2010 was a long and difficult year for me on a personal level.  My father was very ill with heart disease through most of it and he finally passed away at the age of 72 in July.  Shortly after his passing, my wife discovered that she’s carrying our first child.  As happy as I was to receive the news, it was bitter sweet that my father would miss the birth of my first child by less than a year.

My father and I were very close and used to speak three to four times a day.  Not having him in my life is a big adjustment.  One of the things that makes me really sad is knowing that his heart disease was largely preventable had he just made different choices.  He was terrible about diet and exercise.  I used to beg him to go to the gym and workout, but it was just something that he wouldn’t bring himself to do.

Being a part of Instructional Fitness has afforded me the luxury of being around some really incredible fitness minds.  They have all given me different ideas and tips that we hope to share with all of you for a very long time.  At the end of the day though, our level of health and fitness comes down to choice.  Some people diet and exercise just because they want to look better.  There’s nothing wrong with wanting to look good, but we should always remind ourselves that there’s a lot more at stake than vanity.  For me, the biggest reason to diet and workout is quality of life.  To be able to live a long life with your family, to be able to play with your children and to just feel good on a daily basis.

Building muscle and losing weight are great tools to make you look better and feel more confident, but they are even better tools to give you great years with the people that matter the most to you.

So as we go in to 2011, I hope that we can help you not just reach your fitness goals, but help you live a long and happy life!

Best wishes for the coming year to you all!