April Member Spotlight

We chose Drew Condra as our April member spotlight. Drew is always up for a challenge, plays on the Forward Fitness softball team, and rocks the Forward Fitness games. He just wrapped up our Habit Challenge and kicked butt! He was able to build one habit each week for 6 weeks and in the process he lost 20 pounds and 4% body fat. It’s amazing what focusing on the process and habits can do for your bigger goals! 

Drew became a member of Forward Fitness in December of 2016.  His wife, Chris, was looking for a gym that they could join together. Being part of the Maplewood community, they found us and morning FIT Camps became part of their routine.

Drew has always been active. He has run numerous 5Ks, a few half marathons, played softball, volleyball, and a few other sports. He values his health and fitness. It’s important for him to stay active and keep up with his kids. As they get older, they get faster and are better in their sports. He wants to be sure that he can keep playing with them and hold his own. Taking on activities without being out of breath is a huge motivation for him and has played a big part in his consistency.

Most of Drew’s goals are running/race related. One of his biggest accomplishments was training for his first half marathon after the age of 40 and running it in under two hours! What an achievement! With COVID a lot of races are on hold so he has not been able to compete in his usual line up. 

Drew isn’t a stranger to setbacks, he has faced cracked ribs, a hernia, and a couple minor surgeries. With a strong why, he didn’t let those things keep him from getting back to his active lifestyle. That’s the important part. We will all have events that can interfere with our goals, but as long as we don’t give up we can’t fail. When COIVD hit, Drew was faced with another challenge. Forward Fitness had to closed in person training and switch to remote only. Drew took a workout hiatus, but as soon as we were able to train in person, Drew was back in the gym. He is currently working to get back to his “pre-COVID era weight” and is almost there. He is going to get back to that sub two hour half marathon too! 

Drew’s advice to anyone considering adding a fitness routine to their life, “Don’t wait! Stop putting it off!  You will feel better about yourself by doing things, like hiking up hills or stairs, reaching the top, or doing some activity and realize you are not out of breath like before you started working out.”

We can’t wait to see what Drew will accomplish this year. We hope it involves the Mid County Chamber Softball season. Drew has been on the team since the first year we had one. He missed playing last year and is eager to get back!