Jason’s #UNSTOPPABLE Journey
In 2018, Jason Mayhew began his journey to better himself. He was inspired to make steps towards bettering his health while working as a paramedic. “I had a patient who was dying from obesity. He had a ton of medical conditions that caused him to be frequent in my truck. One day, he looked at me in the face and told me jokingly that could be me one day. It hit me hard and that’s when I decided to make a change for myself.” 130 lbs later, Mayhew has dominated his fitness goals.
He certainly didn’t realize how much progress he’d made right away. “When you start working out, the doubt is always in the back of your mind and you see all these people around you who are fit and it makes you wonder if you will ever get there,” said Jason. “I used to hate to run. I always do cardio at the beginning of my workouts and had a lot on my mind one particular day. Before I knew it, I had run a 5K in under 27 minutes and didn’t even realize it. That was the kicker that the work I was putting in was working.”
Jason chose to work out at Xperience because of the atmosphere and all of the things to keep you going at the gym. “You can be as involved or workout alone if you want. Once you go, the people there who work out with you get to know you and your routine. It becomes like a family. All the staff as well are wonderful,” said Mayhew.
The gym is somewhat of an escape for Jason, and the recent pandemic has only pushed him to go even more #XFALLIN- “The pandemic has pushed me to be better, honestly. I feel like a totally healthy body, mind and body together will help to fight off medical issues. Working out makes you feel great physically as well as mentally. Especially in times like this, I use the gym to get out of the real world and have some ME time! I also feel like the closures have allowed me to focus on the gym more as well.”
While Jason loves being in the gym, there have been times where he’s wanted to give up on his journey. “There are always struggles that will keep you down. Some mornings you make excuses of why you should skip the gym that day, that you are not making any progress, or just taking a few days off won’t hurt you,” said Jason. “Today I frequently look at pictures of me when I was big and use them as motivators to keep going and to push harder.”
As his journey continues, he plans to continue educating himself with new workout plans, new trends, and ways to better his form and diet. “Xperience gives me the tools I need and I utilize them!” said Mayhew.
Jason’s last words of advice to those starting their fitness journey is that the first step is always the hardest. “When you first join a gym or decide to start a fitness journey there is a lot of doubt that you may have. Just making the first step will help you achieve your goals. Even today, there are days when I am not feeling it, but once I step into the gym then I know it’s time to go to work.” He also wants people to know that if they ever see him in the gym, don’t be afraid to say hey!