Game Ready fitness is different than any other sport or activity I have ever put any of my kids in.  It is about your child’s growth as an all around functioning athlete, mentally and physically.  My son wants to do everything he can to become a better soccer player, but he is recognizing that it is more than mastering his soccer drills and plays.  Game Ready teaches body movement, teamwork and discipline in a way that kids aren’t typically taught in an entire team setting.  The kids are pushed beyond their perceived boundaries safely.    Mary and CJ encourage these kids to work hard but at the end, they had fun and are really proud of themselves. 

As a parent, I can say this is a special program.  It isn’t in place to help the gym “earn a few extra bucks, so let’s hit the teen market.”  CJ and Mary are authentically all about these kids and their goals.  They actually like the kids and are having fun coaching them.  

In a month I’ve lost a couple pounds and have noticed a change in my waist size as well.  My clothes are fitting different now than they did a month ago. I wish I would’ve measured before I started!

Much respect for Mary and CJ. Your Professionalism and level of commitment to these kids is amazing. I’m so proud and honored that you guys are coaching my son! I’ve noticed that he is putting in his all and more. Before he was struggling to finish workouts and with you guys it is like 0 to 100. He is really excited!

When I approached Coach Mary about helping me with a workout / nutrition plan about a month and a half ago (November 2016) I was nervous and intimidated. I wondered if I could possibly do what she would suggest but asked anyways. I love to be outdoors, am a casual hiker, serious gardener, and have two 2 dogs that I love to walk. However, I have still managed to let myself get far out of shape over the years. My goal is to be able to do the things I enjoy more comfortably; garden without getting in my own way, tackle more difficult hikes without feeling like my lungs are going to explode. Next fall I am traveling to Seattle and Olympic National Park. I want to be physically ready to spend full days hiking.

After explaining my goals to Mary, she asked me a few questions about my current activity, and my current food intake, and then talked to me about making some small changes. Within 48 hours she sent me several recipes (2 of which have become Sunday meal prep favorites for my family to lunch and snack on all week)  and an easy to understand 4 week workout plan.

The workouts came complete with YouTube tutorials which I LOVE. I go back to them over and over to make sure I am doing exercises correctly. One of the things I appreciate most is all of the modified versions of exercises. I may not be able to do a full out burpee yet, but I can do a modified burpee, and that gives me a goal to work towards. The workouts kicked my butt in the beginning. I took A LOT of breather breaks. But I kept at it. I think a big part of what keeps me going is knowing that the workouts are going to change up. I LOVE the variety that Game Ready provides. It keeps me interested.  

I won’t say the workout is ‘easy’ but I have realized that I can do it. I do do it. And I do it in less time than I did when I started. When I first started it took me a SOLID 45 – 55 minutes to get through the workouts. Today I am getting through the workouts in 35 – 45 depending on the workout. Bottom line is I FEEL stronger. I can BREATHE better. I FEEL better. I have more energy. I am not dying to stop 5 minutes after I start. I have now dropped 10.3 pounds in a month and a half. Honestly…the pounds don’t matter to me. I am just super excited about the energy I have, how much more I can do in a day, the jeans that are falling off of me, and hiking through Olympic next fall.  I am really excited about the physical shape that my body is coming back to and I am so thankful to Game Ready Fitness for it.

Game Ready is an extension of what we try to teach our kids (Tristen). It encompasses hard work, team work, dedication all while learning new skills and of course having fun.  Game Ready isn’t sports specific, rather, it trains each athlete to be able to handle anything that is thrown at them, be it on the field or in life. Mary and CJ have been strong mentors for T; they have given him tools that will only help him be successful. We recommend Game Ready for athletes of all experience, what a great program this is for our community.

Coach Mary is amazing!! She has worked with me for quite some time improving my gymnastic skills! I feel my improvement is beyond what I expected!!! She’s so helpful, kind, encouraging, and patient! Absolutely love her!!

Hi, I’m Nate.  I’m a veteran of the diet wars, tried and stopped most of the ones you can think of with a few exceptions, all by age 36.  To sum me up I will quote my grandfather. “Nate’s a 5 gallon hungry bucket.”  I like to eat, I eat when happy, when sad, I punish food when I’m stressed. 

Basic Nate information

• Former Collegiate Swimmer
• Profession: Computer Consultant (read sedentary unless running cables)
• 36 yrs old
• “Nate’s a 5 gallon hungry bucket”

What Nate tried before he found his stride…

• Primal, Paleo, Juicing, Low carb, No carb, Carb cycling, grazing, intermittent fasting, no fat, high protein, plant based, biggest loser and shake based nutrition planning in tandem with multiple forms of exercise routines and regimens

Nate’s story..

I gained 20 pound of muscle when I got to college, I had never lifted weights during swim season.  After season was over I put on another 30 eating like I was still swimming ten thousand meters a day!  From then on life and a semi sedentary lifestyle allowed my weight to finally get to just about that 300 pound mark.

What I wanted to share with you was what I’ve found when I found a plan, a system for eating, a diet if you will that worked for me.  So here I am 298 points for a few months now. Staring down that dreaded 300 mark.  That was a big number for me and a fear that if I didn’t turn back I was heading down a very slippery slope.  So in conversations with Mary I mention that I am finally at the point where I feel motivated to finally do something about my weight, it had only been 4 years since I last gave it any considerable thought….  Much to her credit and years of knowing me she messaged me a few articles and a gentle nudge towards ketogenic. (What most of you don’t know is I suffer from a serious condition called “Don’t tell me what to do!”)  So in hind sight I give her credit for helping me to think it was my own idea.  So I read the articles she sent, reread them a few more times, dug in and did a little more research.  In talking it out with Mary we discussed how we think it would work for my lifestyle and eating habits,  I told her that I was only going to fix my eating habits first.

So while the family was away for the week on vacation I started the diet.  In reality it was the safest place for them while the carb cravings hit.  That first week I resisted stepping on the scale until it was over. That first week 10 pounds!  Now I was already prepped from my research that this initial flux would be mostly water as carbs cause you to retain water.  The week after was another 5 pounds and 5 the next.  A few weeks later was another 5 pounds.  To be clear this was with diet only, I didn’t do a lick of formal exercise.  What I was noticing was I was starting to get my energy back, I was out playing and goofing around with my young children.  Previously, I would eat dinner then it would be a like a had a case of narcolepsy I would pass out on the recliner or couch, there was nothing I could do to stay awake much to the chagrin of my wife.  On this method of eating I was full of energy and was waking up so refreshed I would almost forget to drink my travel mug of coffee on the way in.  Now I know this sounds like one of those miracle advertisements.  I had set backs, I had days or weekends where I veered off the path due to “life” events.  Frankly they stalled my progress, it would be another week before I would see progress again.  The trick with ketones is it takes the body about a week or so to switch its main fuel source over from glucose to ketones.  Turns out this was a good deterrent for cheating because of the significant setback.  What made the difference for me was, that I was able go long periods of time without eating and not have any adverse effects.  My energy levels were consistent throughout the day, none of the rise then crash I was dealing with before.  There were a few projects I was on that I had gone 12-16 hours without eating even a snack and I felt great and could go another 4 more easily.  I was not suffering through the diet either.  The perks of eating high fat is the food is very satiating. Eggs, Bacon, sausage are good, chicken wings with the right blue cheese dressing is okay!  Adding butter to my veggies is actually desired.  It really was my type of eating!

So in the four months since starting I lost 40 pounds with diet alone.  I know everyone wants to work out and go to the gym, but if you only have will power for one thing right now, I say fix your diet!  The energy and willpower will come after you’ve cleaned up your eating habits!

I want to share a few take aways from my journey.  Always research the diet you are planning on going on. Preferably from credible sources.

You will need to track what you are eating for months, even if you think you are being good and the progress changes, start tracking again you will be surprised how much you have veered.  There are plenty of good free places to track food intake, pick your favorite then invite supportive friends to check in on you.

Start now, you could be making progress towards a goal rather than waiting for an arbitrary start date!

Lastly, if nothing else remember this:  The very best diet is the one that works for you!  The healthy way of eating that works for your lifestyle and becomes your ways of life is the best diet.  It is all about what works for you and allows you to succeed.  Mine just happens to be Ketogenic, its okay if yours is not….

Now get out there and start making a better you!