Coppell Personal Trainer Co-Rookie of the Month – Feb 2020 Jon Griffin

Jon Griffin has been a petroleum landman/in-house legal counsel in the upstream oil and gas industry since 1982. Over that period of years, he has lived in Midland, Houston, Tacoma, WA, Fort Worth and now Grapevine for the last 19 years. Q: What was your life like before joining the Get You In Shape Program?Probably […]

Coppell Personal Trainer Co-Rookie of the Month – Feb 2020 Jon Griffin

Jon Griffin has been a petroleum landman/in-house legal counsel in the upstream oil and gas industry since 1982. Over that period of years, he has lived in Midland, Houston, Tacoma, WA, Fort Worth and now Grapevine for the last 19 years.

Q: What was your life like before joining the Get You In Shape Program?Probably not a lot different from most folks of our age group…get up, go to work, go home, sit on my butt for a couple hours, go to bed and start all over again. My weight kept creeping up, at one point to 250 lbs. and then I lost some lbs. and was a fairly steady 240-243, and not happy about it, but not willing to do anything about it either. I wasn’t sedentary, but even though we walk our dogs a lot, it was still mostly on weekends and is probably the only way my weight was staying steady. I’m a member of the Grapevine REC, which is a great facility and has many additional “pay for” classes and I would get on kicks of going there to work out, but I never really felt I was accomplishing much and didn’t have a workout buddy, so it was pretty much a drudgery. I’m not really an over-eater, but I would eat whatever I want and whenever the urge struck me, which wasn’t really good. Also, I’ve had a lower back issue for quite some time and get occasional steroid shots for that, but it still is a proverbial thorn in my side, especially if doing some strenuous hiking or other outdoor activity. Although I’m tall and can hide a lot of weight, I was not happy with my weight, my pants were all getting way too tight and basically, I was just fighting that aging thing mindset versus my younger days when I could eat anything and do much more physically.

Q: Why did you decide to join the Get You In Shape program?The first thing that happened was a family reunion in Red River, NM this past summer. We are near the trail head for NM’s highest peak (13,150’), a 13-mile round trip hike and my 2 children and their respective partners and a few of my other relatives wanted to make the hike, so we decided to do it. I have made the hike several times before without much trouble, but this time I was huffing and puffing the whole way and my legs weren’t cooperating. We’d had a lot of late season snow last year, so when we got above 11,000’ we ran into snow that we began to hike through. At that point, I was winded and legs aching, and I decided to turn that we should turn back…fortunately I didn’t get too much argument and we headed back down, it really bothered me that I didn’t want to push ahead. Also on my mind was the fact that my son and his girlfriend are getting married in St. Thomas in February, 2020. So now I’m feeling fat and old and I have a beach wedding coming up and I’m gonna look like a beached whale. Some of my oldest friends are attending the wedding, a couple of which are pretty competitive, so now I’m really in a bad place. Even though I was already of a mindset that I needed to do something, these are the things that probably got me over the hump…but I still didn’t have a plan, other than my same old REC routine, which wasn’t working for me. Then one day in late August, I was just perusing Facebook and an ad popped up for GYIS. I have no idea where it came from and I don’t think I have seen it since that day, but I clicked on it, and saw it was in Coppell (which isn’t that handy for me), but it looked interesting, so I went ahead and filled out the form for more info. Brad sent me a text and then about a week later we spoke on the phone and he gave me the rundown. I liked what he said about the program and so I got signed up on the quickstart program beginning in September. Another kind of funny side note is that my brother and his family lived in Coppell for a long time and raised their 2 kids there. At the first meeting with Brad, Margaret Bryan was also there. She immediately asked me if I was Flip Griffin’s brother. I didn’t remember her at that point, but when she mentioned Coppell Lions Club, I remembered we’d met at one of their pancake breakfasts that she and my brother were involved in. Since joining, I have met several people who know either my brother or his wife that taught school there for 20+ years.

Q: What was your first impression from the Get You In Shape program?To be honest, even though everyone was super-friendly, the first week I was kind of…ok, this is alright, but I didn’t really know the different exercises and was not feeling overly excited. I think a lot of this feeling was that it was new, I didn’t know anyone, and just a little insecure about the whole thing, but then as the 2nd, 3rd and 4th week went by, I was feeling more comfortable, everyone was welcoming and the trainers really paid attention to everyone to make sure they are doing the exercises properly. This is a big deal to me because if you’re not doing them properly, then you’re not achieving results and I feel like just wasting your time. Since that first month, it just gets better all the time. It’s a great program.

Q: What have been some of the tools you have used that have benefited you?The fitness pal has been helpful in tracking my progress and helps me keep up with what I have been doing. It’s a really good tool to keep up with your eating habits. But the 2 biggest tools in my mind are: Brad’s “follow the darn instructions” and initial “why” paperwork that you complete about yourself and your plan; and secondly, the GYIS people. First, Brad’s plan impresses and stresses upon you that a plan is important and more importantly the “why” that a person must find within themselves in order to be successful. Deep inside, we all really know that no matter what you do in life, to be successful, you have to have a plan, but more importantly, you have to have a “reason.” Doesn’t matter whether it’s work, marriage, quitting smoking or drinking, losing weight or whatever, you’re not going to make it work for you until you find that “reason” or “so that” in your own mind. No one is going to do it for you, only you can find that reason. Secondly, the GYIS people are the next best tool for me. First, they show up, so you know they are motivated and working together toward a goal. The goals may be different for each person and that’s the way it should be, but you see them working as hard as they can and having fun, so that’s a great motivator for me. Also, if I forget how to do a particular exercise (which I do because that’s just me), I know I can always check out someone else to see the right way to do it because I know the trainers have taught them the right way and that they probably pay more attention than me. So the people are a huge motivator and tool for me.

Q: How is the Get You In Shape program different from other programs you have tried before?The people are just great…both clients and trainers, everyone is there for the same reason and having a good time doing it. It is so much easier to have that support system when you get there. Definitely not like going to the gym on your own and trying to muddle through a workout to actually get you a benefit and results. I’ve never tried a Camp Gladiator…I hear they are great, but also hear there are a lot of people and not that many trainers, so all in all, I don’t think you can beat GYIS’s small groups of generally the same age group, all working together toward a common goal. Also, Brad’s different programs (Biggest Winner, etc.) keep people engaged and excited about the journey.

Q: What results and benefits have you experienced in the Get You In Shape Program?When I started in September, I weighed 242 lbs.; lost 5 lbs. the first month and another 5 in the second; then kind of hit a wall in November and actually regained 2 lbs.; then I guess I got my mind right and have lost another 7 lbs. since then, so I am now at 225 (which was my goal), with a total of 17 lbs. since September. I’m down a waist size in my jeans, I feel better, both physically and mentally, my eating habits and my progress and now I’m thinking 215 as a new weight goal. Also, my lower back issue is way better and not been a problem. Also, I’ve never considered myself as a jogger or runner, but I’ve now run mile times that I never thought about being possible for me. I’ve improved each month on my time, from 10:48 to the latest being 7:35. I don’t know if I can do better than that, but I’m very pleased that GYIS has allowed me to do this.

Q: What would you say to anyone looking at this program?Absolutely do it! Even if you’re on the fence and haven’t yet formulated your “reason” why, then give the quickstart a try, and I bet at the end of the month, you will have found it and you’ll be hooked! Great program, great trainers who care, and great people to work out with and have a fun time doing it!

For more information about the Coppell Fitness program and getting started, go to http://CoppellFitness.com

www.GetYouInShape.com

If you live or work in Coppell, Valley Ranch, Irving, Lewisville, Las Colinas, Carrollton, Flower Mound, Grapevine, Addison, Corinth, Highland Village, Dallas, and Farmers Branch, the Coppell Group Personal Training is just minutes away from you. Get You In Shapes programs include the Get You In Shape Group Personal Training, 24 Day Challenge, sports specific training, weight loss programs, Corporate wellness plans, nutrition plans, core fitness training, strength training, toning and more. Clients include athletes (golf, basketball, tennis, football, track, baseball, baseball, volleyball, and softball) corporate executives, professionals, weekend warriors, cheerleaders, dancers, models, stay at home moms, and anyone looking for results.

Owner Brad Linder, has been featured in numerous newspapers and even as the fitness expert on the news 8 (ABC). Get You In Shape was also featured on The Doctors TV show as one of the top Fitness Companies in Texas. He continues to use the gifts that he has been given to help serve the needs others have when it come to being healthy, losing weight, sports, toning up, and overall fitness.

More information about Get You In Shape at www.getyouinshape.com

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