Karina Christiansen
What is your athletic background?
Functional Strength Training & Rugby
What sport do practice? and if it is applicable what category are you on?
Premier Women’s Rugby
How long ago did you start and How did get into this sport?
4 years
What is your main goal?
Pursuing an athletic endeavour of adversity, happiness, fulfillment and resilience.
Tell me about a hardship that you’ve been through, that you turned into a positive outcome and how your training help you?
At the humblest of beginnings in my fitness career I had pursued the sport of bodybuilding I great hopes to become a bikini competitor. Despite all the efforts and shrinking down to the leanest I had ever been, I was still told I wasn’t enough. I gave up and reversed dieted to a T, just to gain more weight than what I started with. With a new love for routinely fitness, I went back to drawing board searching for what “thicker girls in fitness do” (boy I was so naive) and found powerlifting. Powerlifting open the floodgates to the many avenues of fitness I later explored. Such as: CrossFit, distance running, Olympic lifting, strongman, backpacking and rugby.
What has been your proudest moment or/and biggest accomplishment?
Playing rugby in New Zealand or Fundraising for First-Responders who struggle with PTSD by flipping a tire up a mountain.
What does keep you motivated? and what are your top 3 mental skills to keep you going?
Having the virtual power of being a role model is something so meaningful and that I don’t take loosely. The media is saturated with so many women empowered with their physical attributes (all power to ya ladies) and I want to be a role model of physical capabilities. Whether my page connects with many or few, I strive to provide a wide-range of content that inspires others to be better than yesterday.
1. Some would say I’m dedicated, but I just think I’m stubborn
2. My creativity and will to move playful keeps my routine fun and fresh and always looking forward to show up to another session.
3. Ability to push through adversity and embrace change.
How did you adapt your training during insolation and what did you learn the most about yourself during this time?
I loved having to get resourceful and creative for myself and my clients. Instead of looking at this time as a negative, I managed to embrace change and search for new opportunities. I definitely learned a lot about awkward camera angles on zoom.
How have Covid-19 affected your training?
I used to predominantly resonate as a group trainer however, throughout covid I found my strength and voice and a confident 1-on-1 or 2-on-1 trainer also.
How has your mental strength helped you deal with these times?
I’ve learned when to push, when to pull and when to let go. In this extra time of sensitivity and awareness, I became better at stepping back and recognizing what best serves me.
Please give me the top 3 things/rituals/habits you do to stay on track towards your goals
Every Sunday I track my week ahead in my planners. I book in my workouts. I rewrite mantras with dry erase on visible surfaces monthly. I have my goals written out with weekly targets chipping towards them.
