Meet Michael: August Member of the Month!
August’s Member of the Month, Michael, is what his friends describe as a “computer toucher,” a rather accurate epithet for someone who does all the things in tech: development, QA, implementation, support, reporting, analytics, IT, security, etc.
Like many of us, the pandemic hit Michael hard. But last year Michael realized something needed to change. He tried to make a go of it by himself but quickly realized that wasn’t the best option for him. So he joined Studio ME in August of 2022 and has worked with Coach Billy to get stronger, fitter, and leaner.
Since starting at Studio ME, he has made some INCREDIBLE progress. Not only has he lost 112 pounds since he started his wellness journey, but he also WON the Mighty ME Powerlifting Competition last May.
Here’s Michael’s story:
“My health really took a nosedive during the pandemic. It was bound to happen. Being called a hero for staying home and ordering food from every local restaurant was never going to end well for me. I've been way overweight for most of my adult life, and I've been trying to lose weight for the better part of the last decade, but I like to think I hit rock bottom. It's different for everyone, so maybe I could've gone lower, who knows? I realized that if I didn't do something quickly, I wasn't going to achieve my life's goal of throwing a car. Looking and feeling better would be pretty cool, but mostly, it's about being able to throw a car.
If I could go back in time I'd probably tell myself "you really don't have to just eat carrots for lunch to lose weight, please learn basic nutrition."
So, I committed. On my birthday in 2022 I gorged on all my favorite foods, then I basically threw out everything in my pantry and fridge and replaced it with fresh fruit and veggies and ate at a tremendous calorie deficit. It was quite horrible! I lost a lot of weight very quickly, but I would never diet like that again. Unfortunately, it was a net positive for my health and well-being, so I kept at it. Every month I would add something back into my diet until I achieved some balance, then I added exercise! And I immediately hurt myself. Turns out, you can't just wander into a gym, grab a random weight, and move it around without any form or structure. While I was still on the mend, I started searching for trainers in the area, and was reminded that there's a gym on the main floor of my apartment building. What are the odds?!
“Someday soon, I will be able to throw cars with ease.”
Initially, my goals were pretty simple: just learn form and function, get a few routines under my belt, then just do that for the rest of my life. I had tried group training before, but I always felt so far behind everyone else that I opted for private sessions with Billy. But every session seemed to activate a muscle that had been dormant in my body for 15 years, and the learning never stopped. Weight loss was still my goal, but now I was thinking in terms beyond that: being able to do a single, unassisted pull-up for the first time in my life; having great cardio health; being able to lift a car clean over my head and throwing it. Few sessions go by, now, where I don't learn something new, or where I don't focus on the mechanics of a single exercise until I finally understand why I'm doing it, and all its downstream benefits.
If I could go back in time I'd probably tell myself "you really don't have to just eat carrots for lunch to lose weight, please learn basic nutrition." Then I might also say something about how you can start exercising now, you don't need to wait. My friend once told me about his "gym rule of thirds" that still applies to my workouts: a third of the time, it's going to suck and you just need to get in, do what you can, and leave; a third of the time, it's going to be alright, and you won't regret going; the last third of the time, you're going to realize how much progress you've made, and you're going to break your own record without even trying. You never know what type of day you're going to have until you get in the gym and try, though. And someday soon, I will be able to throw cars with ease.”
“You can start exercising now, you don't need to wait”
P.s. Check out Michael’s Blog: https://www.frozenpizzaratings.org
