Meet Your UPS Driver Then & Now
By Efren Martinez
Around 2017 I started noticing this fellow always at the gym when I was there. Mind you I generally tend to spend more time at the gym than your average person in fitness so I see a lot of people. Nonetheless I’ve gotten to know who are usually there on a regular basis. Over time I couldn’t help but notice one guy in particular, Aaron Mejia. He’s extremely committed to his health and fitness and generally will show up wearing the same work clothes all the time. This clued me in that this fellow doesn’t mess around with wasting any time changing into some fancy sports outfit or even different sports shoes. What he does is make his work time best with his lifestyle. Balancing being a father and a hard worker for UPS. Quite frankly he makes workouts work when he can. Aaron would walk in, work out and walk out without a care. I also recalled him back in 2017 as a bigger, heavier guy.
So when the pandemic ended and we all returned to the gym after 2 years, there was Aaron again. Much to my surprise he was a thinner, more toned, version of the guy I first saw. Wow! In fact he was as they say,” Ripped.” His muscle tone has to be one of the best I have seen of any of the members at Planet Fitness. I also know what it takes to get that beautiful muscle definition so I got up the courage to approach him. He’s a great guy! Not only was he super friendly to me but also super encouraging to others at Planet Fitness. This is what inspired me to feature him in this month’s Fit View. Below are a few questions and answers to help all of us who might be looking to reach our fitness goals or are having trouble with losing weight.
For myself I now have the privilege to consider him as a friend in Fitness. Thank you for your friendship Aaron.
MV How old are you?
AM. 42 years old
MV. What’s your job title?
AM. UPS Driver
MV. What year did you decide to start your weight loss journey?
AM.I have been lifting since I was 13 years old. Always wanted to be strong as an ox goal was to bench 405 lbs. I hit that goal when I was 33 years old but doing cardio was never in mind. Since my first-born 5 years ago, then having another son 3 years ago, my fitness goals changed to longevity style outlook instead of just eating to put mass on for strength.
MV. How long have you been a member at Planet Fitness?
AM. Been a member at planet fitness for 8 years
MV. What or who motivated you to get you to lose weight and build muscle?
Watching old Stallone and Arnold movies since I was 8 years old motivated me to start lifting weights.
MV. What type of workouts do you favor? Do you prefer to build muscle or do cardio?
AM. You have to build muscle and do cardio. It’s a combo to have optimal success. Building muscle keeps is as important for longevity as is cardio they go hand in hand.
MV. How much weight have you lost?
AM. I lost 73 pounds. Some of it muscle as well as fat. That’s the downside of some more cardio and want to expose your abs muscles.
MV. Is there any special diet or nutrition you follow?
AM. I follow a whole a foods diet, try to stay way from all preservatives. I eat mostly grass-fed beef, bison, venison, elk. I also eat turkey, fish, and chicken and eat lots of sardines in water. I mostly get my carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables. I stick to only real grains. I eat 1/2 cup of overnight oats during the week.
MV. What inspirational message would like to share to those who might be struggling with loosing weight or on the fence with living a healthier lifestyle?
AM. It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle. It’s a constant work in progress always evolving. There might be times that there may be a set back here and there on weekends or obstacles at work dinners. But you can always rest moving forward the next day. Never feel that messing up one day or one meal will ruin your eating habits for the rest of the month or week.
MV. Feel free to add any personal struggles or challenges you might want to share. We all have them friend.
AM. My struggle was portion control and thinking some of the protein bars and drinks were healthy. Now been more aware of the ingredients in those products it’s not the case. Investing in a good food scale and vacuum sealer helped with portion control especially on food preparation for the weekdays for work lunches and dinners.
