People are quite literally the only thing that makes this world go round, and our growing community at Training For Warriors-South Metro is no exception. The people we get to interact with each day push us to think differently, forge new relationships, and create amazing memories that can never be forgotten. There are certain people you meet that truly have a presence about them. A presence and energy that makes every person around them better (and want to be like them). Today's Warrior Spotlight, Couples Edition features 2 of TFW-South Metro's "Original 12" students: Sam and Sami Desposato.

You'll see that from the sometimes unbearable hardships we all face in life, that the way we decide to react can make all the difference in the world. Enjoy this amazing couple's story!

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Sam's Story:

Let’s take it back four years ago, I was a fresh private out of basic training, physically and mentally strong, thinking I was on top of the food chain so to say. However, losing a hero in your life can drastically shake who you think you are, and after losing my sister, who was one of my greatest supporters, friends, and workout partners, I sunk into depression.

I didn’t work out, I ate horribly, and drank too much.

This carried on for a little over a year before I started going to several local gyms again, but I still felt like something was missing. I had always loved working out with Eric since he trained my sister for years, so when I found out that he was opening a Training for Warriors, my wife and I decided that we should invest in ourselves to help get our lives back on track. We weren’t as financially stable then as we are now, so we used our tax return money to buy our first year-long memberships. It was our first step in eliminating excuses and working toward the healthy lifestyle we wanted for ourselves.

We were going all in.

Getting back into shape was the first part of the process. At first, it was exciting to see how I was able to get even stronger and faster than I had been at my “peak”. The way the TFW program is formatted was the structure that I needed to be successful in my workouts. After going to class regularly 4-5 days a week, my time at the dojo became my mental food that I craved every day! It has helped me to become more optimistic, more mentally tough, and has sealed the cracks in my foundation of who I was before my sister passed away.

Being surrounded by people who always bring their own fire day in and day out is what fuels my tank and keeps me coming back.

Now for the food part. I always knew eating clean meant better progress when it came to working out, but what I have learned is that having clean eating habits also leads to more energy, more happiness, and greater results at life. The fundamentals that we have learned at the dojo have challenged us to continue changing the way we eat so we can feel our best all the time.

Being a new father makes me want to show what a healthy lifestyle is to our daughter.

I want her to know that being strong will always take you further. I want her to know that she can conquer any challenges that life throws her way. When I feel my best is when I can give my best - that is what is important to me. The choice we made three years ago to invest in ourselves has given back ten-fold. When you invest in your health and your mind, greater things will come to you!

Working out next to people who are just starting the program motivates me the most, because I remember what it was like when I first started. Being able to help and motivate people and see them push themselves through the uncomfortable phase reminds me of pushing through the hard times when I started. It makes me want to encourage new members to continue going so they can enjoy all the benefits that looking and feeling your best brings.

Joining TFW was one of the most pivotal moments in my adult life that got me back on track to a healthy, more successful future.

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Sami's Story:

Growing up, I thought it was normal for some families to be “healthy” and others to just be “regular." Mine was a “regular” family, so being active and proactive about health wasn’t something that we worried about in our day-to-day lives. When I met Sam, it was obvious that working out and being strong were important to him, so when we started dating, I decided I would start going to local group fitness classes so I could talk to him about “going to the gym."

It was fun, but I didn’t feel any real connection with working out.

When Sam’s sister passed away a couple of months later, we both fell off the horse and barely cared enough to get back up. We ate comfort food, drank regularly, and when we weren’t at work we were just lounging around. Our routine wasn’t getting us anywhere, but it became our “normal” for a little over a year. We eventually got ourselves out of the rut and started going back to local gyms, looking for something to click and get us back in the groove of taking care of ourselves. Nothing stuck, and we were just going through motions so we wouldn’t fall back into our old ways.

But then that pivotal opportunity came to us.

Sam came home and told me about a new gym he was thinking of joining. This trainer named Eric was set to open this "warrior place" in Savage, and Sam had known him from the past when he trained his sister. I had seen her transformation pictures and knew that she and Sam were two of the strongest people I knew, so if Eric was behind their success and was opening a new gym, he must have a good idea of what he was talking about! I was a little intimidated when I learned that there weren’t “levels” of classes like I was used to at the big gym I was currently going to, but I was excited to work out with Sam.

I was nervous, too, because I was definitely a beginner and Sam was definitely not, but it was important to him and important to our identity as a family to be strong after all we had gone through already, so I made the commitment to go ALL IN.

The culture of Training for Warriors is what made me fall in love with the place. Even on days when I felt like there was no way I would finish the workout, I was surrounded by positive and uplifting people. No matter how I performed, I was always welcomed back the next day by everyone there and made to feel as “important” as the people who were way stronger and faster than I was.

I loved the structure and flow of the workouts and was soon seeing myself gain strength that I never knew I had. When I started, I was afraid of even finding my baseline – what would everyone else think if they saw what I could or couldn’t do?? – but once I got over myself and started seeing myself as an investment, it didn’t matter what anyone else was thinking or doing. Instead, it was all about me teaching myself what I could do and what I couldn’t do yet. I was setting targets for myself and eventually surpassing them!

I was starting to realize just how strong I was and feel a pride, confidence, and connection with my body – something I had never felt before.

The methods and mantras I have learned as a student of TFW have helped me in more ways than just the physical component. It challenged me to speak honestly with myself about my diet and lifestyle choices and to make positive changes so I could feel pride and strength in all of my choices.

It helped me have an active and healthy pregnancy, strong and transformative birth experience, and now a positive and healthy “normal” for my daughter to grow up seeing.

I'm excited that healthy is the new "normal" in our family!

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If you are tired of your current "normal" and need to make a lifestyle change today, apply for 1 of 20 spots available for the upcoming Spring 8 Week Warrior Challenge on April 24th. Are you all in? Click below to apply

Apply for Training For Warriors NOW!

WARRIOR SPOTLIGHT - COUPLES EDITION: The Desposato's