Our TMR Ambassador Edward has had great success at The Motion Room, so we wanted to know about his motivation – where he found it and how he’s kept going over the past year.
Q: What drives you to keep fit?
A: I mean I think one of the principal motivators now is that I’m not getting any younger. Age is a factor for me. As I get older, I’m not in my twenties anymore, I need to make sure that my body can keep up with the physical and mental demands of my daily routine. I’ve made this life choice to maintain a level of fitness that allows me to do the things that I want to do.
The other determining factor is that eventually I want to have a family with my soon to be wife (Edward is getting married this Fall) and that brings a whole new load of responsibilities and challenges and with that in mind I need to keep fit. I want to be able to play with kids and do things with the family and I need to be physically able and mentally ready to do these things.
I guess the third one is, my family has had a history of both obesity and cancer and with that in the background, I want to make sure I better my odds and live a better and longer life than some of my relatives who haven’t been able to live as long. My father died of cancer 4 years ago, and a number of my other family members have had to deal with cancer including my brother. This has had an impact on me wanting to stay fit and physically healthy.
Q: Tell us about the support system at TMR
A: The trainers always check in on me when I arrive. If its PCT or Bootcamp, they always work with each individual to make sure we are doing our exercise routine in the correct manner. They ask me at the end how I feel and how I felt that day. They are tailoring my workouts based on my requests, if I want to improve my endurance, be a little leaner, trim some weight from my stomach. Beginning, middle and end, they are there.
They do have e-mail corraspondance as well, although I don’t answer frequently, most of my one on one communication happens at the gym. Usually I hang out after for 10-15 minutes and ask questions, talk more about what I want and what I should be doing. How I should be doing my reps, what I should be eating. The trainers are really helping me maintain my goals.
Q: What is the community like at TMR?
A: Last year, we as a team, about 12 of us had been members and we got together to participate for Tough Mudder. Some of us trained together inside and outside of TMR. While we were training we would have fun and had a sense of familiarity working out together knowing that we have the same goals. This shared experience, talking about what we are trying to achieve and do was great.
On another occasion I ran into a friend at TMR during a different time and we chatted about why we changed our schedule and how that had changed our results. We still chatted and pushed each other and chatted. In other gyms that report is hard to fine between trainee’s. At TMR you see the same people so eventually you get to know each other and create these relationships.
Q: What is your advice for others looking for motivation to start getting fit or keep fit?
A: For me, it was the physical sign that I needed to get myself going. When I woke up in the morning and I knew ‘ I’m out of shape’. That’s what kick started it, plus the forward thinking of knowing what I wanted in my future.
Q: Final thoughts?
A: You have to step into that gym once, but once is maybe enough to continue to take that leap because the trainers will be there to give you a proverbial hug and help take you to that next level!
Make sure to watch the video of Ed’s six month check-in to see his transformation!
Ambassador Ed Apostal Six Month Check-In Session
Check back next month to hear more about Ed’s success story!