Hello everyone!
So, for this post I wanted to try and give my readers a little background about myself. I know some of you are wondering who is this guy? And why should we listen to him? Or what’s his story? So I thought, since I’m writing these blogs and telling you about my services (which is going to change a little) that you should know my background and how I got started.
So my love for fitness really started when I was a kid. I always enjoyed playing sports in school, I grew up on a farm in Ohio, and loved riding my bike. After I graduated high school and got out in the working “real” world, the fitness thing faded, but it was always in the back of my mind and I missed playing school sports. I moved around a few times, had different jobs until finally settling down here in Raleigh, NC. I moved here in 1995 and in 1997 I joined a small town local fire department as a volunteer and got back into fitness. Being a fireman, I have seen a lot of people, firemen included, have heart attacks, become over weight, and unhealthy over the years. At that moment, I realized how important fitness and nutrition was to live a happy and healthy life.
I got on a couple of committees and started a health and safety program at the station and started helping my friends and family get into shape. I knew being a fireman is what I wanted to do so I went to college and after eventually receiving my bachelor’s degree from Western Carolina, I got on a city fire department. I loved it. I was on Ladder 2, Rescue 1 and the NC Urban Search and Rescue Team Task Force. I started helping people at that fire department, but still was not certified yet! I was just helping people because that was my passion.
Ok fast forward to 2010-2016, now I’m married with 2 kids. I left the fire department and got a job as a medical and cardiac technician at a state hospital in their flight program, where I am currently. I started helping my friends here and after several years they said “why don’t you go get certified, if you like doing that and want to help people get into shape?” After thinking about it for another year or so and clearing my schedule, I decided to get certified as a personal trainer and sports nutrition consultant.
In 2019, I entered a physique competition and won 6th in the Masters Physique Class and 1st in the Beach Body Class. For my first ever show (and probably my last), that isn’t bad. I learned a lot, had fun and met some great people. I say probably my last because it’s not what I want to do now. It was at the time and it was on my bucket list, but it’s not really my thing now.
Fast forward to today (2022), I had mentioned earlier that my services are going to change a little bit. I am still going to provide personal training and nutrition help, but for the past couple of years now I have been studying a lot about positive thinking, motivation, and looking at life differently. I want to add health and wellness coaching to my services to help people on a broader level and area than just fitness. I would love to help people look at life differently, having a more positive outlook, and motivation. I want to help people physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I believe these are very important aspects in life and they coincide with my goal for people living a happier, healthier life!
This is the way I live my life and now I want to share it with you and help you reach your goals, have a passion for life, and always be positive, and look at your glass being half full!
I hope this helps you to understand who I am, what I stand for, where I am coming from and how I got started. If you want help with ANY aspect of your life I am here to help you stay motivated, stay on track, have a positive outlook, and reach your goals. In addition to my fitness and nutrition blogs, I will be adding some motivational, positive, and uplifting quotes, stories, and ideas to help you along the way. I also will be adding some stress management information, mental health tips and info, and maybe some links to sites that have helped me and books that I have read that have helped me on my path to living a happier, healthier life.
Thank you for reading my blog and as always, stay happy and healthy and follow your dreams.
Darren
Harmony Shift 