I was a much bulkier 205 pounds when I played football in college. And not that you can't have that muscle bulk and be healthy, but I was not healthy.
I was focused on, and coached to lift as much weight as possible, not to move my body in the best way. I was not in a good mental state, being a young adult living away from home for the first time. I wouldn't say I was eating poorly, but I didn't have my nutrition optimized. I was in toxic relationships, and got too caught up in the party scene of college.
After that first season of college football I felt beat up, and playing sports wasn't fun anymore. My mental health was poor, which reflected in how I felt physically. I knew I wasn't going to be a professional athlete, and I needed to focus on school. I also knew that exercise was good for my physical and mental health. But my exercise had always been centered around team sports. Now that I didn't have that anymore I needed to figure out a new strategy.
This lead me to becoming a personal trainer while I was in college. Helping others live healthier lives through exercise helped me develop better habits for myself. I also gained knowledge and skills that lead me to pursue a career in physical therapy.
However, as I was still in my early 20s at this point, I was still quite immature and trying to figure myself out. It wasn't until I met my now wife, Bethany, that I found someone that brought me stability. She allowed me to think beyond here and now. She helped me want to become a better version of myself. She kept me in check and accountable. There is no way I would have made it through physical therapy school without her.
After 3 years of grinding through physical therapy school, Bethany and I got married. We did the adult things. I got my first PT job, we got a dog, we bought a house, and had our children. This was another spark for change in my journey.
Having children made me want to be around as long as possible. I want to have as much time with them in this life as I can control. I began learning about longevity and lifestyle medicine. We changed our habits around food. I focused on my sleep hygiene, started exercising my body in a different way, and I quit drinking alcohol.
I'm not saying you can't have an occasional adult beverage, but my personal relationship with alcohol was not healthy, and it was best for me to stop drinking.
I'm not perfect, nor am I trying to be, but I try to do the best things for my health most of the time. This gives me the resiliency to respond when I don't have the best night's sleep, I indulge in a treat, or something stressful happens, for example breaking your collarbone.
I'm content with where my overall health is, but there are always things to work on to improve. My current focus is on my career. Earlier this year I celebrated 10 years of being a physical therapist. Getting to work with people on solving problems and reaching goals is absolutely amazing. But working in the healthcare system has not been so joyful. I had various jobs in these 10 years. Always searching for something better, but never finding it. That's why Movement Redefined exists.
Matt and I have come together to create our own thing because what we knew was possible, and what we feel like people deserve doesn't readily exist. You need more than the traditional physical therapy and personal training. You don't just want to feel better, you want to perform at your best. You want to keep pushing yourself to try new things and achieve new goals. You want to move better now, but also long into the future.
We're here for you! We'll help coach, guide, and push you to work toward a better you no matter how far you want to go. And you will help us continue to learn and grow. Together we will live full, purposeful lives!
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