Alright.
Nooners, go ahead and hop on a rower.
Let's just start off with a three-minute row,
nice and easy.
So when I first started,
I actually, at the time I was really into working out.
I found it, though,
at a really kind of hard time in my life.
Two years earlier, I'd been divorced,
and I kind of never really recovered from that,
and it got so bad to the point where actually
I moved back home with my parents
just because I wasn't really comfortable being alone
and being by myself,
and so at the time,
a friend had talked me into kind of trying a class,
and I came out and tried it out,
and I was just kind of hooked from there.
Now this next time, as soon as you touch it, I want you to come right back up.
So just as soon as you touch it.
Good?
My ultimate goal with my mom,
getting her to the gym, is I knew
at some point,
you know, my dad was probably going to be gone,
and that was, you know, it was
her best friend. That was her life.
I knew I needed some activity,
because things were getting a little bit stressful for me
in the care-taking role.
It can be really hard.
I think when he passed away,
just knowing was very difficult,
when his heart stopped beating and mine continued.
I think that's been
the hardest, because I'll never forget.
I kind of knew that if I could just get her into the gym
and into the space that's been so special to me,
I feel like it could kind of change her life the way it has with mine.
So we're just going to start on the bike.
We're going to kind of warm up a little bit,
so we're just going to hop on the bike for a couple minutes.
Eventually I started kind of
getting this idea in place.
It was right around the Open time,
so the Open's coming.
And so, without her knowing, I signed her up for the Open.
So what we're going to work on,
we're going to work on your squat a little bit,
so working on getting a little bit lower.
I remember sometimes, like,
I don't think I'm going to be able to finish.
It was extremely scaled down.
Some workouts, we couldn't even record a score
because it was that scaled.
But she did it.
Awesome.
Things just took a lot of time.
And it was just like, he's not going to let up on me,
and I'm glad that he didn't.
I don't even remember what place she was,
but she was a place.
She was a part of this thing.
After that,
I pretty much told her, "You really don't have
a reason now not to come and try."
I was really afraid to come to the gym,
because I didn't feel like
you know, that gyms are for people that look like me.
And I can remember the first night I came.
I was so afraid.
I was kind of shaking,
and there was a couple other of the coaches
that were here,
that just knew right away
I was me.
Want me to start a clock for you, or are you good?
Want me to give you a countdown?
Nah, you're good.
OK, 3, 2, 1 ... go.
Kind of went from there,
and I had just the best time,
and it was hard work.
When I'd finish the workout,
I just felt so accomplished and couldn't wait to come back the next day.
Dan and Amy have just,
you know, been so incredible.
Amy wrote just a beautiful card to my husband
that Michael was able to read to him,
letting him know
what a great son we have.
It's still really hard, and it's still hard for my mom,
but I don't worry quite as much now
as I would have, because she has that community
in place, and that support,
I feel like she's going to be OK.
Awesome, Mom. That's so much better.
Holy cow.
It's amazing because she's,
she's lived really hard, and she's learned that she
is really capable, and has made huge strides in her fitness.
It's just, it means a lot to us,
to have a member of our coaching staff
and his mom be such a significant part of our community.
Do that again.
Push my hand out.
I do view this place as the place that has helped me get back on my feet.
I can just be myself.
I don't have to
leave everything at the door to come in.
It comes with me.
I can come and be
whatever I want
and just work out and release some of the stress
and heartache.
And people just rallied around
both of us.
Yeah, thanks.
Love ya.