“He lived and walked his healthy lifestyle quietly”

“He lived and walked his healthy lifestyle quietly”

The “he” I refer to is “my Mark”. The “lifestyle” refers to the personal responsibility he took of his own health and strength. Ultimately his quiet way of living spilled over to others.

My Mark. He is, without a doubt, the inspiration, motivation and determination for Strength Beyond the Gym. It is modeled after him. One snowy winter morning, while drinking coffee around the kitchen island, we came to the realization that our message of health preservation had one common denominator. It was Mark. He was the reason we were all connected. I think for us, it was a big A-HA moment and it helped us move forward with this website.

Mark lived 58 incredible years. He did the right things for the right reasons. At his funeral, a good friend referred to Mark as the “moral compass” for his friends. Everyone who knew Mark agreed. This moral compass encapsulated the amazing things about my Mark; integrity, honesty, commitment and LIVING life with conviction. Let’s talk about conviction. By definition, it means,” a firmly held belief or opinion “. That word is one of the best ways I can describe him. He approached life, the well being of his family and friends, and especially his HEALTH with conviction.

Mark always took care of himself. If I could ask the 20 year old Mark today, why he walked into a gym for the first time, I am quite positive that his answer would have little to do with staying strong so he could enjoy retirement! Instead, he would tell me, I want to be bigger and stronger, so I look HOT. OK, I know that’s not quite how he talked, but you get the point. Who am I to stand in the way of my man maintaining his hotness??!!

Fast forward thirty years. Yes…THIRTY YEARS. Mark made good eating habits and exercise a non-negotiable subject. He talked the talk, and walked the walk. Nothing caused him to clench his jaw tighter than when he would see a new program like “Lose Weight with No Effort”, or “Get HUGE muscles overnight”. He could not understand how anyone would buy into those quick fix deals. Many fall prey to the quick fix. However, in order to get the results that we want, we have to live like my Mark did. Good eating habits and exercise MUST be non-negotiable.

It is incredible that we live in a society that has access to anything and everything to pursue a healthy lifestyle, yet we still find ourselves and our children in a terrible health crisis. We are bombarded with new “doctor guided” diet and “burn more fat” exercise programs every day. It’s a multi-billion dollar industry! Who is winning? Not us. A recent study uncovered an ugly fact that the “USA is the oldest living sick society in the world!” Pretty sad.

After almost 30 years in the fitness industry it finally occurred to me that our motivation is wrong. I don’t have to be a doctor or scientist to make that assessment. The driving force behind healthy eating and exercise has been to lose weight! In the words of Dr Phil…”How’s that working for you?” It’s not. The reality is that our motivation must change. Does that idea seem overwhelming? It might, but I want to help. You see, I already have a community to assist you. You won’t be alone.

CHANGE THE MOTIVATION AND YOU WILL CHANGE THE OUTCOME!

Mark realized early in life, if he wanted to be physically healthy into his retirement years, he needed to make changes sooner, rather than later. It was the quiet way he lived that made me realize it would be important to get his message out. Get ready to change your motivation and your outcome!! Stay tuned for continued discussion on this life changing theory!

Welcome to my world…Strength Beyond the Gym! – Nancy