Bear crawl. Elbow plank. Ending Warm-Up Pace. Side lunge. Recover. Chest fly. Imagine the entire language this community is familiar with and reliant on daily. Before joining Shred415 that entire language did not exist for me.
My family didn’t watch sports, and after a young age, I didn’t play sports either. By the time I went to college I was very overweight and unhealthy. Fortunately, college provided more passive opportunities to be more active, and by the time I graduated, I lost over 40 pounds. Fast forward about eight years – moving five times, developing very poor work-life balance, a long-distance relationship, discovering a real love for beer (and food) – you get the idea. I had reached an extremely unhealthy place physically and mentally, again without having much real knowledge of how to fix that.
In March of 2021, my wife and I (long-distance is possible people!) started seeing a nutritionist. It was the best thing we could have ever done. She turned us on to Shred415. For a while, it was once a week… more than I had ever done. Then it was twice. Then we started running with Fleet Feet and were grouped in with the Shred “Runners”.
“The biggest thing Joel has done is ‘chop wood, carry water.’ Trust the process, be consistent, be positive and show up. It’s been fun to have someone take such a big jump and trust themselves to be in an uncomfortable place to get better.” – Kevin Burant – Shred415 Raleigh
“Joel is so fun to work with. He has big goals but celebrates the little wins along the way. He’s willing to sacrifice what he wants right now for what he ultimately wants the most. Even when he’s frustrated, he sticks to the plan, and because of that, he’s absolutely crushing it. I’m so glad to be a part of his team!” – Addie Claire Jones, MS, RD – The Composition Dietitian
In September of 2021 I ran my first mile ever as an adult. January 2022, 4 miles. March 2022, first half-marathon at the fastest pace I’d ever run. June 2022, charity relay from Baltimore to Boston for the Ulman Foundation. This month, as I celebrate my 30th birthday, I gathered friends together to join me for 30 miles.
Kevin, Beth, and the entire community of instructors took me in, encouraged me to push further, and have celebrated every win big and small. I’m indebted to my #ShredFam for playing such an important role in my journey and giving me the tools I never had. And we’re just getting started!
#StillNotDead
