Before we get too far into that though, let me paint a picture of where I was coming from before Fitness Town. I spent the better part of the last 18 years working in retail as a sales and marketing professional. I worked the corporate life where I was travelling too much, exercising too little and eating horribly more often than not. At my worst (health-wise) I was around 300lbs with little muscle mass to help move it around. Oh, and to top it all off, I was a pack-a-day smoker for most of it too! Not a pretty picture. I always had memberships to gyms but didn’t use them as frequently or as consistently as I should have. Now, I know many people who work and live the corporate lifestyle and absolutely love it! Personally, I think there comes the point where everyone questions their chosen career paths. Some, in the end, feel they made the right decision, while others, like me, look for new opportunities. Personally, I don’t think I would be in my current position if it weren’t for the decisions I made prior.

Committing to a Healthy Lifestyle

After committing myself to a healthier lifestyle, I decided to quit smoking on March 27^th, 2009. After doing so, I felt more alive than ever!

I met a wonderful woman who is also quite a health conscious, started eating a lot better and had a beautiful daughter. As a family, we try to live an active lifestyle (our high-energy 7-year-old boxer helps to remind us) by going for daily walks, hiking whenever possible, and always trying to be moving! I still consider myself to be a bigger guy, but I’m a lot healthier and happier!

Influences in the Fitness Industry

One of those influential friends I mentioned earlier happens to work for Fitness Town. He mentioned that he wanted to expand his retail management team and felt I would be a great fit. I just needed to learn more about the fitness industry and the amazing fitness community. Sounds easy enough for a guy who has dealt in the retail world most of his life, right? Well, let me tell you, there is so much out there now in terms of products, technology and brands that I definitely underestimated. Today, I still find this to be quite the challenge, but one that I’m constantly up for! At Fitness Town, our Fitness Experts are always on the lookout for the latest and greatest things. We pride ourselves on giving customers product options that we feel comfortable using and would purchase ourselves.

My Fitness Goals

My goal over the next month is to continue to learn as much as I can on all sorts of health-related topics, from different types of exercise regimes to nutrition and fitness equipment to sport-specific training. Not only do I want to fill myself with wisdom I can pass on to those that visit me at Fitness Town, but I want to apply it to my career as a whole and my personal life as well. I will share with you my interests, some of the things I’ve recently learned, and my personal goals and successes (or struggles/challenges). I hope that maybe after this, I can inspire your very own fitness adventure!

This past week was full of fitness ups and downs for me. While I was able to get in some really great body-weight workouts almost every day (Yay!), I was only able to bike one day (Boo!). For the first couple of days of my week, I usually run errands requiring my vehicle. When I was finally able to take my bike, I snapped a couple of spokes on my wheel, and the bike spent the rest of the week in the repair shop. Needless to say, this past week hasn’t been the greatest. But when life throws you lemons, make lemonade, right? This opened the door for me to look for other things that benefit my health. Since I love to eat various foods, I’m not one to sacrifice my meal options while getting back into shape. This brought me to research several healthy diets and general nutrition.

Diet & Nutrition

Before I begin, I must say that I’m not a nutritionist or an expert on nutrition. I just know what works and what doesn’t work for me. If you are looking for some guidance on your nutrition, I suggest seeing your family doctor or nutritionist now. When I say “diet,” I don’t mean being on a diet like a weight-loss program where you cut certain foods out or calorie count all your food. When I say “diet,” I mean it in the broader sense, like the type and quantity of food we put in our bodies. We can also call them “Nutritional Plans,” which are made up of the foods you should try to consume. There are many of them out there, all with different benefits to help you attain your various health and fitness goals. Remember, eating properly and sticking to healthier options is vital for achieving any health and fitness goal.

Me, I’m looking to lose fat, so I need to eat in a way that will give me the energy I need for the workouts I do each day. I don’t want to just rely on my workouts to keep my diet in line, though; I want to ensure I eat properly for those days when life gets in the way. Your nutrition plan also needs to be realistic and attainable in the long term. Saying you are only going to eat a salad daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner might not be the way to go. Basically, you want to have more calories burned off than you consume daily. I tend to eat many small meals a day to keep my metabolism working consistently throughout the day. I also try to avoid eating past 8:00 pm, this is because your metabolism slows down later in the evening, and your body cannot burn off the calories as fast.

Passion for Activities & Fitness-Related Events

One of my fitness accomplishments this year was running in the 2014 Vancouver Spartan Sprint Race at Mt Seymour, British Columbia. This was my second year completing the event, and it was a great experience. The course layout was tougher than last year, and the weather was horrible, but the volunteers were great, and my team was amazing! After getting to the event around 8:30 am and getting the team together, we hit the course at around 9:30 am. Over the next hour and 45 mins (give or take), we would climb up and down ski hills, jump over rocks and fire, crawl through mud and under barbed wire, climb up walls and ropes and anything else they could throw at us.

If, for whatever reason, there was something we couldn’t handle, then we would do burpees…oh, the horror! It really was a test of will and determination and was a great experience overall. Last year was my first time participating in the “Obstacle/Adventure” races, and it is addictive! I also find them to be a great event to train toward as they require muscle strength, endurance, cardio, and pure will and determination to complete. After completing this race, I was definitely looking forward to finishing the Whistler Tough Mudder event that took place at the end of the summer. I enjoyed it so much that I ultimately decided to go for a road trip up to Alberta, where  I competed in the Alberta Tough Mudder as well.

With the right determination and mindset, I believe anyone can make their dreams come true. As the saying goes, “the body achieves what the mind believes.” You may have some other form of motivation that differs from mine; that’s great! Find it, harness it, and use it to accomplish your goals. Whether you want to become more active for yourself or those around you, you just have to….

Always Keep Moving!

Image Credits:

WoodysMedia on Pexels