Megan: Like our fitness journeys are like, we’re side by side doing this. And our stories are very different. Our wives are very different. And so I am so excited for you guys to be able to hear that, like, you know the different stories from the people in the gym that we’ve gotten to meet our coaches like, the stories are incredible, and it’s people doing it side by side. But it’s super helpful, I think, and inspiring and encouraging and motivating to be able to hear their why’s for showing up every day. Even though you’re doing the same workout you have a different reason for doing it. And then…
Chris: What’s up everybody, I’m Chris Davis here with my wife, Megan Davis, and we are your hosts for the My Blank Fitness Journey Podcast. During this podcast, we will reveal the secrets that we have used to help our community become more healthy, fit, and confident. And also hear from some amazing people in our community as they fill in the blank. And tell us about their fitness journey. Listen in and be ready to be inspired by our guests who just like you are superheroes as we dive into their origin story.
Chris: Hey, guys, welcome to My Blank Fitness Podcast. This is technically I guess, episode zero. So it’s just going to be Megan and I, we’re going to be just chatting a little bit about who we are, our stories. We’ve already recorded one episode that I’m really excited to get out to you guys. But we thought it might be a little bit better to let you guys get to know us before we started sharing about everyone else that we know. So maybe why don’t you go ahead and introduce yourself?
Megan: Yeah, hi, guys. I’m Megan. And I am a registered dietitian. And we own and operate Triforce CrossFit together. So we get to have a lot of fun. Live on our dream here in St. Augustine, Florida with our two boys and our two dogs and our sister-in-law, and our big gym fan.
Chris: Yeah, that’s awesome. So if you don’t currently live in Florida, I suggest you move this way now. Especially the weather’s, like amazing right now making it to be outside on our back porch. And this not everybody in the middle of February can be doing that. So yeah, this is our first attempt at a podcast, right? So we’re just gonna go with it, we’re gonna rock and roll. We’re gonna be pretty transparent and vulnerable about ourselves and our fitness journeys. Just because our goal, our vision for the gym is to help 10,000 People in St. Johns County become more healthy, fit, and confident. And we think that hearing other people’s stories and other people’s fitness journeys is an easy way for you too, for us just to be able to connect with people and for us to be able to maybe make an impact on somebody’s life that we’ve never met before or you know, like, sometimes it’s just really cool to get to hear how other people have faced the challenges of life. And hopefully, it will resonate with some people. We’re gonna have lots of different types of people that are going to come along, that we’re going to interview and I’m sure that if you listen long enough, you’ll find somebody that you like, man, that’s that, that’s me, either that was me, or that’s going to be me. And that’s the really amazing thing about fitness journeys in a journey in particular, like fitness is you know, like its path and it’s sometimes a little windy and sometimes not just straightforward. And so it’s just super cool that you can hopefully find some benefit from listening to people and hearing their stories and yeah, that’s our goal.
Megan: So be inspired.
Chris: Yeah, like inspirational or like, maybe like maybe I could inspire that person like you can reach out to me and be like, Hey Chris, like I’m where you were and maybe I can help you or you know, whatever it is so
Megan: Cool. Well, I think that’s really fun and actually, love your story. So can you tell us what your blank fitness journey is? Chris?
Chris: Yeah, my blank fitness journey. So I’m gonna fill in the blank with important and I know everybody’s fitness journey is important, right? But, you know, I truly believe that. If, like, if the Lord had put fitness and health into my mind and along my path, then like, I don’t know if I’d be here today. And so just a little bit of background on me. I’ll go into a kind of the shorter version. I’m sure that over the next however many episodes we do make and I’m sure that we’re gonna kind of insert ourselves into those podcasts and stories. And so we’ll get people to get tired of hearing about us. But so my background, both of my parents, so when I was eight years old, my dad died of a massive heart attack. When I was 11 years old, my mom died of cancer. And so both of those being like, mostly preventable and treatable diseases that weren’t taken care of. And so I come from a mostly uneducated background towards health, fitness, wellness, all those things. And so I grew up like the fat kid, who I love playing sports, I loved being engaged. But like, I also really, really loved Little Debbie snack cakes, as Megan can attest to that. I had to like, at some point, I think it was like the transition between middle school and high school, I was like, hey, I want to play football, I want to go from playing flag football, to playing tackle football. And so I know I need to get in shape, I need to like, get strong, all those kinds of things. So And honestly, a lot of it comes from me being bullied in middle school, and probably elementary school, like, as a big kid. I was bullied. And so there are lots of things working that kind of got me interested in. Okay, how do I change how I look? How do I change how I feel? So I do, I think it was like the summer between middle school and high school, I decided I was gonna start working now. But I didn’t really know anything about working out I’d never really even seen people working out. So it’s like I came up with my own exercise routine that included jumping on the trampoline and rollerblading and doing push-ups. And like I just got more active, I maybe stopped eating as much junk. I hit like a growth spurt. And I felt great. And I started lifting weights then freshman year of high school, and I fell in love with the weight room, I fell in love with working out the way that I felt afterward, the confidence that it gave me to face bullies, the confidence that it gave me because I saw improved performance in sports. So it was very, very empowering for me. It really hadn’t clicked that exercising was going to be changing my DNA. And that was going to be affecting my future the way that I realized that now, right. So yeah, it was I didn’t realize how important those things were probably in shaping where we are now.
Megan: Yeah. That’s I think your story is super powerful. I appreciate you sharing it. Like, I know that there were, it’s, it’s really cool to see how you’ve taken the pain and the challenge of what you went through and made it something that you were able to grow from, you know, and have that growth mindset, even as, you know, a younger kid, that, you know, the what you went through was really painful. And what you’re experiencing was really hard. But you were like, Okay, how, what can I do with this? Like, how can I grow from this? And I think that you made the best of that situation. And I think that because of that, you know, I know that my life was impacted. You know, and I think that you’re being able to inspire a lot of other people as well, you know, with that, because it is really tempting to believe that when you have these health-related diseases in your family, that you’re just doomed to experience the same things, and you don’t have control over some aspects of your health. And so I think it’s really cool to see that.
Chris: Yeah, and that’s definitely how I felt like, hey, like, I’m gonna die at an early age just because everybody in my family did you know, and so when we were in we went to Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, and getting into like some health classes and some science classes and realizing like, Hey, dummy, like you have some control over your health, you know, Megan, as we met, we met at Samford, and I actually ended up being her nutrition sports nutrition project, and she helped me a ton and I learned about nutrition and I learned about like body composition changes and like health and wellness This and like working out isn’t just to get strong as you can, you can literally like change the dynamics of comorbidities and like the way that chronic diseases can affect you. And so later on down the road, I was actually diagnosed with a condition called Lynch syndrome, which puts me a just a really high risk of developing certain types of cancers, specifically, colon cancers at a really young age. And so that is that ended up really kind of being the catalyst for Megan and I decided to, for me to quit, like a really good corporate job and move somewhere that we didn’t know anybody and open a CrossFit gym. Having not done CrossFit very long, just because it was one of those like, you know, YOLO moments. And that’s, I think, the important part of the fitness like my blank fitness journey, my important fitness journey is like, I know that I have two kids, I have a wife, I have a family, I have friends that care about me. And so I have to take my health and wellness super seriously. Because I want to be around you guys for a really long time. You know, and so I want to impact my kids and my family. And Megan, I want to leave a legacy for them. And I know that if I don’t care for myself, then I won’t be able to do that. So yeah, that’s the short of my fitness journey so far. I’m sure we’ll get
Megan: So far. I like that.
Chris: So far, right? We’ll get into specifics along the way like exercises and CrossFit and all that stuff. But at the end of the day, like the thought, how is a lot less important than the why. And so, you know, I think it’s good for me, to save this and to repeat this and for me to remember my why of like, why why do I go to the gym every day and work out? And why do I choose to focus on my health and wellness? It’s easy, it’s easy not to work out and to take care of myself. So yeah, I don’t know. It’s actually I’m already getting more out of this than probably everybody else. That’s okay.
Megan: So let’s go to the gym.
Chris: Yeah. All right, let’s go work out. Enough about me, Megan. You are a super strong woman and you are somebody that like, as soon as you walk into a room, I think people realize, Hey, Megan, Megan obviously works out. But she also is somebody that cares for herself and is able to without being overpowering. Like you can command a room and you can like take charge, and you have great leadership. And I think all those things kind of go together. So I guess what’s, what’s your blank fitness journey?
Megan: Thank you. I don’t know. Like, there are probably a lot of words that I could put in there. But I would say like when I’m thinking over as you said, my why that my blink fitness journey kind of comes down to my structured fitness journey. And I would say that just kind of a little bit of a backstory that I grew up on a farm. And so that meant that every day had you know, a lot of work in it a lot of physical activity, a lot of physical work. And like everything you did just took, you know, a lot more effort, because everything was like, you know, a little bit harder, a little bit more spaced out. And I took that for granted. And I didn’t realize like how much movement my life, you know, had how much play that I got to do, you know, jumping from hay bales, and you know, climbing things and, you know, just doing a lot of activities that a lot of people don’t have access to. And so then when I went to college at Samford, and I was in, you know, school and classes and things like that, I started getting depressed, because I didn’t have as much time outside and I didn’t have as much movement. And I had never done really a structured exercise program before. And so I didn’t know what to do. But I just knew that I needed to move more and that I needed to be outside more because that’s what I was used to. And that made me feel really good and made me happy. And so I started running. And I think when I met Chris, I was running, you know, like six to eight miles a day or something just because I knew I didn’t know what else to do. I just knew that I need to be outside for that amount of time and I need to move for that much to feel good. And but I was already starting to get like injuries and stuff from you know, just doing the same thing over and over. So Chris started showing me how to build more of an exercise program and start lifting and things like that and I really loved it. I loved the challenge of it. I loved how It felt I loved how it made me feel. And then you know, it kind of starts growing from there. And so I got into triathlons and lifting and different things. And then when we had our first son, Amos, I was not able to train that much anymore. And so again, I found myself in kind of a situation where I was like, starting to feel depressed, I started struggling with postpartum depression. And it was because I wasn’t moving, and I wasn’t getting outside, and I didn’t know what to do. And so my old structure program didn’t work, because I had a new situation in my life, you know, where I had amis. And so that’s kind of where CrossFit really started helping me a lot because I could get a hard workout in a short amount of time. And, you know, started loving that. And so, you know, now, you know, we have two kids, and, you know, anytime that I find myself, starting to spiral a little bit, you know, struggling with, you know, just balancing all the things that come with being a mom and a wife and a business owner, you know, that, it’s, it’s really helpful for me to have the structure of, you know, CrossFit, where it’s constantly varied, so I don’t get bored with it, I always have something to be working on, I always have something to challenge myself with, a new goal, you know, just like adding more weightlifting in. And, you know, just finding little ways to have those wins when sometimes, like, as a mom, like, you know, you’re stuck in this endless cycle of laundry, and, you know, telling your kids the same things every single day, and not seeing that progress is really nice for me mentally and emotionally to be able to go to the gym, and to work on something, and to be like, hey, like actually completed something or be able to see that progress, to be able to feel that progress, you know, it helps me a lot. And so, I would say that like another aspect of it is like, you know, that it also feels really good just to like, I think as a, you know, anyone really, that it feels really good to feel happy with your body. And so I would say that you know, I struggle with confidence I struggle with, I struggle with being able to complete tasks, I struggle with depression and anxiety. And I would say that this structure of the workouts and being able to show up and know that people are counting on me to show up, you know, instead of doing stuff on myself, like being involved with a group of people, that all has helped me with all of those things. And I would say that it gives me a lot of confidence. And it helps me feel empowered. And I do feel like my fitness has just gotten better, because of you know, getting a structured fitness journey, as opposed to just kind of doing something random every day. So yeah, it’s really helped me in so many ways.
Chris: Yeah, I think it’s, I think it’s super cool seeing like, as soon as Megan started focusing on something when she was focused on training for triathlons, she got really good at triathlons like super fast. And as soon as she started working on CrossFit consistently, she got really good at CrossFit. weightlifting, like, I don’t want to brag on her too much, because I don’t want her confidence to go through the roof or anything. But you know, she started doing weightlifting and now as a Master’s athlete, and is crushing it at these national and multinational meats. So I think it’s, I think it’s super cool seeing the transformation that having those structured times in your day to go work out and something to do instead of like, the guessing game of showing up to the gym, looking at all the machines, feeling super overwhelmed. That’s life already, right? Like, life is walking in somewhere and feeling overwhelmed. So having something that hour of your day that you know, that you can walk in and say, Hey, this is my plan. This is what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna be done in an hour, I’m gonna have accomplished something, I’m gonna feel better. That’s super cool. So I’ve seen the effect that it’s had on you for sure.
Megan: Yeah, it’s, it helps me be able, I would say that definitely, like, be being able to go into the gym and have that time. And to feel that progress to see like the sense of accomplishment, like to feel the confidence that I can do hard things. Like I get overwhelmed by the workouts regularly. But then once I finish them, I’m like, okay, like, you know, being able to accomplish that in a setting that doesn’t really matter, like helps me be able to go out and do it in a setting where it really does matter, like parenting, you know, it’s super overwhelming. And there’s a lot of times I’m like, I don’t know what I’m doing. But it’s like, it gives me that little boost that I need to keep trying, you know, so it definitely helps a lot.
Chris: That’s awesome. Well, I appreciate you sharing is my favorite part of our fitness journeys is that they’re intertwined and we get to do it together. It’s super fun. And we love working out together. And Megan inspires me constantly to be better. So, guys, hopefully, this was helpful for you in some way. Like, hopefully, again, this resonates with someone out there, we’re going to be bringing on lots of super cool guests who are going to get to tell their fitness journeys and how fitness is impacting or has already impacted their lives. Our gym, so go ahead.
Megan: I was gonna say like, I think it’s really cool that like you said our fitness journeys are like, we’re sided by side doing this. And our stories are very different. Our wives are very different. And so I am so excited for you guys to be able to hear that, like, you know, the different stories from the people in the gym that we’ve gotten to meet our coaches like, the stories are incredible. And it’s people doing it side by side. But it’s super helpful, I think, and inspiring and encouraging and motivating to be able to hear their why’s for showing up every day. Even though you’re doing the same workout, you have a different reason for doing it and a different approach, but it’s like you’re still getting benefits for your own, like your own life from it in a different way.
Chris: Awesome. Absolutely, we’re gonna have some super cool people. Not because we’re super cool, but because fitness is awesome. And we’re sharing that together. So hope you guys have an amazing week. The next episode will be out shortly. If you enjoyed this, you can subscribe to our podcast. Wherever you’re viewing this or listening to this hit subscribe. Listen to the next one whenever it comes out and give us some feedback. Hey, this sucked. Hey, this resonated whatever, like we’re looking to grow too. So have an amazing day. And keep being awesome.
Chris: Thanks so much for listening to this episode of My Blank Fitness Journey Podcast. If this story inspired you make sure that you like and subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform you’re using. If you’d like to reach out to us, you can check us out at triforcecrossfit.com. Just send us a message. We’d love to help you and see you guys soon on the next episode.
