MyoMy Story – “The Turning Point” by Brian Anglim

Hi everyone, I’d like to introduce you to Brian (aka Coach Anglim).  His story is just too awesome to even begin to describe. What a turn-around!  Brian’s story perfectly illustrates how, at any time in our life, we have the POWER to change ourselves and become the person we want.  It’s about attitude!

My Fitness Journey

What a special moment that was for me. I had just become a new dad.  Having that moment immortalized in a picture is such a blessing, but what I saw was a new dad who was not taking care of himself.  I was a high school basketball coach who was a role model to over 20 boys. I once was a college athlete and now I was a dad. This was not the man that I wanted to be.

At the time of this picture, I was working out 2 to 3 times a week but I really was just going through the motions. I might ride a bike for 45 minutes while watching a TV program or casually lift some weights. At no point was I training with a purpose. It was kind of like I was checking a box to say I got it done. I am not sure if it was the pressure of soon becoming a parent or just the sympathy for my wife’s pregnancy weight, but my diet fell apart into a world of soda and fried foods. I knew I was putting on weight but just didn’t seem to register. I guess when that birthday came I could no longer ignore my physical condition. I decided to make a change.

Now that I had a goal I needed to gain leverage. To do that I entered a “biggest loser contest” with my neighbors. My wife, myself, and two other couples decided to do a family challenge on who could lose the most weight over 2 months.  I knew we could win this and this simple contest reminded something about me that I lost along the way. I love competition. I also love being on a team and working on this goal with my wife made it all the easier.

I also had a more personal motivation that drove me. I recognized that I was an older parent and I needed to stay healthy so that I can be there for him later in life. I did not to be a passive dad that sat on the sidelines. I was going to be the dad that plays hard with his son and coaches his sports teams. During my wife’s pregnancy I gained about 12 pounds of pure fat, maybe it was the pressure that pushed me to medicate myself with unhealthy foods. I had new pressures now but I decided to use it to my advantage. That pressure would drive me eat right and train with an intensity of transforming my body.

That was the start of my weight loss journey. I now thoughtfully considered what I ate. I went to the gym not to just do it but to push myself a new ways. I was no longer working out, I was training. I started keeping a weight training journal and wanted to see those lifts move up. I was recording my runs and looking to extend them. In those three months I lost eighteen pounds (8 kgs.) and with my wife’s weight loss we won the contest.

All three couples had lost weight and we celebrated with a wonderful dinner and gained a couple of those pounds back. It was a great time and the next day I had to think what my next step was? I was getting positive comments from my coworkers and family members and I felt like I needed to stay this way. Then I realized something that made this change permanent, I wasn’t in this for the compliments, I was in it for the way it made me feel!  I love fitness. I enjoy pushing myself, I love to compete and challenging my body to grow stronger. Although I love fried foods I feel so much better with a more controlled diet. Living a fit lifestyle isn’t a chore but rather a gift that we can give to ourselves.

Some 5 years after that contest I have lost a total of 40 pounds and replaced a ton of fat with hard earned muscle. Each time I get to the gym, it feels like the playtime we once enjoyed as a child. I started reading anything I could about training and studied a wide variety of topics like Olympic lifting, speed training, kettle bell training, (how I discovered MYOMYTV.COM), cross fit, and of course diet (I have experimented with tons of them)! I was learning so much that I realized that I needed to teach it to others. I was a coach by trade and I need to start people about my new love in life. I became a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and Performance Enhancement Specialist. I currently train neighbors and friends for the joy of sharing my experiences. This is me now, father of two fast approaching 40. Most people see this age as the beginning of the end, but as I enter my forth decade I feel (and physically am) stronger that I have ever been.

~ Brian Anglim

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