Everybody Is Rooting For Me

David Vitale is a member of CKO Kickboxing – Seattle. His CKO journey has brought him not only an amazing physical transformation, but also a much better attitude and outlook towards life in general!

In David Vitale’s own words:
In April of 2010, I moved back to Washington after a short stint in Chicago. I had a new job, a new apartment, and a new life ahead of me. I jumped into as many sports as I could, and even put in a little gym time here and there. To be clear, “gym time” for me was the classic walk-around-and-lift-a-couple-things-workout. I have never been a small guy, (I broke 200 pounds at age 16) and even at 6’1’’, 215 pounds, I have never felt particularly big.

Everything changed in July of 2011 when I broke my leg in three places in a soccer collision. The breaks required a long surgery and lots of hardware that resulted in no weight-bearing for 13 weeks. The inactivity made me pretty depressed, and I took comfort in TV and food. The end result was entering physical therapy at 235 pounds. The gradual return to activity and subsequent resumption of sports helped me lose a few pounds. But between work, social life, and additional academic pursuits, I ended up making lots of excuses to put off working hard on exercising and maintaining a healthy diet.

In August of 2013, I completed my additional education, and decided that it was finally time to stop being complacent about my health and make a lifestyle change. My friend Monica told me about this great kickboxing gym called CKO Kickboxing. I checked out the website and read the reviews (which were all stellar), and I figured the place was too good to be true. But one thing really stood out to me that gave me optimism about the gym; the transformations and the 10-Week Challenge stories. It was truly inspirational to read about people who decided they wanted to do something difficult, and just flat out put in the hard work to achieve their goals.

I went with Monica to my first class with some apprehension about going into an hour-long workout with a heavy bag (which I had never hit before) and doing it in front of a room full of people who knew what they were doing. Garett (Co-Owner and Trainer) showed me all of the moves and gave me a few pointers before class. Before I knew it, we were off! I’m not going to lie, that first class with Garett was brutal. I didn’t think I was going to make it, and started looking around to see if everybody else looked as tired as I felt.  It was then that I saw two of the very same people from the CKO Kickboxing blog working on bags across the way from mine. I think seeing that the people from these stories were “real” and were doing the same workout that I was, is what gave me the boost that I needed to power through class. I thought to myself, “This is how they did it, this is how I’m going to do it!” and I made it through the hour.

When I looked around at the end of class, I couldn’t believe that everybody was smiling, high five-ing, and chatting! The great attitude and camaraderie of the CKO Kickboxing – Seattle family was on display from day one, and that really stood out to me. The next day I had that satisfying sore feeling you get after a workout, and I knew that this was going to be the year that I actually change my lifestyle and body for the better.

I can’t believe I’ve been at CKO Kickboxing – Seattle for 5 months! I transitioned to a mostly-paleo diet and I try to attend at least three classes per week. While I’m still crazy-tired at the end of workouts, I feel stronger, more alert, and have SO much more energy!  I walked into CKO Kickboxing – Seattle in August wearing 38-inch waist pants, and weighed 225 pounds. Now I wear 33-inch waist pants, and weigh 187 pounds!  Beyond the physical changes, I have a much better attitude and outlook towards life in general.  And while you have to decide to take accountability for yourself and put in the work, you really can’t put a price on having a huge group of people (not just the staff) that are honestly rooting for you. A huge thanks to the whole CKO Kickboxing – Seattle family!