My Origin Story
I get asked often, how did you get started helping others get fit? I start by telling them it is a long story but when I start telling them they don’t seem to mind. Now, for some of you, I know you already know most of my story but for others who are just being introduced to me for the first time I thought I would share it with you. Plus, since it is Heart Health month maybe my story will inspire someone to take action and start living a fit and healthy lifestyle.
Growing up as a Kid
When I was around 6 years old I was having some pain in my left foot and began to notice there was a bump beginning to form on the top of my foot. It didn’t really hurt but my parents knew it wasn’t normal so they took me to my pediatrician to check it out. Well, he didn’t like what he saw so he sent us to an orthopedic doctor or as I was told a “bone doctor.” Remember I was six 🙂
I remember the day as clear as day and when the ortho doc came into the room after looking at the x rays and said to my mom your son has a tumor. When I heard “tumor” I began to cry. All I could think about was I had cancer and was going to die. Turns out, he believed it was benign and that surgery would be the best way to remove it. I was completely freaked out and at my early age I didn’t really know what to think. The surgery went off well and I was on my way back to recovery and being a kid again. Or at least I thought I was.
You see the reason I am telling you this part of the story is because it is what I believed to be the origin of me starting my fitness journey. Although the surgery went fine I was now in a cast for the next 6 months and probably a year away from playing any sports. Now, being in a cast and unable to do any form of exercise led to another problem and that was I started to gain weight from not doing any exercise. So over the next six months I became out of shape and not in the healthy ranges for weight that a 6-7 should be at.
This extra weight gain also led to kids making fun of me and calling me names like, fatso and Fatboy. Now, back when I was a kid bullying was not really addressed and the main method to get through it was to either fight back or just accept it. I chose to fight back and did it through playing sports. Once I was cleared to begin physical activities I signed up for football and baseball. It was maybe one or two seasons of playing sports and no longer was I chubby or fat but starting to get fit and have a healthy weight for a kid again. This probably was the foundation for me loving fitness and a contributing factor in me helping others. However, there was another factor that has played a role and that involves my dad.
My Father’s Health
I was the youngest of four kids and I grew up in a pretty traditional family for the time. My mom stayed at home with us kids and my dad worked to support the family. My dad owned his own business so he worked long hours and he didn’t leave much time for his own well being. Plus, he grew up in an era that didn’t really support health habits. He smoked a pack of cigarettes a day and ate food that was super high in saturated fat. He also suffered from a back injury he acquired when he was in his 20’s that never seemed to get better. In all fairness the health craze had just begun and doing aerobics was just taking shape ( no pun intended) in the early 80’s. Being that my dad was so out of shape it made it difficult for him to get outside and throw the baseball or spend time throwing the football. Now as much as I wanted him to participate and play sports with me what bothered me most was his health.
As I already mentioned my dad was a smoker and was overweight. This concerned me as I got older and realized that smoking could cause cancer and potentially cause him to die. I begged and pleaded for him to quit. I remember once he yelled at me and told me to stop but the good news is eventually he made up his mind to quit and he did it cold turkey. However, as is the case with most people who quit smoking he gained a lot of weight which led to what would eventually cause his death.
How My Career Was Shaped
So as I graduated high school I need to make a decision. Should I try and go play football at a small school or pursue a degree in sports medicine. As I have already mentioned, sports became a big part of my life, but as most young athletes begin to realize their dreams of playing professional are not going to happen. I accepted that and decided if I couldn’t play professional sports I would study to help other athletes perform better. The funny thing along the way was I started working at the student rec center and help other college kids get fit. I still had not realized that I was making a difference in other people’s lives just yet. Fast Forward to my internship and my experience at the world renowned Cooper Aerobics Center. It was here I began to learn the importance of preventive medicine and the impact of fitness when it came to leading a long healthy and quality life.
My First Aha Moment
Fast forward to a few years out of college and I was working as a personal trainer in Dallas and had a young professional attorney come to me for help. He had gained weight from several years of neglect due to law school and being an overworked first year lawyer at a new firm. At the time I did not know this but he had lost confidence in himself due to being overweight and struggled to ask girls out on dates. However, as we worked over the next six months things began to change dramatically with him. He was doing everything I asked him to do and he was dropping body fat like crazy. As he began to transform his physique something else occurred and that was he got the confidence back that he was missing and he started asking girls out and eventually started dating a girl serious. It was when he had what I call “graduated,” a time when a client moves on from working with me, because they finally have the habits to continue the new lifestyle on their own that he told me that I had helped him get the confidence back and it changed his life for the better. I could go on with some other testimonials that I had with clients I worked with as a young trainer that I am proud of but these success stories did not lead me to truly understanding my purpose in life. It was another life event that did that.
Life Changed When My First Child Was Born
It was one of the best times of life and then it wasn’t. What? How could having your first born child not be a wonderful moment . Well, for the first 6 weeks it was and then the day that changed my life happened. I won’t go to much into detail here as you can read my book where I go into detail but losing my dad just six weeks after my oldest was born was tough. As hard as I tried to be tough like a guy is supposed to be or at least that is the way I was under the assumption it really bothered me that I had helped so many people make physical transformations but I couldn’t make help one of the people I loved so much change his lifestyle habits and get fit. I struggled for years with some guilt until I finally realized that you can’t make anyone change they have to decide on their own to make the change whether it is someone you love or someone who is looking for your expertise.
My Own Transformation
As we all have probably figured out by now and I’m talking to those of us in the 40 and over club your body begins to change as we age. The metabolism starts to slow and it becomes harder to keep that same physique you had when you were younger. Now I know I didn’t physically go through child birth but let’s just say over the next several years after my dad passed and two kids later I found myself going down a similar path. I was working, helping raise two kids under 5, and really just going through the motions of working out. I was no longer doing any one on one training at the time just teaching some indoor cycle classes and lifting on my own. But if I am going to be honest my workouts sucked. I was just checking off the box. What I mean is I would get on the Elliptical for 30 minutes maybe lift a few weights and be done in under an hour. I completed my “workout” for the day. This went on for a couple of years until I started to realize things were changing and not in a good way. My clothes were getting tight and my weight was slowly going up and it wasn’t more lean muscle mass. I knew I had to do something if I wanted to make sure I didn’t follow the same path as my father and have unhealthy habits and lifestyle.
Introducing HIIT
A friend of mine told me I had to check out this new workout studio as she said I would love it. The main concept involved HIIT training. HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. Now this is not new in terms of the type of exercise but the entire workout itself is designed to get you into what is called EPOC or after burn for 12 or more minutes. By doing this you burn calories not only during the workout but typically 12-36 hours after the workout as well. For the first time in a long time I was started to see my body transform and get back into the shape I was in back when I was in high school playing sports. What started to happen was friends and family started to notice and began asking what I was doing and could what I was doing help them. So, I began sharing what I was doing with them and at the same time started to begin to fall back in love with coaching again.
When I Finally Found My Purpose In Life
Something I have not shared before was right around the time I started doing these new HIIT exercises I was contemplating on moving my career into a new direction. I thought I needed to recreate myself and go more into a sales/marketing role but what happened was when I started to see results with these new HIIT workouts and friends and family started to notice and ask me what I was doing it started to make me realize my strengths are in helping people transform their lives. It was also around this time I hit 40 and if I was going through this I know others were experiencing this when entering “into the club.” So, I made the decision to come up with the Fit Over 40 Challenge and challenge busy moms and dads to get rid of the idea that just because they turned 40 meant that all was lost. No, if I could make this change so could they and I would help make that happen. Funny I I feel like I came full circle but I realize now my purpose in life and plan to help as many as I can make their transformation. Are you next?
Take The Challenge
Is it possible for you to transform your life? Yes it is! I get it you have tried in the past and it didn’t work. You have tried every diet under the sun and seen yourself loose the weight but only to gain it back. You are beyond frustrated but change can happen if you decide and I know I can help you. Take the next step and fill out the application to join the challenge and finally get the results and the life you want so bad. The call will only cost you 15 minutes of your time but those 15 minutes could be the spark you need to get started. I believe you are only one transformation challenge away from _______ (you fill in the blank). Maybe it is more energy. Maybe it is dropping that extra 15-20 pounds you have out on over the last 10 years. Although the challenge is the same for everyone the reason and result is different for each person. What are you waiting for. Fill out the form and change your life!
Fit Over Forty Challenge Application
