Life is hard. It’s full of choices. Staying where you’re currently at is hard. Choosing personal growth is also difficult. Relationships are hard, communication is hard, and not communicating is hard. Being on a budget is hard, but having debt weighing on you is hard too. Making a choice can be hard. Indecision is hard, sometimes by not choosing you’re still making a choice. I’m reminded of a quote by Hunter S. Thompson, “A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance.” There was a time in my life when I chose the easier route, at least in the short term. Chose fast food over cooking for myself. Chose to hold the couch down instead of exercising. Like many people, I haven’t always made the right choices when it comes to health and fitness. At one point I deserved the dickey-do award. For those of you who are not familiar with that term↓↓↓↓↓↓:
I remember my light bulb moment. I was riding in the passenger seat of a truck with my brother. We were going down a bumpy-ass dirt road and I could ACTUALLY FEEL my moobs (man boobs) bouncing. I thought, how the f**k have you let yourself get to this point?
To give context, I was a decent high school athlete, always in good shape, and when I graduated (weighing 195 lbs.) I thought I had the world by the balls (so to speak). There were some small colleges – DII and DIII – that showed an interest in wanting me to be a part of their football programs, but like all 18-year-olds I wanted to be a part of a Division I program, so I ended up walking on Central Michigan University. And like most 18-year-old athletes I thought I could overcome/ignore/outrun my injuries and be back to normal. I did not think that the reconstruction surgery(s) I had on both my right and left ACL along with meniscectomies would impact my athletic future. I was devastated when the team doctor at CMU advised me it would be best for my long-term joint health not to play. The question he asked me was, “Do you want to play with your kids in your 30’s?” The decision was hard for me. I had already told family and friends I had made the team. My sister had told me how proud my parents were of me for making the team. It was heartbreaking for me to give up playing football. Playing DI football had always been a dream of mine. I followed their advice and walked away from football. To come so close to realizing one of my dreams and then giving it up was the turning point where I went from fit athlete to couch potato.
Fast forward several years and many poor life choices later. I was 25 years old and tipping the scales at 260 + pounds with moobs. The entire reason I walked away from football was to protect my joints. But, ya’ know what else isn’t good for joints – gaining 60 pounds!!!
It would have been easy to stay on my current trajectory. It was at that moment I decided to change. Call it my light bulb 💡 moment. I was going nowhere fast. I wasn’t happy where I was with my life. At that moment, I chose hard. It’s funny how seemingly small decisions can end up changing your life. I started working out, eating better, and educating myself from fitness magazines like Muscle & Fitness. Over a period of time, two years or so, I got down to around 205 lbs. My weight loss journey not only dramatically changed my physique but also changed my mental state. It reignited my passion for fitness. Choosing hard has led me to where I am today, a 12-year veteran of the fitness industry. I get to do what I love, which is helping other people on their fitness journey. I can empathize with people because I have walked the walk. Losing weight is hard, but so is being fat. Training is hard, but so is being weak. Being d-ght, and being disciplined over fat, weak, and unhealthy.
Same guy, but very different people
I’m still choosing hard. As I sit here today, I’m in the middle of building my own website. Thank goodness for YouTube because I have absolutely no fucking clue how to create my own platform. This is the first-ever blog post of my life and the first thing that is going to be published on my site. I’m far from a web developer or author. I’m just a fitness professional who wants to help more people. I love coaching and seeing clients be successful. I want to have a larger impact. I train people both online and in person.
As I said at the beginning of this post, life is hard, it’s never going to be easy. You know what, I dig it. Change doesn’t come from doing easy. It’s driven by strife and struggle. As cliché, as it may sound success, is earned, it’s never given. I’ve been able to maintain my healthy lifestyle for 15 years and counting. I was a fit kid who lost his way and got fat, but I’ve found my way back again. I have been on both sides of it. I know the psychological effects of being unhealthy. I know how it feels to be uncomfortable in your own skin. There aren’t a lot of pictures of fat Ty out there. Choose your hard. You don’t have to forage that path alone. You made it here for a reason. I understand your suffering and frustration. I was you, and I can help you with your own fitness journey.
-Tyson
#earnednotgiven
For coaching inquiries email traingreaterthan@gmail.com
Notes:
If you’re interested in building your own website on WordPress this video has been invaluable to me so far. I’m literally just following along with it.