Creating a Foundation For Your Life

I’ve been working out pretty consistently for about 20 years. I can distinctly remember walking onto the old Club One gym floor in East Liberty and hopping on the Nautilus bench press machine for the first time; one of those machines where you adjust the weights with a pin, and everything was welded together.

I never really considered my motivations for wanting to workout at the time. That first trip to the gym, I was in seventh or eighth grade, and I suppose I was at an age where I wanted to grow up as much as I could before high school. Once I hit high school, I continued working out because I wanted to play Lacrosse in college. And once I started playing college lacrosse, I kept pushing in the gym because I wanted to be a starter.

After college, I continued to workout. Partially because of habit, but mostly because I had a feeling that I somehow wanted to make a career out of fitness.

As I look back now, I realize how thankful I am for having these internal motivations. I’m grateful for everything that fitness has given me; health, friends, experiences, obstacles, successes, and failures. The gym has been a huge constant in my life, and I’ll be forever grateful for it.

At this moment, my wife and I are nearly three weeks away from having our first kid. For many people, this would be when priorities shift going to the gym gets put on hold. It’s understandable, but it’s a huge mistake. I’ve realized over the past few months that I stayed in the gym for all these years because it allows me to go after everything that I want in life without hesitation. It’s made me stronger both physically and mentally. It’s asked me time after time if I want to quit or keep going, and more often than not, I’ve chosen to keep going.

The gym has allowed me to try new sports and go on adventures without asking if I needed to get in shape first or if my body could handle it.
It’s given me amazing friends that put a smile on my face daily and even pull me through when times are tough. That all came from walking into a gym as a kid one day and continuing to tell myself that I need to go back tomorrow.

Our lives have narrowed this past year, and the why behind what we do has become more critical than ever. My why is because I want to continue to grow as a person and live the fullest life possible. To me, the gym is the foundation I can build on. That’s where it all starts. And it can begin there for you too. If you are already a member at Arsenal, you are well on your way. If you aren’t a member, schedule a time to sit down with me. You can book a free intro here.