AJ McClary's Blog

December 6^th marks one year I’ve committed to regularly going to the gym and strengthening my body and mind. It’s not too often that one can make a New Years resolution and a year later continue to benefit from it. It’s been a very long journey and I’m excited to finally share my experiences with you all. I hope that this testimony helps others commit to living their best life possible.

Last year, after eating a very unhealthy meal, I noticed construction signs for a brand new boxing gym and I immediately started to think how cool it would be to learn different styles of Martial Arts and apply self defense techniques to finally getting my body in shape. It was a very strange feeling considering I’ve never really enjoyed fitness at all. In school, I avoided Physical Education classes like the plague and sought out every opportunity to get out of class. As an adult, I was incredibly skinny with no muscle and a surprisingly round belly that just wasn’t attractive at all. I knew that traditional fitness wasn’t going to work with me—I needed to be in an structured environment with teachers and peers if I was going to be successful at this.

So I pulled out my credit card and signed up for an L.A. Boxing membership in Herndon, VA. Pat, the gym’s owner, offered me so many membership plans that would have saved me a ton of money. Knowing the kind of person I am, I signed up for a month to month membership because I had already convinced myself that this was something I wouldn’t be able to do and in my mind I had already given up. On the day of their soft opening, Pat asked me to pick up my boxing gloves and hand wraps and start my first class. I was so nervous, but I got off my butt and went to my first kickboxing class.

I was immediately hooked. I started going to classes two days per week, but the more I enjoyed it, I quickly moved to three days per week and then finally five days per week. I worked with trained fighters from all around the world. It gave me a lot of perspective on the different styles of Martial Arts and the results followed very quickly.

The discipline didn’t come very easily. I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to give up. There was a time toward the beginning where I was in horrible shape. I had to take several breaks just to finish the class. A lot of people couldn’t handle it at all and would walk out 30 minutes into it, but one instructor (James) taught me to relax and enjoy the workout. I gave up happy hours, lunches with friends, and parties to accommodate my new fitness lifestyle. I knew that if I decided to play hooky one time, I would do it every opportunity I could find.

I learned that all I had to do was show up to class. Being there is the hardest part, so the rest came very easily. If I couldn’t do jump squats, I’d do regular squats. If couldn’t jump rope, I did jumping jacks instead. If I couldn’t run, I’d walk. If I couldn’t do the workout, I’d modify it to where I could do it. If I got injured, I worked around the injury. I learned that there is never reason to give up. If you put yourself in a mindset of success, you will be successful.

After 6 months, I was in amazing shape. I had lost 20 lbs of fat, had six pack abs, and looked amazing. I was doing so well, that my regular routine was becoming easy. It was then I met Carlos Hernandez—who made the last six months look like preschool. I had new goals. I no longer wanted to be lean.  I wanted to be a body builder. I knew that if I committed myself again, I could accomplish this goal too.

For the second half of the year, we trained together every single day. The first month was the most difficult training regimen I ever experienced in my entire life. He introduced to me a technique that shocked my body into being conditioned for extreme fitness. We ran on tredmills wearing sauna suits, sweat pants, and a sweat shirt for hours at maximum incline. We did cardio with interval and circuit training. We lifted heavy weights every day until I couldn’t lift my arms anymore. When the weather was nice, we went for 8 miles runs outside and did strength training on playground equipment. I truly experienced blood, sweat, and tears and it was the most fun I’ve ever had working out.

I learned that having a coach that is willing to push you harder than you could ever push yourself is essential to getting ahead and becoming a master at what you do. When he became my workout partner, it was even more encouraging because I didn’t want to let him down. I had to keep up and by doing so, I grew stronger every day.

2009 was the most productive year I’ve ever had. All of my training paid off big in all areas of my life. I’ve gone from 162 lbs to 195 lbs. That’s over 30 lbs of muscle in one year. Not only is my body is the best shape it’s ever been in, but I’ve been able to master many things in my life that have always been challenging for me.

• Anxiety, worrying, depression, boredom, and sadness are no longer words in my vocabulary.
• I’ve learned to live in the moment and let my emotions come and go, which is huge breakthrough.
• I’ve learned how to get more things done by doing one thing at a time and I’ve accomplished many projects this year because of this.

How will 2010 turn out? The only answer to this question is “any way I want it to”. You are the designer of your life. Live it!