Member Spotlight: Todd Bauer
This month we are excited to feature long time Forward Fitness member Todd Bauer. Todd shared this with us about his life before Forward Fitness. “I grew up in a small town in southern Illinois. I was never very athletic or active – I played golf and occasionally rode my bike but was more interested in hanging out with friends or playing video games. I did not take up fitness until my late 20s. Before Forward Fitness I had joined a number of gyms like 24 hour or Planet Fitness, but they would never stick and I couldn’t form a routine.” Todd also shared, “I have a wonderful wife named Tori, an incredible daughter named Charlotte. We have a cat and a dog, Purrlock and Ozzie.”
When we asked Todd why health and fitness were important to him, he had this to say, “My family has a history of heart problems, and in my mid 20s I was starting down that path as well. It was important to me to make sure I took care of my health, not only to be available and present for my family but also to challenge myself in ways that I missed out on when I was younger.”
Todd found Forward Fitness through his parents. “My parents were members of Forward Fitness and encouraged me and Tori to join. They knew that neither of us had much experience with exercising or gyms in general and sold us on the welcoming coaches.”
Making fitness a priority and being consistent are important to success. Todd shared with us some things that have helped him be successful in his fitness journey. “There are a lot of things – coming to such a welcoming gym has made it easy to add working out to my weekly routine. My wife encourages me to sign up for races or to challenge myself in ways that I haven’t before. The coaches and classes at Forward Fitness have been the biggest benefit in forming a routine – before FF I would go to a gym when I felt like it or establish a routine for a few weeks that would eventually flame out. Making myself go at specific times rather than when I felt like it helped solidify working out as a part of my daily routine.”
Todd shared this when we asked him about fitness challenges, “The biggest challenge I have overcome in regard to my health is myself. I was always too busy, too tired, too out of shape to get started. Once I got the confidence to start a routine It became second nature.”
In terms of what he is most proud of, Todd shared this with us, “I am most proud of what I have accomplished running. Never in my life would I have thought I’d pick up running in my 30s. Tori encouraged me to join the OCR team and I found a new hobby. I run 3-4 times a week and it is something I almost always look forward to. My furthest distance to date is a half marathon.”
This is the advice Todd would give to someone thinking about adding a fitness routine to their lives, “Adding a fitness routine in my life has allowed me to become more disciplined as a person in everything I do. It has drastically increased my quality of life. When I hear people my age talk about how they feel old or that their body’s don’t work the way they used to, I am thankful that I started working out when I did because my body has never felt better.”