Recovery story of FSrecovery founder Todd M.:

My journey through fitness recovery has included kickboxing on Canadian television, playing college baseball, a renewed sense of self and a passion for fitness. I am now a French/Weights teacher at a private Christian high school; I also coach baseball, wrestling and cross-country.

My passion for fitness has also included earning a Master's Degree in Exercise Science and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist credential. I have worked as a Personal Trainer/Fitness Instructer and created and taught an aerobic Muay Thai class.

At the start of my journey, I was overweight and depressed. There were two divorces in the works within my family structure. Chaos was a prevalent component of my life at that time. I had begun to add extra weight and was beginning to get teased for my physique. The humiliation added to my low feelings of self-worth at this time. My turning point followed a visit to the doctor for abdominal pains that were the result of new exercise. I am thankful that the doctor gave me a hard time for my physique and the fact that exercise must have been a new experience for me.

After wanting to crawl under a rock for a day, I set out to get in shape. I began with push-ups, sit-ups and jump roping. My goal was to increase my physique. What I didn't expect, however, was how my complete disposition on life changed over the following years.

At this time, I began attending a Christian church with a good friend and family, who's father was a recovering alcoholic. I kept it simple, working out daily, trying to do the right thing, and trying to be a better person. The serenity prayer, "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference", was a prayer and manner of living I could use to let go of anxiety and approach life without fear.

Over the following few years, I played football, I wrestled, hit the weights, trained and fought in Muay Thai kickboxing, trained in Brazilian Jiu Jitzu and played LOTS of baseball. A group of us who trained in Muay Thai formed a bible study together, where we could pray before and after we pummelled the snot out of each other. I was also part of a bible study for athletes in college. I have since been fascinated with the integration of body and mind, combining deep stretching with meditation and incorporating prayer.

My journey took an interesting turn beginning in the later years of college. I had minimized my drinking behavior at this point in my life, for spiritual and physical reasons, and because I had vicariously seen some examples of how damaging drinking can be. When I transferred to a different college, the only person I knew was the president of a fraternity, who I had played summer league baseball with. After some exposure to the partying scene, I turned down a bid to join the fraternity and decided that I had better regulate my drinking. After two years, however, I became legitimately concerned about a problem. I tried every trick in the book to regulate my drinking, but the control progressively declined.

After having been a non-drinker for a while, I decided to see if my previous difficulties with drinking were circumstantial. They were not; in fact, the reaction was negatively progressive. When this happened, I had the feeling again of wanting to crawl under a rock. I decided that to be the man and the husband I wanted to be, I would not only have to be a non-drinker, but I would need educate myself on what was going on and learn how to live a life of sobriety. I became involved in a supportive step-program and researched alcohol and its effects. I am blessed to be living an exciting sober life today, I remain involved in a step-program and I have had the opportunity to give a chapel service to high school students to share stories and research related to alcohol use.

As I looked at the similar feelings of low points in my life, I became curious if others could benefit from a supportive program to get and stay fit, just as I was blessed by the support of others and the guidance of my higher power to begin a daily journey toward recovery.

The elements of this site are directed at sharing support with others with no fees for membership. Free fitness seminars are also being planned, beginning in the northwest, with hopefully more opportunities to educate on alcohol awareness as well. The FSrecovery site and resources will remain free, with thanks to my wife, my mentor, my sponsor, my family, the many in the extended support network who have helped me; and, the glory to God.