My name is Michael Sigsbury, and I am the newest addition to the team at XIP. I have my Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) certification, which allows me to work and train here. I am very excited to meet all of you and be able to work with many of you. That being said, here is some of my story.

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 Starting off, at 12 years old I was obese. I decided to go on the Atkins diet, and it just happened, that I became more active around the same time. I lost 70 lbs and became much healthier. I then played sports all through high school (Basketball, Tennis, Soccer, XC Running, and XC Skiing). After finishing high school, I was looking for that niche to keep me going. I found Crossfit. I trained in Crossfit for 3 years and in that time also got Level 1 Crossfit certified and began to help coach at the gym I trained at. Soon after, I came to Lyndon State College and began studying Exercise Science. I continue to train and have been helping run the Strength and Conditioning program here at Lyndon State. I also, currently play collegiate Tennis and love every minute of it.

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            This leads into my mission as a coach. I want to do much more than just inspire and coach athletes and people of all ages. I have seen there is a disconnect in the knowledge of physical training and nutrition. Many people today from a young age are taught to sit in a chair for 6-8 hours a day, to eat poor nutrition that is promoted on every form of media possible, and then taught to hate or dislike exercise in many different ways. Lots of people don’t understand the importance of physical activity and don’t even know how training can help them. Some people are at least active which can be helpful, but if they aren’t focused on becoming stronger, better performing athletes then what are they really doing. This is the disconnect that has turned the American and many other populations into what they are today.

            The way to get around this, is to start at a young age, educating kids on the importance of not only physical activity, but training too. And for those that are already out of school, education about health, wellness, and fitness needs to be offered. So, why training? Well, physical activity alone can begin to help make somebody healthier, but it isn’t specific enough to make the adaptations that many people may want and need. If there are two people with the same pay grade, at the same weight, and with the same home life, the stronger and more fit one will be more successful in the long run. Why? They are more confident, they are more approachable, they will have better mental functioning, and the list goes on.

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            To start this education will take a nationwide effort. In school, kids need to be taught what physical activity, fitness, and nutrition are. In the work place the same things need to happen. Also, kids and adults needs to be liberated from the prison of sitting for hours on end in a day. If not possible then physical activity needs to more often be utilized during breaks and the rest of the day. People are beginning to see more health issues than ever before because of the amount of sitting done every day. With this new education, change can be made and in the next 10 years a shift can occur, where all populations will see physical activity, fitness, and nutrition as important.
 

            Some may argue that these are just not affordable. Well, let me ask you a few questions. Do you have any snowmobiles, ATVs, game systems, or a TV? How did you afford that? If you can spend some money on your leisure, then you most certainly can spend money on your health which in turn can lead to better performance in all areas of life. Which is an investment that will pay itself back.

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            So, to sum things up, my mission is to get people more educated, healthier, stronger, and improve their fitness level. This is so that people may live their lives to the fullest because many people don’t realize how important the physical state of their body really is. We spend our whole lives in these bodies and with these minds, and really, how much time to we devote to developing and growing them? Much less than we should is the answer. So, next time you think you can’t, don’t want to, or even shouldn’t, remember that you need to get out there and start making a difference in your own life. It is only a matter of time before not taking care of yourself and neglecting your body and mind will catch up. Please invest the time in yourself and become more. This is why I train people and have the mission I do. I look forward to meeting and training with many of you. Thank you very much.

 

-Michael Sigsbury