This is all new to me.

But, albeit, quite interesting.

I’m in my late 20’s, married, with a mortgage and a cat. Not many differences from the average Joe. But, I believe we all have a story to tell.

And this is mine.

Who am I? 

Well, to be blunt: I get sworn at a lot.

A lot. 

Let this picture explain:

I am a referee and linesman for hockey, which is very popular in Calgary. I travel a lot for the games, and let’s be honest, if you’ve been around the game, you’ll understand why people curse at me. It’s been a great ride for the past 15 years and I don’t regret a minute of it. Only people within the game would understand why we punish ourselves with such abuse.

But that’s not all I do. I am a full time journalist with a local radio station. It’s great work and requires a lot of attention to detail. Being proactive is key with a sense of imagination and wit to keep yourself competitive in the market. This is what I’ve been doing for the past three years and enjoy it quite a bit. Sometimes the news business is depressing and negative, but the role the media plays is crucial to the public in staying up to date. I have a degree in communications, with a focus on media and media relations.

Why start writing?

Listen, I speak all day. A blog is a new journal. I’ve achieved so much in my professional and personal life, but there’s always more.

This will be a blog about everything and anything, but I will have a focus on fitness. I am so intrigued by the human body and what it can achieve. I have taken my life to a new level once I discovered what can be conquered. I am constantly in conversation with some of the best experts in the field, and will try and bring you what you need to know about living the healthiest life possible. Keep in mind, it’s a work in progress, and no one is perfect, but there are little tricks to have you achieving the best possible you.

Let’s have a look at my transformation:

I was 230 pounds in this picture. My diet was atrocious. And I mean atrocious. I had no regard for health or wellness, but just wanted to eat. The problem was: my body couldn’t keep up. You see, when I was growing up, I was always a tall bean pole. I could eat anything I wanted and not gain a pound. I wasn’t even very active in school, besides officiating hockey.

This is where the two worlds collide though: Once I got to a point in my refereeing career where I couldn’t keep up with the players, I knew I needed to make a change. I had reached the Midget AA level (14-16 year olds) who were fast and talented. I had come off a summer of boozing, eating and being lazy. My first game of the season — and I’ll never forget this — was at Joe Kryczka in September of 2009. I was working as a linesman and had trouble keeping up to the play. This irritated me to no end. If I was going to consider officiating as a possible future, I needed to fix things immediately.

So, in comes my first experience at the gym. ‘This’ll be easy,’ I thought. Boy, was I in for a reality check. I went to one of the gym chains and watched a man do bench press. He had 45lb plates on either side and had no trouble at all. When he was done, I jumped on, and tried with 10lb weights on either side. ‘Piece of cake’, right? Wrong. I had no knowledge of form, how strong I was, or even how to re-rack. I lowered the weight to my chest, and tried to push it back up. Nuh-uh. Not happening. As I struggled and fought to get it back up, someone finally ran over to lift it off – with one hand.

Most. Embarrassing. Moment. Ever.

Ok, so I needed help. In comes personal trainer time. I hired one at the same gym I was working at, but he was no help (I only realize this now). He was having me do things that were based on the bodybuilders physique. It was not helping with my refereeing.

In comes social media!

In a surprise turn of events, I turned to social media for help. One of the fitness experts I follow on Twitter was offering online training to people, which I immediately jumped on. I always respected Adam Bornstein’s expertise. Plain and simple: He changed my life. Please, please, please, read up on him, by clicking here.

All it takes is a little push and you can do anything. Anyways, long story short, here’s a shot of me with 6 months of help from Adam:

The biggest thing: diet! It changed everything. And I was aggressive with it. Nothing was going to stop me.

There’s a brief look into who I am, and what I’ll be offering. Please, follow if you’d like. Ignore it if you want, I don’t care. I’m here to offer my voice and my lifestyle. Hopefully it’s the start of something magical.

Slimm, out.