Ladies, gentlemen, and baby unicorns, I present to you a man who embodies the holistic, far-reaching way that MFF’s fun and seemingly frivolous culture can transform your life. The epic tale of my friend and yours, Brian Bogin.
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A little over a year ago I walked into a place called Mark Fisher Fitness. This was a foreign land to me – with people speaking a strange, foreign language comprised of words like Ninja, Unicorn, Dragon’s balls, Sad Dog, Porn Star. I was terrified! I’ve been overweight my entire life and I grew up with poor eating habits and little to no physical activity outside of required gym class. Many of my “friends” used to call me Twinkie (and not the gay kind—those jokes didn’t come until later). All of this carried over to my adult life as I began to play the yo-yo game of weight loss. I despised going to the gym. Not only did I not enjoy working out, but I also didn’t really know what to do! I hired trainer after trainer and did every diet from Weight Watchers to Atkins—all with moderate and, most importantly, short-term success. Some of the trainers helped a bit, but because I never got my diet under control, I never saw significant long-term changes. I would always say to myself, “Sure, I can have McDonalds, I worked out today!” But as MFF says, “You can’t out-train your diet!” (Boy, are they right about that one!) And what did I really learn from the trainers anyway? Only how to kill my body (because if I hurt really badly after, I must be doing it right!). My partner introduced me to this strange land, and as I researched it I discovered several people that I knew had seen significant results from working out here so I decided to give it a try!
There are three main reasons for my success:
The first is that I now had a BIG WHY. When I started, I was about a year away from getting married on a beach. Changing my physique is certainly important for many reasons related to this event. And honestly, if I wasn’t emotionally and mentally ready, I wouldn’t have been able to commit 100%. And if you don’t commit 100%…well…you can’t expect 100% in health returns.
Second is DIET. You can’t out-train your diet and this can’t be stressed enough. In fact, I myself had been training for a couple months before I really attacked my diet head on using Mark’s tried-and-VERY-true nutritional coaching and it was only then that I started to see dramatic results.
The third reason is simply MARK FISHER FITNESS. When you are embarking on such an epic fitness journey it’s important to have a support system. Luckily, I had that in my partner. But almost more importantly, you have it in every staff member and every Ninja at MFF.
From the minute you walk in the front door, you are made to feel welcome and that you belong. It’s not called a “gym” but a “clubhouse.” This is a very important distinction: a gym tends to be a place of judgment, and there is no judgment in this clubhouse. You are one of the “cool kids.” And best yet, you are all there to get 1% better every day. You run your own race, and everyone there becomes your extended support system. Your fellow Ninjas are as much your support as is the entire MFF team. There are people who are at all different levels of fitness, ranging from those who have never lifted weights in their life, to people who are very physically fit. Because EVERYone can get 1% better. And this positive attitude starts, like everything, at the top. Mark has created an environment that is so welcoming, friendly, fun, and devoid of negativity and judgment. You can’t help but feel good walking into the building, and you leave feeling great about yourself and what you have accomplished that day as you train (not exercise – that’s “boring,” Mark points out – but TRAIN). And these feelings are infectious. The environment that they create is fun, silly, and over-the-top, but they take your body (our bodies) and our physical health and well-being VERY seriously. Their Functional Movement based training programs are healthy for every person and every body. But equally (if not more) as important, they are committed to the success of every person who walks through that door, whatever their fitness journey may be.
Since beginning my journey at MFF a year ago I have lost close to 50 pounds, 9” off of my waist, 8” off my hips, dropped 4 pants sizes, cut my body fat percentage by more than half, and gone from size large to size small shirts. This was not because of another yo-yo diet or exercise program. This is a LIFESTYLE CHANGE.
And not only have I made huge changes to my body, but to my attitude ABOUT my body (to quote another Ninja, Jeanine Tesori). One of the greatest lessons I learned at MFF was about perseverance and patience. These are changes that do not happen overnight. Yes, Snatched gets you GREAT results in a short period of time. And yes you can do a cleanse and starve yourself and drop 10 pounds like that – but it won’t stay off. I think my success is because of long-term commitment to my health and hotness. Mark says you have to pay rent to your body every single day.
It has taken me a long time to let go of all the pre-conceived notions I had about diet, exercise, and weight loss and put my trust and faith into the expertise of Mark Fisher and his team. You have to take the time, every day, and make conscious choices that are good for your body and mind. By committing to health and fitness, you make small changes that have huge everlasting effects on your mind, body, and thus, all aspects of life. Changing by body has made all sorts of changes that I never knew possible. I am happier now than ever before. I am less stressed and feel more in control of myself. I am significantly more productive and successful in all areas in my life. My journey is not over – it never will be. Every day I will strive to get 1% better, and I will – because I now know I can. I can never go back to before, because I am in control of myself. None of this would have been possible without Mark Fisher Fitness. I am forever indebted to all of them!