“As for me, over the past six months I have lost 15 pounds (which I thought was basically impossible for someone my age). My blood pressure has returned to normal, and my A1C has dropped to 5.9. My doctor is amazed.“
– Dan Kim
At this point we all know being active and being consistent with exercise is important to our longevity on this Earth. When we search for a gym, what factors are the most important? Do we want the most inexpensive option closest to the house or are we looking for something that will actually get us results?
Many different factors come into play in our daily decision-making. Most days if the problem isn’t big enough or a high enough priority we just won’t address it and will put it off until it’s either too late or it’s gotten so bad that we need to do something.
It’s not always easy to be proactive and stay ahead of things because they require constant attention and consistency. However, if we neglect to stay ahead of our health then all sorts of things can go wrong. Keeping our health and wellness in check is the best insurance policy we can get and so when looking for a gym, keeping those factors in mind should be the deciding factors.
Does this gym offer the best opportunity to improve my health?
Does this gym offer me guidance and Coaching?
Does this gym offer Nutrition services?
Does this gym understand my goals may be different than those in the rest of the group?
Will this gym adjust my plan if we need to or if I set new goals?
At Dark Athletics, we take everyone through a ‘No Sweat Intro’ before we get them started, so we can understand Why they walked through the door.
Today I want to spotlight one member in particular that came to us after his daughter, Melody, joined looking for a competitive weightlifting team. That person is Daniel Kim.
When I sat down with Dan initially, his Why was that he needed to get back on track. He had let his health get away from him a bit, but noticed his daughter was seeing some great results with us. We got to know why he needed this and the best option to getting him started. Now 8 months later he is seeing incredible results.
Here is what he had to say with our follow up for this post:
What brought you to CFDA in the first place?
I’ve belonged to a number of gyms over the years, but at some point I decided to stick with home exercise equipment. Last summer (2021) my teenage daughter was looking for a gym where she could learn Olympic weightlifting. The first place we looked at was CFDA. After an introductory session with Joe, she signed up. After six months or so, my daughter showed amazing results – way better than anything I was achieving at home. So in January 2022, I joined CFDA and have been going three times a week ever since.
What was your first impression? How has that changed?
My first impression of the gym was that it was a serious, barebones kind of place. I still think that’s true. Most of the people I’ve met here take their training very seriously. However, the people I’ve met have
also been very friendly and supportive, which is great for an older non-athlete, like me.
What was your first “bright spot”?
My first major bright spot was going to my annual checkup. My doctor was amazed – I had lost 15 pounds and both my blood pressure and glucose levels had dropped back to normal.
What are you working on now?
My major focus is on eating better. I’ve already made a number of positive changes (more protein and vegetables, fewer carbs – especially sugary drinks), but there’s plenty of room for improvement.
If you could go back in time, what would you tell the Dan from 1 year ago?
I would say – just go for it. It’s going to be hard, but it’s going to be worth it. Finding a good gym is worth way more than a ton of home-exercise equipment.
Dan is a great asset to our community here at Dark Athletics! The work ethic and consistency he has put in over the past 8 months is amazing and has yielded some great results!
What the future holds we do not know, but for now we want to thank Dan for being a key member in our Community and taking control of his life!
We love helping people and showing them what they are capable of. For more information on how you can get started click the link here and let’s set up a time to chat!
