It's not easy picking a youth member of the month. I work with about 100 kids each week, and all are so special and talented. Often they do something to stand out, but what Joey did a few weeks ago really captured my attention. He strapped himself to the band and started practicing Aztec Push-ups. Of course, it's fun to bounce up and down on the band, so he did 150 of them. As his mom and I continued to talk at the end of class, he decided to jump back on and do 100 more. 250 Aztec Push-ups later and I don't think there's anything else you can say but: DETERMINATION.
Game-changing members of the month are not selected solely on performance. It's just that performance is usually a characteristic of game-changers. Joey is an amazing kid! I remember his first session, lots of questions, lots of energy, lots of excitement to jump over the marine hurdles repeatedly. Then his next few sessions, the energy didn't stop. A few months later and he still runs in to the gym like the energizer bunny ready to climb the rope and the monkey bars and run back and forth on the turf throwing dodgeballs. What I love about him most is his creativity. He throws out awesome ideas about exercise moves and games and has patented the FMU Ninja Jump 360 to a Forward Roll---he'll make sure to remind me of that too, always! I'll take Joey any day. Not because of his Aztecs. Not because of his fitness accomplishments. But because of who he is. Congratulations Joey for all of your hard work. Keep rising up with your eyes up! You're an absolute game-changer.
FMU ADULT MEMBER OF THE MONTH:JON PUGH
Jon P is a maniac! This guy comes into the gym to every 530am class and tears it up. He's been doing it for a year now. A few weeks ago we got to chatting as he was attempting his 10th pull-up on the monkey bar, which is no easy feat for an over 6ft tall, 212lber! "Remember when you first came? Whoa remember when you first came!!! You're a totally different man now!"
Down 22lbs and 8% body fat since last December, this guy is a lean machine now. He hits his workouts hard each week and focuses on quality nutrition. He doesn't do anything crazy, he just stays disciplined enough to keep shredding! And he's still going! But again, it's not just about performance. It's about character. A few weeks ago I made a post about needing an AED (Automatic External Defibrillator), a life-saving device in case of emergencies at FMU. These gadgets cost well over $1,000, so we sought some help. Instantly Jon messaged me with intentions of purchasing the whole thing out of the goodness of his heart. I told him it was way too much money to allow him to do that. With a second donation, and FMU's part, we pulled together the resources to purchase the AED.
It's people like Jon that make FMU so special. He's a hardworking manager at Hyland Software and a father of a little boy and girl. A family man with a big heart, and now, big muscles.
Thanks Jon P for being you my brother. You're an absolute game-changer.
Phenom. Prodigy. Premier student of life. I rarely use those
words to describe someone because I rarely meet a human that fits their
descriptions. Then Ally Pesta walks into our lives. Her athletic prowess and
abilities are rare. So are her intellect, heart, and mindset. Many big things
lie ahead for this young lady.
You see her in the corner of the FMU gym in her zone.
Focused. Determined. Ambitious. But you didn't know that not too long ago she
was days away from losing her life.
Back in July docs said at her rate she maybe would have made
it one more week.
• Her heart
rate dropped to 27.
• blood
sugar at 18
• body
undergoing re-feeding syndrome and edema (Swelling of organs, skin, or other
body parts. It is caused by a buildup of fluid in the tissues. The extra fluid
can lead to a rapid increase in weight over a short period of time (days to
weeks).
• cardiac
arrest possibly one workout away.
• Weight at
low 116 and body fat approx 7%
What tried to shut her down? An eating disorder. In her
pursuit for being fit and healthy she was pursued by consumption over her body
type and image. For a minute, it almost won. But then her strong faith stepped
in.
Listen to her story through her words. She shares it as a
sign of strength that this disease doesn't have her anymore. Not only has she
conquered it, she's now on a quest to help other young girls conquer it too.
Here's her blog below and a very powerful 2 minute video
that she put together illustrating her journey.
We can all learn from this 18 yr old. Read and share her
story today. She's an absolute game-changer.
Ally’s Eating Disorder Story
By Ally Pesta
Eating Disorder. Those two words,
though I do not let them define me, make up a large part of who I am.
Previously, I used to feel sorry for “the bulimic” and “the anorexic”,
ignorantly, since I had not yet walked in their shoes. When my life began to be
corrupted by a man whom I call “ED” (eating disorder) the basic values of
laughter, happiness, creativity, excitement, and friendship, continuously
overlooked, are ones that I had lost. ED is no little joking matter. He is
controlling, evil, corrupting, demolishing, depriving and so much more. ED,
every minute, 24 hours, 7 days a week, my mind consumed every second.
January 2013. Desiring to
originally attend the Naval Academy at Annapolis, after I was accepted into the
Naval Academy’s Summer Seminar for prospective students, I began to train
harder then previous years. Weights became my new best friend instead of solely
running and cardio. Changes evolved within my body and the flabby arms I hated
transformed into muscle. As days went on the affinity I had towards the body I
received from this new training grew immensely. I began training with a
“fitness instructor” to develop my pull up, push up and agility skills
necessary to pass the Candidate Fitness Assessment to be accepted into the
Academy. Training lasted approximately 1 hour and while I was working out every
day, I was ensuring that I mixed up my workouts to prevent over training. My
consciousness of food was also prevalent though at this point it was not yet an
obsession.
As time passed the workouts began
to grow. By March workouts were now two hours and the overtraining was
imminent. My workouts by June consisted of 3-hour periods of non-stop work and
my goal of the Naval Academy was stripped away as I decided not to attend the
Summer Seminar. I jumped from machine to
machine to exercise to exercise. Run/sprint 30 min, Stair-Master 40 min, bike
20 min, battle rope 20 min, lift weights 30 min, cross-train workout 30 min and
end with a 15 min abs circuit. I documented each and every calorie restricting
to 1,200-1,500 a day, 50 grams of solely natural sugar (from fruit) and checked
my documents two times over before I put a single morsel of food into my mouth.
The necessity to regurgitate the “poison” out of my body if I ate a processed
food; the obsession of checking my stomach after every meal and periodically
throughout the day to see if I had gotten fat; working out for hours on end,
jumping from machine to machine, appearing as “superwoman”, from the outside
though feeling torn and exhausted on the inside. My foot hurt, “too bad suck it
up and run,” ED screamed. I was tired and could benefit from a rest day. “Don’t
you dear rest or you’ll get fat,” ED yelled. The constant battle of thoughts in
my mind depleted all sense of pleasure and happiness that I once had. Before
meals, ED would force me to do a quick set of push-ups or squats so that I
wouldn’t get fat from the meal I would soon be eating. I could no longer laugh.
I stopped hanging out with friends, going to church, laughing, smiling and
enjoying life. After a workout I would grab my Quest bar and sweet potato and
stare at the TV with emptiness. Words flowed through my head but there was no
process of what was truly being said. I forgot how to laugh and smiling was
painful. I became a stranger to not only my family and friends but also to
myself. My friends and family attempted to get me to stop and told me I needed
to gain weight but to ED they were solely “idiots” hastening my ability to
“look good.” My life had come down to food and exercise and the constant battle
in my mind. The battle was never ending.
On July 11, 2013 I boarded a plane
to go to Europe with peers from my school on a Spanish trip to Paris, London,
Barcelona and Madrid. I clung to my mom, filled with tears and fear of what
Europe would entail. I would have to eat foods that I did not prepare and I
would not be able to workout. At the time those circumstances seemed like jail.
While on the trip I ate the food, because I knew I had to, though ED became
stronger each and every day. Since I was eating many more calories than my body
had been used to, as well as not expelling as many calories, my body underwent
a process known as re-feeding syndrome. With re-feeding syndrome, due to a lack
of phosphorous in your system, your body is enable to combined hydrogen, oxygen
and phosphorous to make ATP in the Krebs’s cycle which provides your body with
energy. So, my body only combined hydrogen and oxygen forming water filling my
body with fluid. My legs swelled to twice the size and walking became
excruciating. I called my mom various times throughout the trip, as I was
extremely fearful as to what was occurring in my body. Luckily the swelling
went down throughout the trip as I elevated my legs but I was unable to enjoy
my time and eagerly waited to come back to the US. When I got back to the US my
mom had doctor appointments made to get blood drawn and finally get this under
control. Though, none of us were prepared for what happened next. After the
pediatrician told me she believed I had anorexia the next day I was admitted to
the hospital for the following week. The weight of my 5’8” medium boned body
dropped from around 140 pounds in January to 116 pounds by July. My heart rate
dropped from 54 to 27; blood sugar was down at 18 and my blood pressure was
down to 44. This was my breaking point and I knew there was no way out, so I
confessed to what I had been undergoing these past few months.
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