Starting GLP-1 Strength Training: Staying Strong for the People You Love w/ Craig Lewin

Losing weight with a GLP-1 is only part of the picture. Without regular movement and strength training, losing muscle can affect how you feel today, and your ability to stay active and independent in the years ahead.

In this episode, Ana talks with fitness-industry veteran Craig Lewin about why maintaining strength matters during GLP-1 weight loss and how beginners can start without feeling intimidated. Craig shares approachable options ranging from walking and resistance bands to adjustable dumbbells and home gyms, along with advice for choosing exercise equipment that fits your abilities, limitations, goals, and lifestyle.

They also discuss the importance of finding a form of movement you genuinely enjoy, building accountability, and preventing your new equipment from becoming an expensive clothes rack.

**IN THIS EPISODE**

- Why strength training has become a bigger priority in fitness and healthcare
- How GLP-1 weight loss can affect muscle, strength, and everyday function
- Why maintaining muscle is especially important as we age
- Simple ways to begin with walking, resistance bands, or adjustable dumbbells
- How a personalized fitness assessment can account for your goals and limitations
- Choosing equipment you will realistically use
- How follow-up, accountability, and social connection can support consistency
- Why strength is about independence and quality of life—not only appearance
- How to find Johnson Fitness & Wellness stores and support

**ABOUT THE GUEST**

Born in Zimbabwe in 1977, Craig Lewin immigrated to the United States with his family in 1984 and grew up in Dallas, Texas. He began his career in the fitness industry at age 16 as a cashier and went on to build more than three decades of experience in fitness industry.

In 2010, Craig became a partner in a 21-location fitness retail business in Texas. After selling the business at the end of 2021, he joined Johnson Fitness & Wellness, where he now serves as Executive Vice President of the world’s largest specialty fitness retailer.

Craig met his wife while attending the University of Texas, and they have four sons, including twins, ranging in age from 15 to 22. He describes his personal and professional journey as living the American Dream. His firsthand familiarity with the benefits and challenges associated with GLP-1 use has strengthened his commitment to helping people protect or rebuild their strength through accessible, sustainable exercise.

**CONNECT WITH CRAIG**

Johnson Fitness & Wellness:
https://www.johnsonfitness.com

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/johnson.fitness

**SPONSOR**

This episode is sponsored by Johnson Fitness & Wellness, who specializes in home fitness, strength training, and helping beginners find appropriate equipment. Learn more or find a nearby store:
https://www.johnsonfitness.com

Tyde Wellness offers clinician-guided GLP-1 programs with personalized dosing, nutrition support, and access to a care team. Visit https://tydewellness.com/GLP1Hub and use code GLP1Hub50 for $50 off your first month. Eligibility and treatment are determined by a licensed healthcare provider. Individual results vary.

**CHAPTERS**

00:00 Why Exercise Matters for the Future
00:28 Strength Training During GLP-1 Weight Loss
01:45 Meet Craig Lewin
03:10 Why Strength Training Has Grown
06:17 GLP-1s, Weight Loss, and Muscle
09:36 Protecting Strength as We Age
12:49 Simple Ways for Beginners to Start
17:23 Getting a Personalized Fitness Assessment
19:54 Choosing Equipment and Building a Plan
23:45 Keeping Equipment from Collecting Dust
26:52 Finding the Motivation That Works for You
29:16 Exercise, Independence, and Quality of Life
33:12 Johnson Fitness & Wellness Resources
36:04 GLP-1 Hub Closing and Food Challenge

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*The content of this show is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The goal of this show is to provide various points of view about GLP-1 Medications. The personal and professional opinion of the guests and their content does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Ana Reisdorf or GLP-1 Hub.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

It's it's important for us to be thinking about the future. I think it's important for us to not be selfish and and to to say to ourselves, we've got other people that love us and want us to be in their lives for as long as possible, whether it's kids or whether it's relatives or good friends, right? And we have to realize there's enough data now at this point that we know if you want to live longer, you need to exercise.

SPEAKER_00 0:28

If you're losing weight on a GLP1 but haven't started strength training, you're not alone, and it doesn't need to be complicated to get started today. Welcome to the GLP One Hub Podcast. I'm Anna Reisorf, a registered dietitian and GLP1 user. And today I'm joined by Craig Lewin, who has spent more than 30 years in the fitness industry, leading over a hundred Johnson fitness and wellness locations across the United States, and he has seen both professionally and within his own family how quickly strength can become a concern during GLP1 weight loss, especially as we get older. We discuss why maintaining muscle matters more than appearance, how it affects everyday independence, from getting off the floor to carrying a suitcase and continuing to enjoy the activities that you love. Craig also shares approachable ways to begin, including walking, resistance bands, and adjustable dumbbells, how to find an option that fits your abilities and limitations, and what can keep your equipment from becoming an expensive clothes rack. I know I'm guilty of that one. You've been putting off strength training because you just don't know where to start. This conversation will help that first step feel much more doable. And thank you to Johnson Fitness and Wellness for sponsoring this episode. Now let's get on to the podcast. Welcome to the Jovi One Hut Podcast. I want to welcome Craig Lewin today from Johnson Fitness and Wellness. We are going to talk more about strength training because you guys keep telling me I'm losing weight on a GLP one, but I haven't started strength training yet. So I feel like we need to continue to handle this. So, Craig, can you tell people about you and what you do and kind of your professional and personal background with all of this?

SPEAKER_01 2:05

Yeah, sure, absolutely. So I've been in the industry for a long time since I was 16, which, as you can tell from this uh white hair on my face, was not yesterday. Uh definitely been been doing this a really, really long time. Um, our Johnson Fitness and Wellness stores um that I run, we have a hundred locations in the United States, so they're all over the country. Uh, I used to own uh my own fitness stores here in the North Texas market and uh was able to uh get acquired by the Johnson Fitness and Wellness Group uh a few years back and now running stores for them. So it it's awesome. It's a fun, fun industry. Been doing it a really long time, and uh it's you know it's just been great to help a lot of people over the last, I hate to say it, 30 years. So it's pretty, pretty wild. But yeah, we we love it. We really do.

SPEAKER_00 2:55

So before we got on the call, you were talking a bit about how much of a change you've seen in these 30 years for what people are interested in in terms of fitness. So can you speak a little bit to that about the change you've seen more recently in terms of fitness?

SPEAKER_01 3:10

Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, you know, I think we were talking about just in general how muscle strengthening has become such a huge thing across the entire world. Um, you know, you go to the doctor now, they're asking you, what are you doing to lift weights? You went to the doctor 10 years ago and they were talking to you more about, well, what are you gonna do on the treadmill? Where are you keeping your heart rate? You know, stay in your perfect target zone for your heart rate. Now things have shifted a lot and they're saying, okay, we've got to focus on muscle strengthening, we've got to focus on bone density, and there has been direct correlations now that they're seeing that if we can focus more on muscle strengthening, that's giving people a much better way of life, especially as they get up into their 50s and 60s, just kind of the day-to-day. So there's been a huge, a huge change, a huge shift in that.

SPEAKER_00 3:59

So when we're talking about before, you said it was like maybe seven years ago. So that was pre-GLP one. GLP1's exploded maybe three-ish years ago. So what do you think spurring it then?

SPEAKER_01 4:11

I think that, you know, you really started um hearing more about the fact that when people are doing muscle strengthening, that they're able to really change the shape of their body. I used to always say, like, you know, cardio might make you smaller a little bit, but it was still the same shape. The strength training is then what could actually contour the body. And so we started seeing, like you were saying, about seven years ago, there just started to be more women specifically getting into the gym. You'd go in the gym seven, eight years ago, and you would see half of the number of women that are in there today. If you got somebody in one of our stores, a lot of times what would happen is one of the people in the relationship would be really excited about this home gym, and I can't wait to get it. And then the other person would be like, okay, I don't want that in my house, but that's fine. That's for you. I'm gonna focus more. I just want a treadmill. Now we see this huge shift where both partners are coming in going, no, I want to make sure that I can do squats. I want to make sure that I can do a leg press. I want to make sure I can do a leg extension. Really things that a lot of times they weren't even familiar with those type of modalities, right? So we saw that. I think it just became a lot more known out there. On uh you had a lot of influencers out there talking about muscle strengthening. You had a lot of influencers getting in their gym, doing posts in the gym. And so you just started seeing a lot more of that. And now it's evolved even as much as a lot of physicians talking about you need to be lifting weights. That is a big, big push. The GLP one thing has now then taken that and exploded the timeline with strengthening because our strength sales within the organization are higher than they've ever been in the 30 years that I've been in the business.

SPEAKER_00 6:11

Wow. Wow. And you see like that uptick in just the last couple of years with the GLP one?

SPEAKER_01 6:17

We really have. We've seen a big uptick. I mean, the you know, the benefits of the GLP ones, obviously, on a worldwide basis is the enormous amount of weight loss that, you know, people have been able to get. Um, and I think that has been amazing. I think there's a lot of people out there who have struggled for a long time, and to be able to lose weight this quickly, I think has been really good. I can speak to it personally just because my wife, you know, has been using GLP ones, so I've seen that transformation. Um, the negative effects of it and the hope in you know doing things like this with you is that we can raise awareness of the fact that, you know, right now, you know, even before you start those GLP ones, start getting into doing some sort of strength training, right? If you've already started and you've been doing it, that's great, that's fine. But the sooner you get into doing some sort of muscle strength and strength training, the better off you'll be. And you'll actually even have better results with those GLP ones as well, right? So I've seen with Misty, my wife, you know, losing a good amount of muscle mass, right? You can see it like in your legs and in your arms. You just, and we need that, right? So people are recognizing that, okay, love the fact that I'm losing weight. This is awesome. Love the fact that I'm off my diabetes medicine, maybe, or off my blood pressure medicine, right? So a lot of awesome benefits. Um, love that I'm fitting into those genes I haven't fit in forever. Okay, so I know we love that, but making sure that we don't lose the muscle mass because we've got to have that to survive. We've got to have that to live a really good day-to-day life. And, you know, you're young still, right? But you don't want it to be 20 years from now where you're struggling to lift kids, get in out of the car, do just the basic things, right? So we've seen a big, big, big spike uh and people being educated on it, coming in, going, yeah, I've done the GLP one and I know I've lost a lot of muscle. Can you help me with that? And that's what that's what we're there for to do that.

SPEAKER_00 8:16

Wow. So they come in and they're already asking and and aware, not coming in to like necessarily look at trigonals. Nothing wrong with the trigonomel, but yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:25

Yeah, there's um that's again where there's just been such a huge shift. And I think we're gonna see it even more and more, especially now that some of the GLP1 stuff's coming out in pill forms and not necessarily just the injections. I I know that I believe we are going to continue to see a huge rise in GLP1 users. And so there is people trying to get educated more on what's happening, and we are getting customers, like you said, coming in going, okay, super happy I lost weight. I've I've got to get stronger. I can tell, like I've got this weird flabbiness on my body or on my legs, and I don't like it. I need more muscle in my body. And I'm dealing with the same thing with my dad right now. Dad's um 72, also did the GLP one thing, and we've been working really hard on having him do a lot more strength training. And for him, that can even be as much as dad, I need you walking consistently, right? Even walking consistently has helped my dad a ton just build up his legs a little bit more and make sure that he gets strong because he he did get a lot weaker pretty fast on that medicine, right?

SPEAKER_00 9:36

Yeah, yeah. That's a concern for people. I don't know if you're aware, but Medicare just started covering it for certain people over 65 for just $50 a month. And so to me, like that's wonderful and great, but um, it's a big concern for that population specifically because they cannot afford to lose the strength.

SPEAKER_01 9:56

And and any muscle, right? Like you I think a lot of us have our parents, or if some of us are lucky enough to still have our grandparents, you know, you you see what happens when they get older and you see how um a lot of times when something happens and they go downhill quickly, it's because you hear a typical story of, oh, they fell and they hurt their hip. And that wasn't what has made them worse off. It's like the fact that they've now had to be in bed for the last month, right? And then they just wither away like really, really fast. So we know that we have a lot less growth hormone in our body as we get older. Growth hormone is super prevalent when we're in our teens and in our 20s. And every year we get older, that continues to go down, and that's a big part of building muscle mass. So when we're older and we lose that muscle, getting it back is really tough. So yeah, I'm worried about that too. Um, as you said, a quick, easy fix potentially to get covered, lose the weight. Again, great benefits from that. But then if they start to wither away fast and they're losing that muscle, um, that's scary. And and I can tell you just from the experience with my dad. Um, dad literally just four weeks ago, I had to go and help him off the floor because he was going to the bathroom in the middle of the night and he kind of fell. And then it he was fine. In fact, when I went to the house, he had his feet propped up on the bed. Hey, come, thanks for helping me. So he was fine, but he didn't have the physical strength to lift himself up to get back on the bed, right? He just left the country for the last month. Um, he took one of my boys to Africa, which is where we're all originally from, got to see family over there, which was amazing. But what dad just did for the last three and a half weeks was walk. Dad was in Victoria Falls, dad went to Sun City in Johannesburg, dad was in Cape Town, he did all these things, and the amount of miles that dad put on his legs was huge. And literally, I saw him this morning, a different person from what he was one month ago. And he takes the same GLP one. So again, I'm not saying that, well, if you don't, you know, get in the gym, like you know, that's the only thing you can do, or you have to have stuff at the house doing it. Um, yeah, it's a it's a big help, right? But I'm even saying, you know, for the elderly like what you're talking about, just be consistent, right? Just get out there, at least do some walking. Obviously, if it we're in Texas, so it gets really hot here, but you know, if it's too hot, obviously we can put something in the house to help with things like that, right? Um, but you have to be consistent. You can't just lay in bed half the day and watch your Netflix shows because man, that catches up really, really fast.

SPEAKER_00 12:50

Makes a huge difference. So if you're a person who's never who hasn't really started yet, and you're just like, what is this strength training thing? Like what do I do? So where would be like a place to start to get more informed?

SPEAKER_01 13:06

So I think when you think about strength training, first of all, it's you know, anything that can put a little bit of an additional positive pressure on our muscles, right? So whether somebody's walking and putting that additional pressure on your calves and your hamstrings, whether somebody's actually grabbing a pair of stretch tubes, you'd be surprised how much you can actually do with stretch tubes. And that's something that's very inexpensive. It's something that you don't have to necessarily, you know, come in and build out a whole big gym. We can we can do that obviously, and we do that a lot for people. But you know, you might just say, okay, I want to start out with a light set of adjustable dumbbells. They have really cool adjustable dumbbells where you can turn dials and you know have a nice little range. They have stretch tubes that are small. I have a lot of people who love to travel with the stretch tubes even because you get a lot more out of those than than you really think that you could, right? Um, our guys at the Johnson Fitness and Wellness store, um, guys and girls, um, can can help with those things too. I mean, that I think that's one thing I really pride myself in um with these stores, um is just the fact that we've been doing it so long that we're really invested in just helping anyone that we possibly can. So when they come in the stores, you know, they can say to us. And and there doesn't need to be any weirdness or embarrassment, or if they've got to take their shoes off to be more comfortable, do that. But just come in and say, hey, I I don't know where to start. You know, here's what I'm dealing with. I just want to get started on some sort of muscle strengthening. I don't even know what that looks like. Like, where should I start? And our guys and girls will take the time, you know, to look to look at them, do some testing in the store with them, and then educate them on, okay, here's what you could do that's really, really basic. And here's what you could do if you said, well, I I really would like an actual home gym in the store. Here's the different options, here's what they look like. You know, let us take you through it so we can educate you on what that actually looks like. And very quickly, we have the experience of knowing, okay, we need to go in this direction or we need to go in this direction. Because at the end of the day, it's about us listening to what everybody has to say when they come in. And then based on that information, really putting them in the right equipment. It's not what we want to, you know, sell you. It's what's going to transform you and your life. And we want to make sure when you walk in your room, if you do have a home gym set up, that you're like, okay, this is the most badass thing ever. I love having this here. I love coming in here. This is my getaway space. I can use it, I can detox, and I can get, you know, really good results.

SPEAKER_00 15:57

You guys remember my conversation with Beth a while back, the one that became one of the most popular episodes? Well, Beth is from Tide Wellness, and that conversation is the reason I'm comfortable telling you about them today. So many people lose weight on Jill P1, feel amazing, and then six months later, they're back to where they started because the program ended or the provider disappeared, or they were never set up for the long haul. But Tide Wellness is built differently. Licensed providers who actually adjust your dosing as your body changes. A real care team you can message when you hit a plateau or have a question or need help. Nutrition guidance designed specifically for how GLP1s change your appetite. And if you've got questions, you can book a consultation and actually talk to a provider, a rare find in this space. If you're looking for more than GLP1s, they also do microdose GLP1 programs, hormone therapy, longevity peptides, and the kind of support that matters when you're trying to feel your best long term. Tide is built with support by a team that really cares. Go to tidewellness.com backslash GLP1 hub and use the code GLP1Hub50 for $50 off your first month. Again, that's TideTywellness.com backslash GLP, the number one hub, and the code is GLP1Hub50. Yeah, so they give you some sort of like little assessment based of your fitness level when you come in. That's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01 17:30

Yeah, so that's right. So when you come, you can tell them, you know, hey, I'm I'm just starting out, right? Or I've never worked out before. Or yeah, I've gone to the gym a few times. Here are the things that I've done. So for us, we really try to find out what it is that you have done, no different than, you know, if you had an injury and you had to go in to do rehab, right? And they're really trying to figure out, well, what are your limitations? What can you start out with and and where can we take you from there? We do the same thing. We want to know what you have done. Um, we want to know what do you do on a regular basis? Do you sit in a chair all day at work? Are you active? Um, we we look at your posture, we look at, you know, what it is that you really want to focus on. Obviously, we want to know any medical background, right? Are there any things we need to be concerned with from a knee-hip standpoint? Um, you know, we have people that come in with pacemakers sometimes, even young people that have had pacemakers. We need to know that because there's certain things that machines that we can or cannot put you on, right? So there's a lot of um different modalities. We pride ourselves in really being there to educate the client based on what it is that they tell us. Because, you know, at the end of the day, look, we we know that retail experiences in general these days are not great, right? Most stuff is online, um, tons of e-commerce things going on, right? I know the Amazon truck shows up to my house way too much. I've tried to pay that guy off to never show up, it doesn't work. Um, but you know, that is just a way of the world, right? Um we pride ourselves in because we have an average tenure of 15 plus years in our stores with the managers, we pride ourselves in just really knowing our stuff. We've just done it our we've all grown up together. My story of being 16 and now being 49 is not an uncommon story in our organization. We've all grown up and we all really understand the ins and outs of the business. So um we want people to come in and not feel like, well, Johnson Fitness and Wellness is just there to sell me another piece of equipment or just we want you to like come in, really get educated, let us get educated on what's going on with you. We learn from each other, and then and then guide them in the right direction after we do that assessment. It's really important to us.

SPEAKER_00 19:54

So then do you walk out with like a little plan uh for your for like a routine or like what do you like?

SPEAKER_01 20:02

Obviously, you get the equipment, but so everybody's a little bit a little bit different, right? Um, with the process and what is it they're gonna do? And we have some people who come in who absolutely know what they're doing and they're like, oh yeah, I've been going to the gym and I want this now at the house and I know exactly how to do it. And so they might not need as much help, right? But for the people like what you're talking about potentially that maybe have never done it or aren't super educated yet with it, then yes, we will put together for them based on what it is that they've walked out with, right? So if it's just something as basic as I'm gonna give you some light, medium, and heavy stretch tubes, or I'm gonna get them set up with a bench and some adjustable dumbbells, then we will put together, like you said, a plan for them of, hey, here's how you should use that equipment, right? It's it's equally beneficial to us. I mean, A, it makes us feel good to know that they're using the equipment because I think the the key in anything, I've heard this since I was young, right? Is we don't want it to be a clothes rack. You know, how do we keep from buying that piece of equipment and never using it again? And we've heard that our whole lives, right? So the way we keep that from happening is A, by making sure that that assessment that we do with them is a really good assessment. B, that allows us to put them in the right piece of equipment, whether it be something basic like stretch tubes or a full-on, you know, big gym that we design for them. And then following up with them. So we really do a good job following up with our clients, making sure, hey, are you using the equipment? How often are you using it? Is there anything you need, right? Is there any service potentially that you need? Is there, you know, we really try to stay engaged with them, stay in contact with them. So, like I said, they can become a part of the family. Um, and and it feels really good, as you know, right? Like you're in a store and somebody walks in and goes, Craig, do you remember me? You sold me blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, this many months ago. It it so it just happened to me last week. Um, I was at the Audi D. I've had a financial advisor uh financial advisor, a uh service advisor that um I've known him for about six years. He came to me about two years ago. He uh was he weighed 382 pounds and he's like, Craig, I know you've owned these stores forever. Like, I need your help. I don't, I just not sure what to do. So I had him meet me at my warehouse in Dallas, and I um I had a close affinity to him, so I hooked him up with some equipment that you know that that we had, and I just said, Hey, I'm gonna give this to you, and you have to promise you're gonna use it. And if I call you and I find out 30 days later you're not using it, my guys are coming to the house and they're picking it up, right? So he's like, No, I'm gonna use it. So I went and saw him last week, and I walked up and I was like looking for Adrian, and I kind of looking around and I went, Oh my god, that's Adrian. He's lost a hundred pounds.

SPEAKER_00 22:58

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 22:59

So, and he's somebody who had never worked out before, right?

SPEAKER_00 23:02

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 23:04

So we could absolutely put people on plans, get them set up. We even have resources that if they said, Man, I love this, and I I would love somebody to come to the house and do training with me, we have resources for that as well. Some people love that, some people want to do that. Um, and some people don't want to do that, right? They're not as comfortable having somebody in their house doing that, and that's okay too. So we're happy to help as much as we possibly can. Um, we've even done a lot of FaceTime videos with clients at the house once things are set up where they've got it all set up and maybe they have some questions and we'll walk through it with them. So it's definitely not like a situation like a Best Buy, right? Where you walk in, buy your your your your electronics, walk out, and you're done.

SPEAKER_00 23:45

Sure, sure.

SPEAKER_01 23:46

I think that helps a lot.

SPEAKER_00 23:47

Yeah, that's such a good program. So, in terms of fitness equipment not collecting dust, I you know, I was telling you before I have a walking pad to do this uh my child uses occasionally and I have it. We also, I believe, have some weightlifting equipment in the garage that may be covered with other things at this point. So, how do you prevent that from happening? Like, what are some motivational pieces of advice that you have for if you do invest in something that you actually use it?

SPEAKER_01 24:19

Yeah, I think people, in order for people to continue to use any piece of equipment, they have to see results from it. You know, they've got and it's either got to be a result that could be a mental result, right? Where like, wow, I feel really good when I use this equipment, or it could be a physical where they look in the mirror and go, man, I'm really noticing that difference. Um and I think that you have to have that. And and I know I've said this before, but it does really so much go back to that initial assessment of what the goals are for that client and what are they really trying to accomplish and us staying tied in together, right? It's kind of like the GLP one thing. You take the shot and you start seeing results, and what starts to happen psychologically is you can't wait till Sunday morning again where you get to take that next shot because you're like, dude, I I want to continue to see it. And you get on a scale and you're like, oh my God, I lost another five pounds. Oh my gosh, I lost another 10 pounds. It's addictive, right? And so we really try to make the working out for you addictive as well, right? By putting you in the right piece of equipment so that when you use it, you go, man, I'm really feeling good. And I think that talking about feeling good, I think is is equally, if not more important than talking about the results that you get when you look in the mirror or trying to put your bathing suit on or any of those type of things, right? Um, the positive reinforcements that you get from your brain, right, just having that natural high of feeling good about life, right, will branch out into so many other things. So, you know, we have to make sure that whatever you're using, like if you're like, man, when I do that muscle strengthening, I just love that feeling, let's say, of feeling tight. You know, like like that's what I love. Like if I'm in the gym, I love it how after I can be like, whoa, I feel so good. Everything feels so tight. I love that. That's for me. I love that feeling, right? Um, I also love the feeling that after an hour after working out, I feel like I'm kind of euphoric a little bit. You know, I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm so happy to be here. I love being alive. I love it. The the endorphins that we get from those workouts, I think, are really important. So you have to make sure that that whatever it is that you're doing, I think it's important to to look for that that high. And if you're not getting it specifically from what you're doing, then you're either not using the right equipment or you're not doing it in the right way.

SPEAKER_00 26:49

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 26:50

I think And that's again where we can be a resource for that.

SPEAKER_00 26:52

Right. So you can get the figure out what the right thing is because I think it has to be something that is enjoyable, whatever, however you want to define that enjoyment. Yeah. You know, for me, it's like I like to leave the house because I work from home.

SPEAKER_01 27:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:07

And I like to like talk to people because I don't talk to anybody. I mean, I talk to people.

SPEAKER_01 27:10

Sure, sure. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:12

But I like to have that social connection a few times a week, which is what keeps me going, you know. And if you don't show up if somebody texts you and says, Where were you? Like, why didn't you come or or whatever? Like that is motivation for me because it's fulfilling a different need that I have. You know, but I think that everybody is defined that because or else it is easy to sit on the couch or sit here on your desk and just and that's why I think that whole at least the walking pad for me doesn't provide any social benefits.

SPEAKER_01 27:45

And that's where and that's where I think it's it's it's so great that you really think about with yourself what it is that motivates you. And and so the fact that you do enjoy that social interaction, that's what keeps you going. The fact that you are motivated by your friend texting you and saying, Anna, where are you? Or you better get your butt up here to work out with me. Right. That's important to you. And and that's what motivates you, right? And that's what maybe keeps your mind off of the fact that you're even working out because you're hanging out with friends and you're getting to do it. So I definitely feel like figuring out that and what motivates you with that is really important. Um, I'm I'm also a bit of a social butterfly that I and I I love people. My energy comes from other people. So I enjoy being around other people. So I have a next door neighbor who comes over to my garage and we work out together in the morning. That motivates me. He'll text me sometimes, be like, hey, 7 a.m. tomorrow, does that work for you? And I'm thinking, oh, I was like not gonna do that, but okay, fine. Yes, I will do that. And it and then after I do it, I go, oh my God, I'm so glad I did that. I feel so amazing, right? And we need that. Like we need, we all want to feel better. And the fact of the matter is, exercise, even if when you're first starting out, if you're thinking, oh, this is tough, or that I think that A, we all want to feel good, and exercise just does make you feel better, whether you like it or not. It just is what it is, makes you feel better, right? Um, and then B, I think that it's it's important for us to be thinking about the future. I think it's important for us to not be selfish and and to to say to ourselves, we've got other people that love us and want us to be in their lives for as long as possible. We've got whether it's kids or whether it's relatives or good friends, right? And and I think that we have to realize there's enough data now at this point that we know if you want to live longer, you need to exercise. You need to not eat like total junk, okay? Um, and then there's a balance with everything. But the fact that we know that by doing these things will give us this longevity and and make us enjoy it more, it makes you wonder sometimes how more people don't do it, right? Because you go, oh my God, this is like just here's the book. Just go do it and you'll feel like this. And I think a part of when I really dig into it, I think a part of people not doing it is part of why we're on the call, is I don't know where to start. I've never done it. I'm already in my 50s, I've never done it before. And I think sometimes people think it's too late. But I've seen people in their 60s come in our stores, never worked out ever, and completely like, oh my God, I I didn't even realize that I could feel this good.

SPEAKER_00 30:43

No, I I I I I don't think it's ever too late. And I think an important piece, at least for me, it's like as soon as people talk to talk about longevity, and I'm like, well, you can't like control how long you live, right? Because you can hit by a bus and there's whatever. Totally.

SPEAKER_01 30:57

You you you can't control those type of things. Totally. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 31:08

So that's how I define longevity. It's like, am I enjoying? Am I able to do the things? Am I able to go walk in, you know, South Africa when I'm in my 70s, whatever it is. Like that's what I'm focused on. Like, I can't control destiny or you know, whatever that might be. But I think the fitness is really what's gonna get me there to be able to carry my suitcase across the world or wherever I want to go.

SPEAKER_01 31:32

And I think like um, I don't even know if you've if you're if you've even turned 40 yet, but I I'll tell you that you know, in okay, good, you look amazing. That's awesome. So uh so you're doing the right thing, so good for you. Um, but but you're so right. It's like, and the only reason I say that, like, have you turned 40 yet? Or is because as you get into your 40s, I feel like you start to really realize how fast time goes. You you really go, oh my gosh, like I thought I just met Misty in college when I was right 19. Where where's the time gone? And so you you really do realize that the next 10 years, 15 years, 20 years, it's gonna get here pretty fast, right? And so I think doing those things, like you just said, to take care of your body now so that you can get to that point and not have to think about those type of things, it's it's really important, you know. And it doesn't take a lot. I think that's the other part of it, right? Like we'll sit, we'll lay in bed together at night, Misty and I, and watch our favorite Netflix show, and an hour goes by, and then we're like, oh my god, let's watch another episode, and two hours go by. I mean, right? Like we can make 30 minutes an hour just to do something to keep that consistency of working out, feeling better. Um, it's amazing what a drug working out really is, right? I mean, and the people who do it, they get to feel that and witness that and they get it, they get addicted to it. But we have to just continue to try to spread the word and help as many people as we can because it's a it's a free drug, right?

SPEAKER_00 33:12

Yeah, absolutely. So where can people find out about um your stores?

SPEAKER_01 33:16

So if you go to johnsonfitness.com, uh, that's our website, you can click on the store, it'll show you where your local store is. We're all over the United States. So we have stores everywhere. So you can click to see what your closest location is. So it's really easy, just on the store locator and they'll pull it up. Um and you can come in the store, you can call us. Uh, like I said, we could set up FaceTime calls if you want to, just whatever's most convenient for you. Um, and you can also buy stuff on the website. We have people, obviously, a chat line, and you can talk to people through the chat line as well. So there's a lot of resources there. But if you go to joinfitness.com, that'll pull up our website. The stores are Johnson Fitness and Wellness. And the reason for the wellness section is because we sell a lot of fitness equipment, but we also sell a lot of after-workout type of product as well, and things that can detox and help you with those things too, right? So we have, you know, the foam rollers, the massage guns, massage chairs. We would need to talk for another hour, but massage chairs um are a huge part of our business now. Um, we're seeing major signs of uh de-stressing, anxiety levels coming down, people using massage chairs. So that's now become a big part of our business too. You walk in our showrooms, there's 10, 15, 20 massage chairs for you to look at and try. So um there's there's a lot of different things you can see, but you'll get a good feel for it on our website. As soon as you go to johnsonfitness.com, you'll see very quickly all of the things that we have. And then um, yeah, come in our stores. You know, we love we love newbies. Um, we have a lot of clients that we've all known and grown up with who've come in for years and now their kids are coming in, and that obviously makes us feel old. But um we love it when we get new people and we can share our experiences with them and educate them a little bit more and just expose them to what we're you know really doing. I mean, we're we're we're carrying products from uh Nike Strength, uh, we're carrying Peloton products, we're carrying Tonal products, which is a cool wall-mounted unit that takes up no space at all, um, all the way to a huge brand called Force USA, which is the top-selling strength brand in the world right now. There's there's a lot of because we're so big, everybody runs to us to carry their stuff. So we get to pick and choose what we want, which is really fun. And so it's a neat showroom to walk into and literally see just kind of the best of the best with everything in the fitness industry. So it's pretty, pretty fun. I'm kind of like a kid in a candy store. I still to this day love going into a store and just helping customers. It's it's it's been an incredible career.

SPEAKER_00 35:47

Well, it sounds like you guys have such a comprehensive program, and I really appreciate you coming and sharing this as a resource. I mean, it's basically you can just go in and get started. It's like just so all-rounded, and I really, really appreciate that. And I appreciate your time today, Crane.

SPEAKER_01 36:02

Absolutely. It's so great to spend time with you as well.

SPEAKER_00 36:04

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the GLP One Hub podcast. So such a fun conversation with Craig, and I was so excited to learn everything that Johnson Fitness and Wellness has to offer to help you get started. And remember, we are starting our three-week food challenge over in the GLP One Hub membership, where we will teach you exactly how to create a framework that you can use no matter where you are, so you feel confident in exactly what to eat, whether you're on a cruise, on vacation, at a potluck, at a restaurant, anything like that, you won't need to ask, does this work for GLP One? Because you will know. So come on over and join us. We will start on August 17th. To get more information about that, just join the newsletter, which you can find in the show notes below, and it will you can get started for just $5. And I'll see you in the next episode.