Iceland review - 2013, Síða 27

ICELAND REVIEW 25
PEAK PHYSIqUE
On Sundays she gets a kick out of ‘couples’ day’ when wives scream at their
husbands that they can do more. She has a high protein breakfast every day and
like a salmon swimming upstream, I’ve seen her steely concentration as she lifted
Olympic weights far heavier than me. Meet annie Mist Þórisdóttir,
for the second time running, the fittest woman on earth.
She’s 23 years old and as near to an action hero
as you can get. often training twice a day, she’s a
CrossFit coach throughout europe, has her own gym
in reykjavík, and is sponsored by reebok, eaS and
nings, an asian restaurant chain in iceland. Then
there’s the girl-next-door part. annie lives with her parents, is
pursuing a chemistry degree, and has a boyfriend with whom
she shares her CrossFit passion. as we chat, she’s incredibly
down-to-earth. Someone you know that your granny would
take a real shine to. after defending her title as champion of
the 2012 reebok CrossFit games in California last summer,
annie Mist made it to CNN’s listing of the world’s fittest
women in november. i asked her about her remarkable life
and her accomplishments in the world of CrossFit.
MA: Would you say that CrossFit is just for adrenalin junkies?
AMÞ: It is good for people who need to blow off some steam
because you can do it in a short time and very quickly but really
it is for everyone who wants to be active. We have kids classes that
focus on fun and games, learning how to move and using gymnas-
tics a lot, and you know, at that age you learn things so fast, but we
also work with people who are 80 years old.
MA: CrossFit has many different kinds of exercises and events. Is
there one that is your favorite—that you really love?
AMÞ: Well, there’s so much variety in it but I love the Olympic
weight lifting, the series of movements with weights and I like long
events. Using bar bells is usually my favorite.
By Mica allan PHoTo By Páll StEfánSSon
MA: Having won the world CrossFit Games twice, you’re supremely
fit. Is it now more of a challenge for you physically or mentally?
AMÞ: It’s both. After the games, I put down a lot of goals and as
soon as I reach them I write a new set of goals and they evolve
throughout the year. But it’s not just about winning, although I am
really competitive. I love going to the gym to train and meet up
with my friends and I still have great fun doing this.
MA:You often train twice a day. How do you support that nutrition-
ally?
AMÞ: I have a really big breakfast, normally five eggs, and I try and
fit food around my day in between my own training and coaching.
It can be chicken from Nings, skyr or a banana. Sometimes things
do get so busy, though, and I can forget to eat.
MA:Where do you see the next five years taking you? Continuing to
study at university or developing your CrossFit and your client base?
AMÞ: I really don’t know, I know CrossFit will always be part of
life, it is so close to my heart, and of course I have a gym as well
and I really love coaching. So in five years I will still be compet-
ing, either individually or in a team because I’m really competitive.
But I do want to finish my studies, too. Also, my boyfriend lives in
Denmark, so I’m not really sure where I’ll be living. I’m taking one
year at a time just now. 