ABOUT ME

Before my early twenties, I had no interest in a healthy lifestyle. I had the diet of the typical college kid: fast food for lunch and dinner, lots of super-sized sodas, and bagged store-bought snacks all day long. I also had an indifference toward exercise - walking to my classes was enough for me.  By the time I started my graduate program in early 2002, my weight became an issue I couldn't ignore. My 5'4" frame needed XL clothing. Going up the staircase in my house caused me to be out of breath, and running was out of the question. 

​

With the help of my mother, I cleaned up my diet. I swapped out breaded chicken cutlets and replaced them with grilled cutlets. I forced myself to eat salads and discovered you can actually make them interesting and tasty. One day I decided to dig my old bike out of the shed. It sat for years covered in cobwebs and dirt. I cleaned it up and took it on trails, and I rediscovered how much I enjoyed riding it, and to this day I'll never understand why I stopped riding it in the first place. I rode it everywhere, at least five days a week. By doing a 180 with my diet and exercise, the pounds started falling off. I started feeling much more energetic throughout the day, and asthma-like symptoms that I had experience through much of my childhood became almost a non-issue.

​

Eventually, a good friend of mine started organizing regular group rides and invited me to join. Through him I learned how to ride a bike like a cyclist does, and I was able to ride further and further. I joined a gym and began regular strength training to help make me a stronger cyclist. My next step was joining the local cycling club, through which I trained to complete my first century in 2007.

​

Since then, I've completed several centuries in various states. When I started dating my wife (a runner) in 2014, we started doing each other's favorite exercise. She began cycling and I started running, eventually completing a handful of half-marathons. While on my honeymoon in Hawaii (which took place the week after Ironman 70.3 Hawaii) I got bit by the triathlon bug. I took swimming lessons to the point where I had a serviceable forward crawl, and in 2018 and 2019 i completed several triathlons, with two of them being half Ironman distance. As of right now I'm mostly running focused, and hope to run my first full marathon in 2022, with a full Ironman sometime after that.

​

While on my journey to a fitter, stronger self. I began wanting to share my passion for fitness with others. Aside from all the physical benefits I mentioned above, living healthy was (and still is) great for my mind. Exercise helps me curb feelings of inadequacy and replaces them with feelings of empowerment and confidence. I want everyone I come across to experience this very same thing. So here I am, the head coach and owner of Cornerstone FItness USA, ready to help you build your best self, the self that you deserve.

​

​