MEET MARK

My journey with AIM really starts 3 years ago when I joined Wildland CrossFit. I was 42 years old, and despite “going to the gym” 3-4 days a week, weighed 267 pounds, and I knew it just wasn’t healthy. My sister and brother-in-law were Wildland members, and I’d seen what CrossFit had done for them, and so one night, while sitting in a plane waiting to fly home (I travel for work), I signed up to take the “Intro Class”. Three years later, it’s still a constant challenge (one I wasn’t sure I’d survive at times) but so worth the effort. And while joining Wildland definitely made me stronger and I felt “fitter", my weight didn’t really change all that much… over the first year and a half, through regular workouts and a couple of gym “fitness challenge” contests, I lost ~15 pounds, but without any real change in eating habits, the weight would just come back, slowly but surely.

In October of 2016, Amy (pre-AIM, even) took a few of us on as clients (guinea pigs?), coaching us on the use of My Fitness Pal (MFP), weighing/logging our foods, and the counting of macros, always there with motivation and good (but sometimes tough) advice. In “real life”, I’m a software engineer, so having a set of “specifications” - in this case macro numbers - is a perfect fit for me, and tools like MFP make it easy to track all day long (and even plan ahead when needed). Through Amy, I’ve learned what foods my body actually needs to fuel itself, in appropriate quantities, and through the AIM client group, I’ve found new ideas, and the support of others who are also learning along with me, or who’ve been there before.

Last week, October 4th, marked my 1-year anniversary of tracking macros via MFP and working with Amy. In one year I’ve logged every meal and snack (over 1400), and in the process lost over 57 pounds. I weigh less now than I did in college, and at 45 years old am in the best shape of my adult life. I even let them talk me into doing a CrossFit competition next weekend in Seattle! Me!

Health problems I had in the past (Plantar Fasciitis, Achilles issues) are a thing of the past. Running a mile or two during a workout? Sure, no big deal. Amy posted a picture of me at the gym the other day climbing a rope - something I also couldn’t do a year ago - and I didn’t recognize myself. (I’m sure I’ll adjust eventually, but it’s still a shock to me at the moment :) )

I heard someone say on a podcast recently something that’s really stuck with me: “You build habits for the times when you don’t have motivation.” That’s what this year with Amy has helped me do: establish the habits, and the knowledge, that I can build on to have a better life, for years and years to come.

Thanks boss. See you tomorrow at the gym