West Bend, WI – Craig Biesik is the A1 Health & Fitness August Member of the Month.
My name is Craig Biesik, 50 years old and fighting aging any way I can. I have to say I had my “ah-ha” moment when I was 47 years old. On a hunting trip, I found myself sitting on the edge of a field sucking wind and believing I was about to have my first of many heart attacks if I did not get my butt in shape.
Knowing I was much too young to be struggling and feeling like my heart was about to exit my chest, I made the decision to look into local gyms when I got home. That is how I landed at A1’s door.
Newly married to my beautiful wife Sarah, I felt I had even more reasons to improve my quality of life, I had someone to share it with. Sarah was already an accomplished runner and proving the benefits of exercise.
Her energy levels soared above mine. It wasn’t fair for me to sit back and be complacent to not be engaged in the activities she wanted us both to attend, simply because I physically felt I couldn’t complete them.
I took it upon myself to schedule a challenging mountain hunt that would require me to be
in great physical shape. I had one year to hit my goal and a reason to do so.
I joined A1 in November of 2022 and quickly realized my ENTIRE body was not ready for the CrossFit / complete body style workouts. The macho attitude of a guy that “used to lift”, quickly left and I was humbled by my abilities. For weeks the next day wobbly legs were unbelievable, my body hurt, and I moaned in my sleep about how sore I was.
This was the first time I had pushed my body to its limits in years. Remarkably, I recovered, and in a few short weeks I was looking forward to the next day wobbles and I began to laugh at them. Knowing I was slowly getting stronger every day. I embraced the challenge every time I walked in the gym.
The first year, I concentrated on getting stronger. Not paying much attention to what I
was eating. My first mistake, my philosophy was “I work out so that I can eat what I
want.”
Foolish thinking. Once I mixed proper eating practices in with proper training, I started to notice a serious change in my physique. The right fuel for the body to attack the right type of training for my goals, has changed my life. Simple meal prep on the weekends sets our family up for an easy week of hitting food intake goals with minimal work or thought during the week.
In 2024 I became a Grandpa and it has added new spark to my physical fitness goals. I will need to build a tree house in the next couple years, as my second grandson is on his way. I need to be around to play with and teach my boys the outdoor wilderness life I love to enjoy as often as I can. I also compete in a fun Lumber Jack fundraising competition every year. Since I started at A1, I have improved every year in the strength events (as I get older)!
My words of advice….. being consistent is more important than being perfect. None of us are perfect, but we can all be consistent.
Show up every day you are scheduled, even if you don’t feel like going in, you will be glad you did.
Even if you do not have a good workout, you still had a workout, and in the long game, everyday counts. Show up for yourself, no other reason, you are doing this for you.
Give it all you can, you won’t regret it. But… be careful….IYKYK…LOL.
The A1 Gang has been an awesome addition to my life, coaches, members and gatherings. I am glad I found them all, looking forward to many years of using all I have learned in this short time.
