It seems a lot of people are glad that 2016 is over.  The ASF Coaches felt that 2016 was one of their best years ever.  Hope you enjoy this abridged summary from each of them….

 

From Coach Macdonald –

• Relationships, Relationships, Relationships~

  2016 was the year that building relationships reached an apex.  This is what I value the most about my profession. Do I love being in a position to help people achieve their performance and fitness goals? Absolutely, it was my driving force to pursue this profession in the first place, but over the years, it has been the amazing relationships I’ve formed with our athletes and adults that keep my passion growing for what I do as a coach.
  

  Saying I truly appreciate all of the awesome relationships would be the understatement of the century for me. They have made me a better coach and person, giving me more motivation every day to come in and do what I love.

• Cookie cutter programs/diets simply DO NOT EXIST~

  The more I learn, the more I realize that the “one-size-fits-all” theory has no place in our world of fitness and nutrition. Everyone’s body reacts differently to certain stimuli when it comes to fitness or nutrition. For example, John and Carl may have the exact same body type when looking at them, but John may put on 15 pounds of fat when he is on a high carb diet, where Carl puts on 10 pounds of muscle when on the same diet. Their bodies absorb and process the change differently.

  The same applies to fitness. John may look and feel better while on a circuit based “bootcamp” program, while Carl sees no change when performing the same program assuming all other factors are the same such as nutrition, sleep, stress, etc.

• What selflessness really means~

  My wife and I just had our two year anniversary back in October, and I am just now truly understanding what it means to love someone. She has shown me what selfless love means which she has shown me unconditionally since we met. Selfless love, by definition, means “to love regardless of your personal needs. You love whole heartedly without loving yourself, without any personal gain. It is the opposite of selfish love. It means loving without any attachment to an expectation in return. It means whatever you do you do it from your heart.” I ask myself daily, “What did I do to deserve this incredible human being?”

  If you know me at all, you know I’m not all into this fluffy lovey-dovey talk, so this is foreign territory for me, but I love and appreciate my wife very much. My point in bringing this up is she has made me a better person and coach by showing me what it really means to be selfless. This has drastically helped me in my coaching because I realize why I coach. I expect no personal gain from it, my personal needs are set aside. I coach because I truly want the people I work with to succeed, whether that be to improve their performance on the field, reach fitness goals, or more importantly, improve their quality of life. That…..is from the heart.

 

From Coach Platt – 

The beginning of a new year is always a great time for reflection. As I sit here and review the progress I made in 2016 I can’t help but smile and be grateful for the crazy journey it ended up becoming. The previous year was full of ups and downs but I managed to come out stronger and more prepared moving forward.

The experiences I have had at ASF continue to play a large role in shaping the evolution of who I am. The relationships I have formed not only with Brian, Tony and Becky, but with all of you who call ASF home have been instrumental in my growth.

I would like to personally thank all of you for opening your lives and allowing me to be a part of your journey. I wouldn’t be who I am today nor would my journey be nearly as exciting without all of you being a part of it.

Some of the more memorable parts of my 2016 were:

• The biggest event of 2016 for me was getting engaged to the love of my life and my best friend. Kristen has been my rock for over six years now and I can’t imagine where I would be without her.

 

• I had the opportunity to travel with great friends this year and share a few unforgettable experiences with them. I managed to eat my way through Boston and seeing Brittany Spears live in Vegas satisfied a lifelong dream of mine.

 

• My family took our annual trip to Isle of Palms, South Carolina over the summer. I absolutely love spending time with family and there is no better place to do it than there.

 

• The book Start With Why was a gamechanger for me, both personally and professionally. If you haven’t read it, I strongly suggest you get a copy.

 

• I bought my first car this year. I was spoiled growing up when my parents bought a car and let me drive it. I’m more thankful to them for that now, especially knowing how awful car payments and insurance are. Adult-ing seriously sucks.

 

• From a professional standpoint, I have grown more in the past year than I ever thought possible. I owe a lot of that to you guys for being awesome. My personal and professional development over the past year makes me excited for what is to come in the next one!

 

From Coach Poggiali

• The biggest part of 2016 for me was how social media has changed, and taken over, the world.  Just like any new technology, it can be used for good or for bad.  The irony of it all is in the name itself – social media.  While it may be due to my age, there is nothing social about posting pictures, updates, videos, etc.  It seems to take the human element out of the equation.  Physical interaction used to be social media and now you do not have to do that to have a relationship.  Before FaceTime , there was face time.  As a business, however, it can be another positive way outside the human experience to keep communication channels flowing.  While I don’t fully embrace it as the primary means of communication, I understand it’s power and realize it is here to stay and has changed how we interact.

 

• Professionally, last year was a tale of two halves:  The first half was incredible, culminating with our 10th year of operation.  The second half was a whirlwind of ups and downs, with more of the latter.  However, with reflection comes clarity.  I plan on using that clarity to guide 2017 and beyond.

  

 

• In response to the above, I had to lean on a select group of people more than ever in my life.  I like to figure out things on my own but am also smart enough to not go it alone.  If it wasn’t for their guidance and support, things may look different right now.  Hopefully, ASF can be that support system for you also [icon name=”smile-o” class=”” unprefixed_class=””].

 

• One of my nerd goals each year is to read more than the previous year.  Some quick mathematics added up to about 600 hours of reading.  I learned something from every piece that I read.  For me, learning something new each day is the meaning of life.

• Similar to the above, it is amazing the number of relationships that are being built inside, and outside, these four walls.  When we opened it was all about results and training.  While those are still important, it is now about culture, relationships and experience.  It has allowed me to bear witness to the power of getting like-minded people together and just see what happens, almost like a social experiment.  It also crystallized my “Why”.  In other words, I am more clear on why I am doing all of this.  If you are interested, I would love to share it with you…and maybe learn what your “Why” is at the same time!

• Finally, this year was another year to sharpen my “dad” skills and “husband” skills.  I still have a lot of work to do but feel confident that the best is yet to come with the ladies in my life.  Those two Rocks keep me grounded and provide everything I need.

 

2017….bring it on!