May 2025 Member of the Month: Janelle Lampitoc

Since joining us in January 2023, Janelle has thrown herself into both the workouts and the community. From winning “Check-in Queen” two years running at our Trailblazers Awards, to competing in both in-house and external events, to co-captaining this year’s winning Intramural Open team – she has shown up and stood out.
The progress she has made since day one hasn’t gone unnoticed, and we want to celebrate the hard work, consistency, and energy she brings to the gym every day. Janelle certainly embodies our core values of Learning, Working Hard, and Having Fun! For all of those reasons and more, she is our May Member of the Month – Congratulations! 

Name

Janelle Lampitoc

Occupation

2nd Grade Teacher

When did you start at Kanna?

Feb1, 2023 was my first group class

What are your favorite numbers and why?

10- it’s my wedding anniversary month and day, 7 is the day my oldest was born and 18 is the day my youngest was born.

What movements do you like?

Anything overhead like snatch, over head squat, push press. I also like bench press and I like any cardio machine and even running. I like push ups and sit ups, I’m beginning to like pull ups and deadlifts too

What movements do you dislike?

Front squat (probably due to all the stomach surgeries I’ve had) and so I don’t like thrusters…

What sports or fitness things did you do before Kanna?

I ran 5ks, 10K, and half marathons I also loved going to spin class before I started Kanna

How did you find Kanna? How did you feel when you first walked in?

I found Kanna because it was after Covid when my husband Chris and I converted our garage into a CrossFit gym. We have everything to follow WODs at home and even belonged to Street Parking. My husband was doing a lot of travel and I did not want to do CrossFit alone. I knew my cousin Marla was a coach at Kanna and so I decided to give it a try. It was about 10 minutes from my school. I went for a drop in on a rainy Wednesday night to take Marla’s class. I was nervous. It was hard to find and rainy I was trying to find an excuse not to go after work. I walked in and felt so welcomed seeing Marla and Chris P was there too! I did go, I smiled the whole time and so incredibly glad I did. Kanna has become a second family to me and I love going every day.

What’s your “why” for working out? 

My why is selfish, but it is for me. I want to take care of myself. I want to be the best I can and have fun while doing it. I want to be in the best health and shape I can each and every day. I want to grow older with grit and grace. I want to show my daughters how strong we can be as we age and age is just a number. I love being around others and cheering people on as we workout side by side.

What’s your favorite thing about Kanna?

The coaches, community and the commitment to hard work and fun. That’s why I go every day!

What are your hobbies?

Kanna- hahahaha Seeing live music Painting

What’s something most people don’t know about you or a fun fact?

I was a fashion design major before becoming a teacher

What PRs or accomplishments (fitness-related) are you most proud of?

I was in a deadlift competition at Kanna and was able to deadlift 230lbs! I bench press 135 I am learning how to get multiple pull ups I competed in a few member competitions at Kanna with friends and always left feeling so energized and excited to do more!

What’s on your fitness bucket list?

Kipping pull-ups, bar muscle up, get stronger at front squats

What’s on your general bucket list?

I’d like to hike the Grand Canyon, possibly go on a helicopter and see a sunrise and sun set there too!

What advice do you have for people new to Kanna?

Just do it! Sounds cliche, but just do it. Show up and don’t worry about what you can or can’t do. It is an amazing place where people genuinely love to cheer you on, they care about what you do and want to see you succeed. It is one of my happy places and whatever your health goal is, people are there to support you. The coaches are amazing and the community is the best.

Anything else you’d like to mention?

Kanna is such a wonderful community. It’s an amazing place for your mind, body and soul. Thanks for picking me to be the May MOTM

Kanna members: The MOTM custom workout date will be Sat, May 17th

How does one become Member of the Month? By embodying the Kanna ideals of Learning, Working Hard, and Having Fun. By contributing to the community and supporting others in and out of the workout. By being open to coaching and improving oneself for the sake of being better, not to “win” the workout. By just generally being a good person and having a positive attitude. And a lot more, but you get the idea!