How it all Began! circa 2008-2013

My health journey began almost 15 years ago. While on a trip to Cabo, my wife asked if we should have a baby. We were newlyweds, we had recently purchased our first condo together and finally in a place where that was a possibility. At the time, I was working a tech job commuting a lot and had little time or need to bust my butt in a gym. My wife is a Flight Attendant, traveling often, she was gone for days at a time which wouldn’t make for a great home life in the beginning if we were to do the family thing. If we were going to become parents, there were going to be serious changes to the ways we were currently living. Not being 20 something anymore, I could certainly benefit from some fitness, especially if I was going to be chasing around a little one for the next several years. As I said, I didn’t have a lot of time between work and my commute to get exercise in, so I began going to work earlier to use the onsite gym. As I got stronger I wanted to add in more free weights as they were limited at the onsite gym, so I joined a local 24hr gym so that I could still work out in the morning before work. I also purchased a Reebok RL10 Elliptical and a Marcy weight bench and put them both into our master bedroom (My wife must love me!). And so began my journey to better health.

Fast forward a couple of years. I had changed employers and was now working closer to home. My current employer had an amazing onsite fitness center, you could not ask for more! There was even a room solely for group fitness. It was in this room I would do Tony Horton One on One workouts, Insanity, and many P90X sessions. During this time I began to amass a following of folks that began to schedule their lunches around my workout sessions and together we would all get after it. On occasion after a workout, someone would mention that I should consider becoming a Personal Trainer. I certainly had a real passion for fitness, maybe they were on to something!

A couple of years later our son was older and on the move. We had outgrown the downtown condo and found our new home away from the city where the Cedar trees outnumbered the houses. A modest two-story with a huge backyard for our son to roam, and plenty of peace and quiet for us. A somewhat expected layoff came about, and I had recently begun studying for the NASM Certified Personal Trainer certification. The Universe was clearing nudging me in a new direction. It was time to embrace the possibilities and Adventurous Health was born. On our property, we had a small but solid outbuilding. Other than spiders and cobwebs, it housed junk and gardening supplies so my wife and i began the purge and reorganization so that we could convert the building into a fitness studio. 

I hired a contractor to help where I needed it, but mostly I spent my time and severance package hanging sheetrock, cramming for my CPT NASM certification, and working hard to build the best personal fitness studio I could. Slowly I moved my Elliptical and dumbbells out of the Master Bedroom and into the new space. My wife could now carve out a little reading corner in our bedroom and build her own little slice of heaven. 

The Evolution of Adventurous Health

Obstacle racing was a very big part of my life for a few years. The thrill of conquering obstacles, persevering through adversity, and yes sometimes even excepting defeat is something everyone should experience. Of the many obstacle course races I have completed, Spartan has always risen to the challenge and truly tests you sprit and determination. The crowning moment for me came in 2013 in Sacramento, Ca. I had just finished the Spartan Beat. A 13+ mile 30+ obstacle course in the dry dessert outside on Sacramento. The Trifecta  medal is awarded after completing 3 races in one year, the Spartan Sprint, Spartan Super and lastly the Spartan Beast. This was the hardest race I have ever done, and there were a few moments where I felt like defeat would be my only reward. But in the end, I made it! I crossed the finish line to meet my family, grab my well deserved Trifecta medal and head to the food court, when out of nowhere I was approached and asked if I would go on camera and talk about my Trifecta experience. An opportunity to share my Spartan Trifecta moment not only with my son, but anyone else who may be searching the internet to see just what the whole Spartan Race obstacle course racing scene was all about. Or maybe just maybe, there is someone looking for the inspiration to make the final bit of “hell yes!” they need to make the commitment to register for that upcoming race. I couldn’t say yes fast enough! A few question, some video and photo ops of me receiving the Trifecta medal from my son, it was a perfect race day! One day while surfing the web, I came across the above Spartan Race YouTube video. I played it, and when I saw that I made it through last of the Beast obstacles, the cutting room floor, it brought joyful tears to my eyes. Being given that opportunity to share my passion for heath and fitness will be a memory I will never forget it! If you are reading this, and you are looking for that last push to enter that race or start that fitness program, this is your time! Right now! Make the commitment to push harder, eat better, get out of your comfort zone and crash through your boundaries!