CrossFit Games Athlete Jessica Griffith

HealthyWay Senior Editor Taylor chats with Jessica Griffith about essential oils, mental health, and which hilarious celebrities she’d most like to have Bloody Marys with.

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Imagine being a registered nurse working 12-hour shifts at a busy trauma center located in the Midwest. Now imagine training for more than 20 hours a week to be one of just 40 women in the world to qualify for the CrossFit Games. Combine the two and your head is probably spinning as you ask yourself Where am I going to find the time and energy to devote to my training after working all day? Welcome to the life of this week’s Healthy Her Way feature, Jessica Griffith.   Although Jessica’s Instagram is a testament to her physical strength—which can make her seem intimidating at first glance—she’s anything but. Whether it’s her first interaction with you or she’s known you for years, Jessica approaches everyone the same way—with a genuine smile and a positive attitude. She’s the type of person you want to be best friends with immediately. Jessica’s nursing career and CrossFit success didn’t arrive overnight, though. She’s spent nearly five years tirelessly chasing her goals while encouraging and advising others along the way as a Barbell Medicine Nutrition Consultant. Finding balance between these two worlds isn’t always easy, but Jessica is committed to her schedule and to always viewing the glass of life as half full. Jessica’s determination and grit are undeniable, but one of her qualities that we admire most is her optimism. When she’s feeling overwhelmed, Jessica likes to reframe situations that seem large and cumbersome and break them down into smaller challenges so that she can take things one step at a time, remaining calm and collected under pressure. Once Jessica sets her mind on something—whether it be a snatch goal, staying more hydrated throughout the day, or a finding a new way to help others—that’s it. She knows that making excuses will never help her grow into the best version of herself. To reinforce this positive mindset, Jessica makes a point of surrounding herself with people she admires who have similar goals. Jessica enjoys having a tribe of motivational people around her who can pick her up when she’s having an off day and who she can do the same for in return: something we should all aim for, regardless of our aspirations!

A Day in the Life

What does your daily routine look like?

My daily routine consists of a slow, peaceful morning with coffee, tea, eggs, Brussels sprouts, Kashi cereal, and blueberries. Yum! I usually answer some emails or follow up on any social interactions I’m having. If I have any errands, this is when I’ll get those done. I’ll head to the CrossFit gym around noon for a mobility session, watch the noon class work out, and then start my session at 1:00. My session lasts until 4:00, and then I hurry home because I’m usually starving. I’ll cook up whatever I have in my fridge. From there, ugh! My favorite part of the day! I take an Epsom salt bath and unwind from the day’s training. Once I’ve got my muscles feeling like jelly, I’ll head back up to the gym for another mobility session or finish up any accessory work I have in my programming. Dinner time consists of a yummy steak or some salmon, some veggie–rice stir fry, and hanging out with my boyfriend and his roomates. Bedtime is usually no later than 10:30.  

What are your favorite ways to practice self-care?

I love challenging myself to drink enough water, sticking to my balanced diet day in and day out, making sure I’m getting enough sleep at night, and keeping my thoughts healthy and happy. I’ve found that mental health is just as important, if not more important, than physical health and well-being.  

How do you stay inspired?

I think I stay the most inspired by the people in my world. I’m constantly interacting and trying to surround myself with people who are better than me, chasing their dreams, and challenging themselves on a daily basis to be the best they can possibly be. I love running in such a crowd of people because on days where I don’t want to be running, they carry me through. On days they don’t want to be running, I get to carry them. Disclaimer: Just so you know, if you order an item through one of our posts, we may get a small share of the sale.

Loving Lately…

What are the best products you’ve discovered recently?

OMG! The best products I’ve recently stumbled across are Young Living essential oils! Young Living is a company that manufactures over 700 chemical-free products. From lotions, soaps, detergents, toothpaste, etcetera—we don’t realize how often we use these chemical-infested products on a daily basis. Young Living allows you to put all those worries to rest. They also have a line of essential oils and they are amazing. There’s thousands of remedies you can create to fix literally any problem you would go see a doctor for—and I’m a nurse! I swear by this stuff!

What are your favorite apps?

My favorite apps are…Instagram. Lol!

Whose Instagram is on your radar?

If you pull up my search bar, my bestie, @brookewellss shows up as a top page I visit. For productivity, I always peruse @smashwerx. But for pure entertainment, I love really interesting accounts—like @baddiewinkle and @tattoo.mafia.

What are you reading, watching, or listening to?

As much as I hate to admit it, I don’t read that often. I’ve been watching all the 50 Shades movies this week—guilty!—and listening to Pandora’s Sleep Station. Talk about relaxing.

Jessica IRL

If your pet could talk, how would they describe you?

I grew up with too many pets—I’ll never have pets in my own house. I’m petted out. If I did have a pet, they would probably say, “I wonder why she only puts those covers on her body when she leaves the house. She never has anything on when she’s home.”

What is your bucket list travel destination?

Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef!

What’s your coffee order?

Size doesn’t matter—usually smaller because I don’t like spending a fortune on coffee. But if someone else is buying, the biggest Skinny Vanilla Latte they’re willing to make!

What piece of advice has impacted you the most?

“Do not look up at the whole mountain ahead. Only focus on putting the right foot ahead of the left. Once that step is completed, focus on putting the left foot in front of the right foot. Once you’ve done those two small steps enough times, you can look out at the top of the mountain and see the masterpiece you’ve conquered. It’s only conquered if you focus on the small steps in the moment. Don’t get ahead of yourself and don’t harp on the steps you’ve already completed.” —Dr. Fortunato, my freshman year of college chemistry professor I was in his office crying over the next four years of nursing school. For more on Jessica, check out her Instagram and her CrossFit Games profile!

Taylor Geiger
Taylor Geiger is a writer, self-proclaimed book nerd, hockey fanatic, and dedicated plant mama. She is passionate about all things related to food and fitness. When she’s not writing (or trying new workout classes) she enjoys hiking with her Weimaraner, Mayzee, throughout the Midwest.