My fitness journey began as an obese boy. Getting picked on, teased and targeted for practical jokes, I didn’t realize the stigma being overweight carried with it. Everyone defined and treated me as this subhuman person, but I never defined myself this way, which was the lesson. I finally got tired of it and just crash dieted, losing 51 lbs. But I hadn’t learned how to eat. Everyone treated me better, which felt good. So, I wondered I well I would be treated if I started exercising and building my body up? The answer was very well, but that ceased being important to me. What was important was that I learned that I alone determined my feelings, by my behavior and choices. My happiness was my responsibility.
I eventually began to notice, that when I exercised, my brain would automatically work on solving all its problems. It was rejuvenating my brain as well as my body. Exercise was becoming a form of meditation, a stress release, a way to put everything into perspective. Exercise and diet also became the reasons why I’ve never taken blood pressure or cholesterol, medication, even though heart disease runs in my family. I haven’t taken a single antibiotic for anything, in over ten years. When cold and flu season come around, I rarely get sick for more than a day. Exercise and diet became my essential pathways for happiness and how I find balance, on a daily basis. This is what’s important to me.
I’ve taught exercise for 25 years. I’ve been certified by the American Council of Exercise, the American College of Sports Medicine, the National Academy of Sports Medicine. I’ve graduated from the Santa Monica Healing Arts School in Shiatsu and Chinese Medicine. I’m a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the California Institute of the Arts. I run marathons, ride centuries, constantly look for ways to challenge myself. These experiences are my greatest teachers.
Looking forward to meeting and learning from you!
All The Best,
David