 Yes, he really did catch that fish. Since as far back as I can remember, I have always had an appreciation for physical fitness and larger than life heroes. My favorites were The Incredible Hulk, He-Man, and Bill Kazmaier (the World’s Strongest Man). But the biggest superhero to me was my dad, Maartin.
My father introduced me to weights at a young age and I have never looked back. Some of my best memories are lifting sessions with my dad. To me lifting/working out is more than just a means for physical transformation, it teaches you a lot of life lessons. Mental toughness, attitude, hard work and determination, but the most important one to me is work ethic. I learned that in life a lot of things are out of your control, but no one can control the amount of effort you put into work. That is what I love the most about working out. I will never be the strongest, fastest or smartest guy in the room, but I will always be the hardest working and to me, that means a lot. I am excited to share my passion with others and pass on what I have learned over the years. What my father taught me will be what Family Fitness Time is all about. Hard work and family will be the foundation of my business as they are the two most important things to me. I truly believe that if you put in the work, good things will happen. It also helps to surround yourself with family (literal family and workout family). The late Jim Rohn said “we are a product of the five people we spend the most time with”. That quote really resonates with me. I have hung out with several knuckleheads in my day, all that does is get you nowhere fast. These days I just spend my time with my wife, children and my furry friend Mazie (who is always down for a good workout). In short, I guess what I am saying is, if you value hard work and family then Family Fitness is for you. If you are willing to put in the hard work for your fitness goals, then your goals will become my goals and we will reach them together. As always, thanks for taking the time to read my blog and if you are looking for a fun new way to workout, lets get at it. Nick  I’m sure many of you are familiar with the movie Happy Gilmore. In that movie Adam Sandler’s character says “I’m a hockey player who’s playing golf today”. I can relate, I often say I’m a weight lifter who is running today. What does that mean? I think originally it meant I only liked doing what I was good at, and if I wasn’t good at it or it was challenging then it wasn’t for me. But I now believe it is better to have tried and failed then to have never tried at all.
I now start every morning like clockwork. At 4:00 A.M. (yes, 4AM!) I’m out of bed, head downstairs to slam a glass of spark then I queue up my headphones with the latest Fight & the Kid or Joe Rogan podcast. Lastly I get my girl Mazie (our German Shepherd dog) all leashed up, and we go out for a run. At first this routine started as a way to get prepared for a race (and get Mazie some much needed exercise), but it has turned into my favorite part of the day. As Mazie and I are putting in the miles, I have a lot of time laugh (at the hilarious podcasts I’m listening to) and think about all the things that are racing through my head, that I can’t articulate or I am too scared to say out loud. Lately I have been doing a lot of reflecting on all of our families changes. I am very thankful for my families support to help build our new business from the ground up. It is exciting & frightening at the same time. I know I have more passion and desire than knowledge (at this point) but I will always find the answer through hard work and dedication. I’m looking forward to creating an atmosphere at my yet to be named Family Fitness Center, where everyone is welcomed and no one is judged. Although we are transitioning from a double to a single family income at the moment & we can’t get everything we want, I realize my new time and freedom is priceless. I get to wake up everyday to Ethan’s “I love you Dad”. I get to experience Lizzard’s joyful enthusiasm for life as she grows up way too fast. And I have the privilege of meaningful conversations with my wife Jenny at any time of the day, not just a night when we’re both tired from the days activities. My life is by no means perfect but it is pretty damn good. With more time and freedom I also believe I’ve become a better person. The older I get the more I realize I don’t know. This has enabled me to read more (5 books so far this summer), ask more questions and build more relationships. I believe a lot of that has to do with me and a lot has to do with Advocare and the new friends I have made through it. A few years ago I don’t know if I would have been able to get outside of my comfort zone but today I’m proud to say I’m a weight lifter and a runner. Nick As many of you know, I recently retired from the only thing I have done over the past 20+ years. What started out as a summer job helping my Grandpa, turned into a career. I was, and always will be a produce guy at heart. I loved everything about it from the relationships with the farmers to the creative freedom of marketing and displays, but most importantly all the fresh fruit and veggies you can “sample” in an eight-hour shift. Yes there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. But all throughout this journey, one thing has remained constant, my desire to own and operate my own business.
Thankfully I have a very loving and understanding family, spearheaded by my lovely wife Jenny, along with our two amazing children Elizabeth (Lizard) & Ethan (Easy) who inspire me every day. Aside from produce, I have always been passionate about health & fitness along with teaching and coaching children. Hence the name Family Fitness. My vision is a place where families can come and workout side by side, too often kids are left out, whether it is because of age or lack of knowledge. At Family Fitness everyone is welcome to participate, put your baby in the Bjorn and let’s get to work! Ideally at Family Fitness we will always work out outdoors, unless the weather dictates otherwise. Our motto at Family Fitness is: a healthy family is a happy family. I believe that working out daily, along with healthy eating and proper product supplement (for the adults) is the key to a happy, healthy life. After an awesome summer off with my kids, the goal is to finish up some schooling and hit the ground running. I have a background in playing athletics (college football), lifting, and coaching youth sports. I can’t wait to put some hard work into my business and see it grow into the full potential I know that it has. If anyone has the desire to work out with me or train, shoot me an email at familyfitnesstime@gmail.com. I will also be happy to answer any questions you have or just talk about your health and fitness goals and share what has worked for Jen and I. Thanks and have a great workout! Nick Welcome to our new adventure! We (Nick and Jen) started this blog as a way to record our family transformation. We’ve always been an active and mostly fit family but we’ve decided it was time to seize the day and make some true changes to improve our quality of life. We’ll get into all of that in later posts but we are planning on this being a site for sharing our accomplishments, struggles and everything in between so buckle up, this should be fun!
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