Member Spotlight: Brian McBride
This month we are excited to feature Brian McBride for our member spotlight. Brian is a dedicated 6AM member who has shown how important it is to have consistency in your workouts, even after surgery.
We asked Brian to tell us a little about himself before coming to Forward Fitness. This is what he shared, “I grew up in South St Louis with 6 siblings and a neighborhood full of kids. We were always playing sports. We played football in the street, kickball in the alley and roller hockey in the schoolyard up the street. As I got older, I managed to stay somewhat active, despite my preference for bars/parties over exercise. I kept playing hockey and enjoyed mountain biking, hiking and backpacking as well. Once we had kids, things went a bit downhill. There was not much spare time and way too many excuses to be sedentary. In addition to my children ruining everything (jk), I was still prioritizing partying over exercise. Plus, I was working at a brewery with a restaurant attached! Needless to say, this was not a great formula for physical fitness. Over the next several years, I lost both of my parents. My dad died of complications from type 2 diabetes and my mom died several years later from Alzheimers. Both of them would have lived longer, happier lives with better diet and exercise.”
All of this helped Brian to realize why health and fitness where important to him as he says, “I really enjoy being active and I’d like my body to be as functional as possible for as long as possible.”
There is an expression that location is key and Brian shows how true that is with his answer to why he joined Forward Fitness, “I had become pretty inactive after my kids were born. Since FF is right around the corner from my house, it was the natural choice.”
Shoulder surgery in 2022 has proven to be one of the biggest challenges Brian has had in his fitness journey but he did find a way to stay active even during that time. “I had rotator cuff repair surgery on my shoulder in March 2022. The surgery has a 6-month recovery, so I was unable to keep my workout routine going. In an attempt to stay active, I started a weekly personal training program. Mike made me a very limited workout plan that I was able to do while I healed.”
The shoulder surgery also led to the accomplishment that he is most proud of. “After my shoulder surgery 2 years ago, I gained some weight. So, I decided it was finally time to take my diet more seriously. I logged my food for 6 months and lost the 15lbs that I wanted to lose. But I also learned a new way to eat that is mostly focused on protein. I still have a couple beers and some junk food every now and then, but I’ve still managed to stay around the same weight all while gaining muscle.”
Brian has some good advice on how to keep fitness a part of your life, “I’ve always focused on making a good routine and forming good habits. I think this is the main reason for my success.”
He would also say this to someone considering adding a fitness routine to their life, “First, make sure you’re taking care of your mental health. You’ll have much better results, if you do. Then start small. Make a routine that you can stick to and stick to it. Then you can add more slowly.”
One more fun fact about Brian is that he switched from roller hockey (which he played most of his life) to ice hockey 3 years ago in his mid 40s.