Fit Body Boot Camp

As the owner of North Akron Fit Body Boot Camp, Joshua Douglas spends his days motivating others to get and stay healthier. To do that, the 38-year-old Tallmadge resident freely shares his own story of losing 140pounds and finding purpose and joy in his life. What sets his Cuyahoga Falls gym apart from others is the bond of camaraderie that develops amid the emotional work of changing unhealthy habits. “When they walk in, they’re not just the person we’re training that day — they’re a member of our community that we’re going to help get a little bit better today,” he says. Typical workouts last about 40minutes and combine short bursts of high-intensity cardio or weight training with longer periods of lower-intensity recovery, always focusing on proper form, with coaches right there to encourage everyone. Douglas shares his own motivation for maintaining a healthier life and outlook.

Exercise is hard. When you’re working for something that’s important to you, though, you keep going. We get our members focused on their why: What is the reason that you’re really doing this — and you’ve got to be specific. For me, it’s never wanting to be prediabetic again, never wanting to feel that pain of not fitting into certain seats on airplanes.

I grew up the fattest person I knew. I was a fat kid, a fat teenager, a fat adult. By the time I was 28 years old, I was 340 pounds. Some of us carry a lot of baggage, and then to cope, we use food the same way other people use drugs or alcohol. Food was my coping mechanism. It was very comforting and yet very painful at the same time. Two years before I started exercising and eating better, I started seeing a therapist, and that is really the thing that changed. I didn’t go to him to lose weight; I went to him because I was feeling all this internal pain and couldn’t understand it. There was a sense of pride and excitement when I was taking consistent action, earning my results. As my belief in myself grew, so did my actions — and my results.

I have a son now who’s 1 year old, and now my goal is to be the role model that he needs. My goal is to be able to play with him when he’s 12 and 13 years old, when I’m going to be in my late 40s, early 50s. I want to be able to get down on the ground and roll around with him or wrestle with him.— as told to Sharon Best

3 Intensive Workouts to Try:

SOS KETTLEBELL Training with kettlebells for strength, coordination and balance, Akron

WORLD KICKBOXING ACADEMY Kickboxing with a heavy bag, Cuyahoga Falls

CYCLEBAR Indoor cycling, Hudson