Today we’d like to introduce you to James Conley.
Thanks for sharing your story with us James. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My story starts as freshman trying out for high school football. I had never play before because I was too small. The week before tryouts I weighed in at a whopping 98 pounds. Realizing I was bit light for football, I asked my dad to take me to Steak and Ale, a local steakhouse. My goal was to at least weigh 100 pounds before the physical on Monday. I had 2 days to gain 2 pounds. So my dad took me to eat steak on Saturday and Sunday. I ate the biggest steak and a baked potato with everything you could legally put on it followed by a half gallon of ice cream. For breakfast on the morning of the physical I had 6 slices of beacon and 3 eggs with toast. Needless today, I was feeling pretty good at the weigh in. I eagerly jump on the scale, and to my surprise I weighed 96 pounds. The coaches looked at the scales and erupted in laughter, one coach said, “this kid weighs about as much as the football.” So you may think that was the worst day of my life, in retrospect it was the just the beginning.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
From that day forward I worked out as hard as I could and did everything I could to gain weight. I made the freshman football team that year but never got the opportunity to play. The next year I worked even harder and became the starting quarterback for the JV and later on Varsity. This led to playing 4 years at Tarleton State where I also ran track and was a 2-time conference 100-meter champion. After graduation, I worked at serval gym in the area until opening my own gym. Once I decided to put fort 100% effort, I felt there were no obstacles I couldn’t overcome.
Please tell us about James Conley Fitness.
At James Conley Fitness we are personal training only facility. All of our clients work with a trainer. We cover every aspect of fitness. We work with people of all ages and all fitness levels. I have been a personal trainer for 27 years. One of the most important things I have learned is the training has to be fun. Most people don’t think you can have fun and work hard. I have been in great shape all my life and I truly want everyone to feel as good as I do. It saddens me when I see people who take better care of their kids, spouse, automobiles and home than they do themselves. What’s more important than your health? At about age 25 to 30, what you do to your body will either help you or haunt you for the rest of your life. I see people who spend their whole life gaining wealth but no health. Once your cells start to turn bad it’s bad news for you. The things that sets me apart is at 53 years old, I don’t tell people what they want to hear but what they need to hear. If you want to get in shape we have multiple programs that will fit your need. The thing I am most proud of is, the difference I have made in the lives of others. I have been in this location for 20 years, pretty proud of that too.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory as a kid was getting my first bicycle. I am the youngest of 11 kids, so I have always been around a lot of people. When I got my first bicycle I felt like I had my freedom and independence. I rode that bike everywhere.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4826 Camp Bowie Blvd. Fort Worth, TX 76107
- Website: Jamesconleyfitness.com
- Phone: 817.731.6398
- Email: jconleyfitness@yahoo.com
- Instagram: jamesc_fitness
- Facebook: James Conley Fitness
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