BW: I was motivated to change my life and my health for my future children and my family. I was finding myself worried about my health, and I could see myself getting heavier and heavier. At my heaviest, I weight 268 pounds in the summer of 2014, and it was then that I started to turn around my diet and my level of activity.
TR: Having children or considering having children in the near future is certainly a major motivating factor to improving your health. I know that was the primary reason that I regained my athletic life after a layoff to focus entirely on my job. When I realized that I would be responsible for another life, it lit a fire. When that fire starts, there are lots of things you could do to make a change, but you chose to check out, perhaps the far end of the scale. How did you hear about the RRL?
BW: Mike Drew! One evening he told me about his workouts, and while it shocked me what he was describing you all were doing, I thought, "I want to be able to do that!" Mike challenged me to join him the next morning, offering to drive. I took him up on it, and well...it was a crazy workout day.
TR: That is awesome. Mike is a great role model. He gives it everything he has and has also made some significant improvements in his strength and conditioning. I often hear guys talking about their first day at the RRL. I would imagine that it could be a little intimidating by all outward appearance, but exactly the opposite once you are a part of it. What was it like for you? Do you remember what we did? How did you feel? What did you think?
BW: When I got into Mike's car to drive over, Mike said, "well, you picked a good day." Mike showed me the board, and explained where the warm-up was listed and the spot for the day's workout. There I read, "Young." I remember doing the "warm up" and thinking, "Woah, this is what I do to 'work out,' and there's more?"
Young was a challenge. I ended up doing 2 rounds of Young, and it was painful the whole way. Also, that was the first day I did a burpee...
(Young is a workout that we do on a beautiful gradual hill that is about 1/2 Mile long. We do 5 burpees at the bottom of the hill and 5 burpees at the top and we repeat this 5 times for time)
That day at Baylor, I had more energy all day than I had had in a long time. I was fired up! Now, don't get me wrong, I was also in pain! I do not think I made it to the RRL the next day.
TR: That is quite a change from doing nothing or very little to Young x 5! Good job. I am sure you were sore. Plus...you met a whole new group of guys willing to get up at 5 am and get after it. What made you come back?
BW: I thought the RRL was crazy. But I was also attracted to the challenge. I wanted to get stronger, and I wanted to push myself, and that's what happened on that hill.
TR: You have become extremely consistent in attendance. How did you do it and what is your schedule like now?
BW: At first, I was pretty inconsistent. However, I found that the more I came, the better I felt. I found myself growing stronger and stronger, and no doubt does this motivate me. But, in addition, the RRL community is a motivating one. When you miss a day, you not only miss out on getting stronger, but you also miss out on sharing that workout with the great men at the RRL. They challenge you to grow, they help you learn how to work, and we have a great time.
In all seriousness, whether it is Kevin running with me on my first 5k, or Matt Greenwell helping me pace my first 5 miler, or any guy motivating me with a kind word, the men at RRL build each other up. I am grateful for all of them.
In the last couple of months, I have landed on coming Monday through Thursday. I would come on Friday, but I am usually up until 12:30 or later because I have dorm duty on Thursday nights.
TR: Making big changes in your physical activity is one thing. Over the last year, how has your diet changed? How do you eat today?
