“MY FITNESS JOURNEY” Featuring Coach Jeff Bristol

MY FITNESS JOURNEY
By: Coach Jeff Bristol, Fitness Quest 10 Personal Trainer

What’s up guys, this is Coach Jeff Bristol and I wanted to give you guys a little background on myself and how fitness has made a huge impact on my life. I am so thankful that I have been active since a very young age because it is now ingrained in me and part of my lifestyle. I believe that being fit is much more of a lifestyle than an exercise program or something you do several times a week. I feel that I am at my best when I am leading a fit, healthy and active lifestyle. Fitness is definitely a part of my identity and hopefully will continue to be for a very long time.

I Love My Parents!

I am thankful that my parents brought me up in a household that encouraged us kids to be active. I was born in Lake Tahoe where my parents lived for ten years post college. My dad had played basketball in college and my mom was a physical education major so both my parents were into sports and loved the outdoors. When they lived in Tahoe, they skied, hiked, camped, snow shoed, cross-country skied, biked, water skied and whatever else you can do outdoors in Lake Tahoe. We moved to Southern California when I was 2 and ended up in Temecula where I grew up and lived for over 20 years.

Early Years

Guess what… I have never owned any type of a Nintendo system! Growing up I never had any of the Nintendo systems and on top of that, we never had cable TV at our house. Looking back, it was one of the best things that my parents did for us. We played outside constantly and were involved in many sports throughout my childhood. I played baseball, basketball, football, soccer and wrestling. Boy did I love to compete! I always tried to be the hardest worker out there, and show my coaches and teammates that I would not hold anything back. Out of all the sports I played, wrestling and soccer were the two I excelled at the most; however, when I entered high school I had to choose between the two because they are both the same season. The choice was not that hard because by that time, I knew that wrestling was my passion.

High School and College

Wrestling is a very tough and grueling sport that teaches hard work and discipline. I loved the individual aspect of the sport and wrestled throughout high school earning All American honors and by the time I was a senior I was ranked 5th in the country. I earned a full ride scholarship to wrestle Division 1 at the University of California, Davis; where I wrestled for 4 years and was a Pac-10 place winner and a national qualifier. My participation in sports has played a major role in the person I am today, and my coaches I have had along the way have impacted me greatly as well. My sister went to college on a soccer scholarship and my brother also received a wrestling scholarship, so all of us Bristol kids have benefited in many ways from our participation in sports.

Trials and Tribulations

Now, truth be told the years following college were a little difficult for me and my family. One thing I forgot to mention is that I partied too much in high school and college which eventually led me to develop some major problems with alcoholism and addiction. I went through several very difficult years following college, and I tell you about this because it is now a big part of who I am today. About 5 years ago, my sister introduced me to my now wife, who has been such a positive influence and helped me to get my life back on track. She was living here in Scripps Ranch and so I moved in with her about 3 years ago and started looking for work, which is how I found Fitness Quest 10.

My Life Today

Three years ago I was living here in Scripps Ranch looking for work. I answered an advertisement on Craigslist for a job at Fitness Quest 10 as a “Director of First Impression.” I had no idea who Todd Durkin was and knew nothing at all about Fitness Quest 10 other than I used to see all these crazy people running around the parking lot when I would go grocery shopping at Vons. To make a very long story short, Fitness Quest 10 has changed my life. Little did I know that Fitness Quest 10 is ranked among the top 10 gyms in the country. My coworkers and the clients are like an extended family to me and since working here I have gone back to school and got my Personal Training Certification. I am a very positive and motivating person and training people has given me a way to fulfill my passion of helping people work toward their goals. I continue to learn from the people I work with and am so grateful that I am working with some of the top trainers in the industry. I love the relationships I have with the people at Fitness Quest 10, and I truly love my job.

Words of Wisdom

All in all, fitness has always played a major role in my life. Honestly, exercise is something that helps to keep me sane and sober 🙂 There is no better therapy than exercising with great people, so that is what I do just about on a daily basis. Being fit and healthy has become a way of life for me, and my life has gotten so much better because of it. I now want to use fitness as a way for me to help people and transform lives. I know what it is like to have challenges and obstacles and have had to overcome some difficult times in the past. I also know that I thrive in a team environment and that is why I am so thankful for my team here at Fitness Quest 10. So thank all of you, thank you for being on my team, keep up the hard work and let’s get better!!