it provided me strong friendships, it provides clarity to at times a foggy brain or a stressful day, it helped me understand that I was so much more capable of achieving things than I thought I was.

What skills did you develop in sport that have helped you overcome your barrier?

 

While group fitness is not a sport itself, there are many similarities that can be drawn from the two, there is a coach – the instructor, there is a team – your classmates, and there is an intangible energy that drives the team forward when they all work together.  Group fitness classes for me made me feel alive, the energy from everyone in the room, the music, the instruction, it all came together in the most magical way, so much so that I needed to become an instructor myself.  For me, becoming a group fitness instructor was terrifying, I hated public speaking, I was petrified of being up in front of people and I felt a little like an imposter because I had not been active my whole life.  One of the greatest skills I developed was to believe in myself; being confident to be able to speak and lead a group of people.  This skill has immensely helped me in my corporate job whereby I am no longer afraid of presentations and speaking in front of people.  Similar to my classes that I teach, I know that if I am prepared and I know my material, there is nothing to be anxious about.

If you had one word to describe your character, experiences or philosophy what would it be? 

 

COURAGEOUS

 

If you wanted to motivate a young female athlete to #BuildHerUp, what quote would you use? Why?

 

Carpe Diem – “Seize the day”

 

I love this saying because it can mean so many different things:

 

– stop waiting to do things, just do things

– be present in all that you do

– say Yes to the people and things that matter the most to you and No to the ones that don’t

– don’t put things off for tomorrow that can be conquered today

 

Instagram: @linammiranda