While attending CWU, I figured the Exercise Science program would entail a variety of training classes specific to my passion — athletics. After the first two years, I realized what I was learning was steering me in a totally different direction.

Pro-Motion: What direction?

Marc: We were learning about metabolic disease, cardiovascular & pulmonary diseases; we weren’t learning much about training athletes to jump higher, run faster, or get stronger. At this point in my college career I lost interest and dropped out.

Needless to say, after I dropped out things began going downhill. I took on a few jobs in the food service industry. I took on a lot of poor health habits including smoking and drinking. I was headed in the direction all the classes I took in college taught me to help other people stay clear of. It wasn’t until my first son was born that I realized I wasn’t doing what I wanted.

Pro-Motion: Inspired by the birth of your son, what did you do to make those changes in your life?

Marc: I got back to CWU with my sights set and nothing was going to stop me. I had a renewed sense of health and fitness and enrolled in the Exercise Science program. I learned some great things and had some great mentors.

Pro-Motion: What specifically did you learn? Any examples that were formative?

Marc: Two of the greatest experiences I had in college were right at the end of my college career. I had the opportunity to work in a home exercise program specifically for seniors. The two clients my partner and I coached had chronic diseases that kept them from performing what most people would consider simple, daily tasks.

It was through this program that I realized the true emotional satisfaction that exercise can provide a person. Working with those clients made me feel like I had a gift and that it was important for me to share that with others.

The other experience was just before I began as an intern at Pro-Motion Functional Fitness. Strapped for money, I took a less-sought-after but paid internship. Within the first week I knew it was not the place for me. My teachers prepared us very well for what I was about to experience. They told us that our field is populated with people from varying backgrounds and education.

Well, at my first internship site the trainers were focused on technique. They did not think about the strategies that would take people to the next level. I wanted more. I was looking for a way to think about the whole person.

Fortunately, I had another opportunity. That is when I started with Pro-Motion Functional Fitness.

Pro-Motion: Wow. We’re certainly glad to have you at Pro-Motion. What makes Pro-Motion Functional Fitness different from a normal gym?

Marc: The first thing I, as well as others, notice when walking in to Functional Fitness is its size. It is a smaller gym. Where this gym lacks in size, it makes up for in service. I have been to many larger gyms where no one acknowledges your presence. I know many friends and family members that go to a gym and run/walk on the treadmill or sit on a bike because they don’t know what to do with the other equipment.

At Functional Fitness we take the fear and anxiety away from the typical gym experience and provide a personalized service to each person that enters the facility. Not only does every member get an assessment to establish meaning and purpose and set goals but they will get a free training session with a custom program to ensure they are performing the exercise properly. As a smaller gym, we have the ability to monitor each member as trainers canvas the floor. We develop personal relationships with our members and truly care for their well-being.

Pro-Motion: The name, “functional fitness” is deliberate. We use it instead of calling the space a “gym.” Why does functional fitness matter?

Marc: Functional fitness matters because we all have activities of daily living necessary to get us through each day. We all have wants and desires that are driven by movement. The human body was designed to move and each body system benefits from physical activity.

In order for each system to function properly for a given task, you must train it in the same environment. That is the basis of functional movement — to train movements (or tasks) over specific muscles. We aim to develop the person’s ability to function better rather than isolating a muscle and hoping it will perform the way you want.

Pro-Motion: You help others obtain higher degrees of functional fitness. How do you apply the principles of functional fitness in your life outside of Pro-Motion?

Marc: I never really though of that. I think I apply the concepts of being task-driven and always having a purpose to my daily life quite often. Just using those principles creates an effective and efficient approach to any goal. Whether I am working on something at the house or simply getting the kids ready to go somewhere, there are always little tasks that need to be done in order to accomplish your goals.

Pro-Motion: Well spoken! There certainly are always little tasks to be done to achieve your goals! We often use the phrase “be moved” to illustrate the motion and meaning behind what we do. What does it mean to you to “Be Moved”?

Marc: To “Be moved” encompasses a lot of things. I believe that it begins with the first interaction you have with our staff. Every interaction you have with the staff at Pro-Motion you feel a connection. That connection is a warm and welcoming feeling because we don’t only care about the physical well-being of our clients, but also the social and emotional well-being too.

To “Be moved” is to see progress through a different approach. It is knowing your purpose and feeling driven toward that goal through encouragement and a progressive approach.

To “Be moved” is to know that once your treatment is done or you have reached your goal, you are not left in the dark. We will always be there to help you take aim toward a new goal. We accept people and help them continue their progress to a health-plus lifestyle.

To “Be moved” is to know that you are not alone in your fight for better health.