Merritt Clubs Blog

Looking at these pictures, I am reminded of why I love CrossFit. I can see the agony and determination on our faces. What’s more difficult to see is the the elation. This was one of the most fun and challenging competitions I’ve ever experienced. The pictures are from the Mid-Atlantic Affiliate Challenge, a team competition for CrossFitters from the entire Mid-Atlantic region. This weekend I’ll be competing for a second time. A lot has happened in the last year, including a shoulder injury, a lot of time off and rehab. Leading up to this point every time I think about it I fight back the urge to toss my cookies. All the old self-doubts surface. Am I ready to compete again? Will I hurt my shoulder? What if I let my teammates down? And so, on. What's worse is after last year I know just how bad it hurts physically. Why on Earth then, would I voluntarily put myself through the agony once again?

When I was eliminated from the show (The Biggest Loser) during week 7, I had so many different thoughts going through my mind. After a good nights sleep, a long flight home from L.A. and being reunited with my family and friends, I realized I still had a job to do and that was lose this weight I started losing during production. Fast forward a year and I find myself in the real competition. NBC has wrapped season 15, I have settled back into my life as a professional speaker and college instructor, not to mention being a husband and father. That is the TRUE reality. While I was blessed to be afforded the opportunity to be trained by television personalities in a "state of the art" fitness center, that was a vacation compared to where the true competition is.

As you are embarking on this challenge, remember to keep everything in perspective. One of the biggest lessons I learned while on "The Ranch" was to make sure I celebrate EVERY single victory, no matter how great or small. During an on camera workout, Bob Harper was teaching my team how to do Thrusters. The other four members of my team got to do them with just the bar while he actually made me perform the workout with weight on the bar. This particular part of the workout was 3 rounds for time and I was very discouraged that I was the last person to finish my three rounds. Later that night, while icing following the workout, our athletic trainer Sandy Krum was talking to me about that workout and told me how proud of me he was. I looked at him as if to say, "are you kidding me?" and he IMMEDIATELY retorted that I did a great job! "How?" I asked and he said, "not only did you have the most weight of everyone to lift, but you were able to complete it and last week, that probably would not have been the case. You need to make sure you celebrate all the victories so that you can reflect on them when the times are rough or you need to be encouraged."

While I am not satisfied with where I am physically ( remember I still weighed over 300 pounds during my finale weighin), I look back at who I was a year ago and realize I have come a LONG way. Now, the key is moving onto this next challenge and getting to my goal weight which is going to take time.....but what fun it is going to be along the way.

Hey Biggest Loser Club, yeah, there is a $1,000 prize on the line and who couldn't use an extra $1,000? But remember what the BIGGEST prize is. Yes, for most of us, this is going to be one of the hardest things we have ever done. But there is a reason you signed up and I am almost certain that prize money was a secondary reason. What will your success story be when the April finale comes along? What are the goals you are setting for the next 2 months and how are you going to celebrate your victories (great or small)? I am so honored that I get to take part in this journey with you all....so what are YOU waiting for?!

Recently I asked a friend what they thought I should blog about. “Sex” was the answer. I laughed. All I could think was fitness is more than looking good naked. If that is your only motivation to get fit, you will most likely never get there. You have to find something that challenges you, inspires you and motivates you to get your lazy behind off the couch every day. Trust me. Looking good naked, isn’t enough.

On second thought, however I remembered that Valentine's Day is coming up and realized that sex is actually a perfect topic.

For a lot of people going to the gym is like unsuccessful online dating. You are trying so hard to get in shape, or find the right mate, but nothing is working. You can’t seem to get what you want no matter how hard you try...and it seems like you’ve tried EVERYTHING. Strangely, we often find someone worth dating in the weirdest places when we aren’t looking for them at all. What gives?

The truth is if you are looking for someone else to fulfill you, then you are doomed to be unhappy. It starts with you. You have to love yourself before you can love anyone else. A welcomed side effect of self-improvement, of loving yourself first, is that others find you more desirable. Fitness is no different; the side effect of being fit, is a rocking body that you worked hard to earn. If you are trying to get the rocking body without being fit - without earning it - you may be that desperate online single looking for love in all the wrong places.

And, to satisfy my friend, the fitter you are, the better your sex life will be. Research shows sexual dysfunction is more likely among women and men with poor physical and emotional health. Moreover, sexual dysfunction is highly associated with overall well-being. In the United States there is a surprisingly high prevalence of sexual dysfunction in both sexes. It is estimated that 31% of men and 43% of women experience some form of sexual dysfunction. That’s right - more women than men experience sexual dysfunction. Your physical and emotional health are the key.

Want to get a date, look better naked, have better sex, and generally improve all aspects of life? Focus on taking care of yourself first; loving yourself and prioritizing your fitness will take care of most of your problems. It’s that simple, and yet so difficult.

Joanna Meade (view bio) is a NSCA Certified Personal Trainer at the Downtown Athletic Club. She is a Level OneCrossFit instructor and competitor. She can be reached at Merritt Athletic Clubs Downtown Club at 410-332-0906 or click here for a Free CrossFit Session.

Fitness is more than looking good naked. Granted, looking good naked is a welcomed side effect of being fit, but it shouldn’t be your only motivation to put down that cookie and lace up your sneakers. Weight, or more appropriately body fat, is only one measure of your health. It’s the one everyone obsesses about. However, there is so much more to it. Blood pressure, body fat, bone density, triglycerides, posture, flexibility, muscle mass, good and bad cholesterol, even your mental health are things we can observe to determine your overall health.

You have to think of your health as a continuum. Every night you don’t get enough sleep, every day you don’t drink enough water, every hangover, every skipped workout and extra slice of pizza; they may not look like they are affecting you now, but rest assured they are. Everything we do, or don’t do, gradually pushes us toward greater fitness or toward morbidity. Being fit is the best way to protect yourself against disease. It's not just something you do to look good for bikini season.

Fitness is a way of life. It has to be a habit. Otherwise, you’ll never gain any traction.

The next time you feel intimidated by some hoss deadlifting 500 pounds, or that gazelle of a woman effortlessly bounding along on her treadmill, remember that we are not all starting from the same point on the continuum. Fitness is a journey. Everyone’s is different. Regardless of where you are on your journey, don’t judge a book by it’s cover. Don’t despair that you’ll never look as good as that hoss or gazelle across the gym. Your workout is moving you a step in the right direction on the health continuum. And the next time you tell yourself you’ll make up for that overindulgence at the gym tomorrow, remember that it all adds up. You can't out exercise a bad diet. All your actions outside of the gym need to support your efforts inside the gym to make any progress on the continuum. Keep moving toward fitness and you'll have much more than a beach body. You'll safeguard your life.

There are a host of resources at Merritt Athletic Clubs that can help you continually progress your fitness. We have excellent personal trainers, group fitness instructors, massage therapists, dietitians, a meal service and even physical therapists, all on site. Improve your overall health by taking advantage of these available resources.

Joanna Meade (view bio) is a NSCA Certified Personal Trainer at the Downtown Athletic Club. She is a Level OneCrossFit instructor and competitor. She can be reached at Merritt Athletic Clubs Downtown Club at 410-332-0906 or click here for a Free CrossFit Session.

"Keeping a strict workout routine at Merritt Athletic Club in Eldersburg of four-hour sessions five-days-a-week, Kendir cut all carbohydrates from his diet and replaced them with protein and vegetables.

One year later, Kendir is now 120 pounds lighter and in the best shape of his life.

“It’s a huge euphoria,” he said. “I can’t even explain how amazing it feels. After 120 pounds, I’m a completely different person.”

The weight loss sparked to a holistic change in his life. Kendir is a lot more confident, those social issues have evaporated, and he feels great physically, emotionally and mentally.

It all began with the New Year’s resolution one year ago.

Resolutions are a big driver of new members at the Eldersburg Merritt Athletic Club, according to programs manager Andrew Dibble.

The gym sees an annual influx of members in the first few weeks of the new year, as people are holding true to their resolutions of weight loss and increased health, Dibble said.

Kendir’s success story is one that can give anyone hope, Dibble said.

“Stories like his are what make people walk through the door every day. It gives that belief that anybody can do it,” Dibble said.

Kendir now works as a staff member at the place he lost all that weight.

As for a 2013 New Year’s resolution, Kendir is still pondering his next self-made promise.

“It’s hard to come up with one, I have accomplished so much in the last year that, you know, what do I set for myself now? So I haven’t set any yet,” he said."

-Brett Lake, Carroll County Times

All too often we try to make a complete change in our habits without planning. We tend to grab hold of an idea or goal and launch ourselves into it with a “full steam ahead” approach. I recommend taking a very different approach, setting up for success by implementing small changes and creating new patterns. Try putting a few simple changes into place and build off of the patterns you create. A few examples are:

• Take a multi-vitamin every morning with your breakfast.
• Drink a MEASURED amount of water every day. Start with eight 8 oz. glasses of water.
• Stretch for 10 minutes every day.
• Read the labels of every food item you pick up at the grocery store.

While none of these changes will make you reach your goal without further efforts, they WILL help you to set up a pattern of success. Following EASY to implement changes will help to create a successful base that you can build on as you continue to work toward achieving your goals.

Written by: Phillip Nohe

Be the first to leave a comment, praise, or say hello! Share your experience and insights in the comment box below.