It has come to this, I wish I didn’t have to write something like this… but it must be said.
NOW.
Before I share my words and the stance Bent On Better takes (which, is and always will be, in support of and with my brothers and sisters OC), the lives of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and countless other lives that were so violently cut short need to be recognized.
❤️✊🏻✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿
Life, like fitness, is a journey.
There are ups and downs, there are detours, there are set-backs, and there are open roads where you can travel for miles with few bumps, red-lights, or stop signs.
In fitness, we tell all of our members here at Bent On Better that if it were easy, you probably wouldn’t want (or need) our help.
In fitness, if it were easy, every supplement or diet out there would work once, and work forever.
In fitness, if it were easy, you’d never be sore, never have to get too out of breath, never take a break, just do the bare minimum and see the progress you want.
But we all know, a once-and-done scenario is never really what happens in fitness. It takes time and consistent effort to make progress. But if you don’t change your habits for the longterm, you won’t keep the changes longterm…
We know the story all too well: you make some progress and get comfortable, ease off a bit, and then the snack foods creep their way back in. You make some progress and the workouts & training sessions take the backseat to the Netflix shows or the extra sleep on Saturday morning or Monday morning because you were out late the other nights.
Look…it’s never truly JUST fitness or JUST a diet that works, it’s the LIFESTYLE CHANGE, THE HABITS, and the CHANGE OF YOUR MINDSET that allow you to be successful and to keep the changes you’ve worked so hard to get.
Like with all of our members and anyone who has ever “given us a try,” I am committed to being part of that change in your fitness, your nutrition, your mindset, and your life… If you will commit to the journey yourself.
Now back to the most pressing of matters and the message at hand: I, Matt, know I was put on this earth to change people’s lives. But I’m starting to learn that as a privileged white male business owner, I have a moral duty and obligation to help teach people to use the same processes I teach in the gym to facilitate change in other aspects of their lives. Overall health and wellness is, yes, very literal. But our brains and our hearts have to also be healthy and well on a metaphorical level. I am and we here at Bent On Better are COMMITTED to being a part of the change that is happening. Lynn and I are also dedicated and committed to making sure we and our two young sons are part of the change.
We know our words weigh ever so lightly on the grand scale of justice, but if you want to change the world, you have to start with yourself and those around you.
The Aprils AND Bent On Better will ALWAYS stand together with equality and proudly proclaim, BLACK LIVES MATTER.
Sincerely,
Matt April
Owner, trainer
