CrossFit Couples

Over the next few weeks, we will be talking to some of the couples that make up our membership at CrossFit Hoboken.  Recently engaged, Nick Mabunay and Jess Boynton are regulars at CFH.  They usually attend the morning classes and are often seen together.  Here is what they had to say about their CrossFit experience…

1) How did you guys get into Crossfit?  Did you start seperately or together?

Jess: Nick started CF in January ’09.  I didn’t join with him because I was really into yoga at the time.  He would come home after every workout and describe it to me.  I’m a competitive person and was so intrigued I joined in February ’09. 
 
Nick: My old roommate Erik (who still lifts at the gym) had been doing it for a couple of years and he got me interested in it.  Jess and I eventually moved into the building across the street from crossfit so I decided to give it a shot and Jess joined me about a month later.
 
 
2) Does having someone to go to the workouts help keep you more accountable?

Jess: 100%.  Nick and I live across the street from the gym so it’s convenient for us to workout at any time.  We favor the morning classes though because they are less frequented and, in these summer months, a little bit cooler.  As soon as that alarm goes off at 6 AM it’s almost a daily struggle for him to get me out of bed.  If we don’t work out together though the other one always feels guilty about it. 
 
Nick: It definitely does, we almost always go together and it helps because when she doesn’t want to go I will push her to go and then when I don’t feel like going Jess will push me into going.  It’s very nice to have someone keep you accountable.  It’s also nice to do it together because we get to see each other more and then usually later in the day talk about how sore we are and how much the wod sucked.
  
 
3) Do you guys ever feel competitive with one another during workouts?

Jess: We do and we don’t.  I’m a more competitive person by nature so I try to beat him in as many workouts as I can (time wise at least).  If there is no chance of me beating him, I will at least try to keep pace with him. 

Nick: I feel competitive in certain ways.  There are certain wod’s or exercises that I know Jess will beat me in, usually body weight stuff or tabata’s.  In that scenario I try and push my self to keep pace or try not to fall behind.
  
4) Does Crossfit come up a lot outside of the gym?

Jess: It does.  Our families are always interested in hearing about it and though we aren’t strict paleo or Zone, we tend to eat pretty healthy.  We try to keep a balance of 80% paleo, 20% splurges.  We find great paleo recipes online, like paleo fruit pie, and they are so good we always end up making them for friends or families.  The food typically intrigues people more. 
 
Nick: Yeah it does, our friends and co-workers know we are active with it.  They always ask what we did or was it hard today.
  
 
5) Do you encourage other couples to Crossfit?

Jess: If I knew more couples I would encourage them to CF.  Now I mostly focus on trying to bring my friends and coworkers in. 
 
Nick: I do, I like being able to workout with Jess.  It just gives us something to be active in together.
  
 
6) Has it helped your relationship by having the commonality of Crossfit?

Jess: I would say definitely yes.  Nick and I love staying active and this is just another reason for us to do what we love together.  Whether I did CF or not, I would still workout, but this is an excuse to do it together.  We help motivate each other to go to classes and then push each other while we are there.
Nick: It has helped our relationship, we both have the same schedule, we both are being active, we get to spend more time with each other. All of these things contribute to our relationship.

Stay tuned for more interviews with couples within our community!!