Member Spotlight: John Morris
This month we are very excited to feature John Morris for our Member Spotlight. We love the way that John challenges himself and encourages everyone around him with every workout.
When asked to tell us a little about himself, John had this to share, “I grew up a South County, St. Louis kid around the unincorporated area off 270 and Tesson Ferry. I came from the typical St. Louis Catholic family whose parents would be willing to take out 3 mortgages to send their kids to Catholic Schools (it’s a thing people). I am a proud St. Simon the Apostle, Vianney High School, and MIZZOU TIGER alumn (MIZ!) where I got a degree in finance from the business school. Well, Finance is what is on the diploma because my main focus in Columbia, MO was not FINANCE I can tell you that jokingly, but in all seriousness I did not miss many social events 🙂.
After school I found an outside sales job for St. Louis based company called Grimco Inc in Sunset Hills. I worked my way up over my 10+ years at the company and have a 13- state territory I manage selling roadway products. I sell traffic signs and other accessories to DOT road builders. To simply things I sell stop signs for a living.
My #1 things in my life is my family. I met my beautiful and incredible wife Andria (Andie) in high school at the Waterway Carwash in Shrewsbury. We were best friends all thru MIZZOU and remained best friends until we finally went on a date 7 years ago. 4 years after that first date she had my daughter Blake who is 3 years old and is my entire world. A year after Blake was born she was a flower girl at our wedding where I got to call her mom my wife!
I currently reside down the street from Forward Fitness but am moving to Oakville because Andie is pregnant with my soon to be SON! She is due in May and I had to upgrade out of my once bachelor pad.” Congratulations John and Andie!
John shared this about why fitness is an important part of his life and how he makes it a priority in his life. “I have been told from many people, “you only get one body so take care of it.” My Dad was big runner when I was growing up so fitness was always in front of me whether I realized it or not. I have a very stressful job and there is no better form of stress relief than hitting the gym or going on a run. I like to say fitness keeps me sane most days.”
We love to find out how our members found us and this is how John came to become a member of Forward Fitness. “Well a multitude of things. I drove by it 10,000 times prior to calling Suzanne. I was a runner my whole life and really struggled lifting weights. I could never get in a routine. I was weak. I was intimidated with all the meat heads at Club Fitness and kept running because that was the only thing I was good at. The straw that finally broke the camels back was when my daughter was an infant, I realized I could not squat down for more than 5 seconds to play with her. I realized I really needed to build leg strength.”
John also had this to add as to why he keeps coming back to Forward Fitness. “1. The high I get from every work out keeps me coming back. 2. The progress I make is a stepping stone to keep returning. 3. Most importantly, THE PEOPLE! I love this place. I have never seen and met so many awesome people from so many different walks of life (age, race, backgrounds, sex, religion, ect) who all get along and respect each other. I finally realized when you show up somewhere to better yourself with people who are there to better themselves then you will do anything to support each other!”
Challenges are something we all face, and work travel is one many of our members can relate to. John shared this about challenges, “My biggest challenge is my job, the travel, and entertainment that comes with it. My sleep schedule gets thrown off flying all over the place and my diet sucks. My job is to entertain people and a majority of that is done at the dinner table with high calorie food and alcohol. There is no real way around that aspect, but to overcome it I just have to make sure I utilize the hotel gyms. It does not have to be the intensity of a FIT CAMP, but spending 20 minutes in a gym goes a long way.”
The accomplishments he is most proud of, “Marrying my wife and being a dad. I also am the strongest I have ever been thanks to Mike, Suzanne, Joe, and my Forward Fam.”
The advice John would give someone thinking about adding a fitness routine to their lives is, “Don’t think twice and start moving. Once again, “you only get one body so take care of it”
We also like to ask our members is they have any fun facts that they would like to share and John’s fun fact are, “I am left handed and have 2 webbed toes. On both my feet my index and middle toe are stuck to each other.”
Thank you, John, for sharing more about yourself and for the positive energy and encouragement that you bring to Forward Fitness.