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Hi! I'm Phil (Jay)

Hello to all! I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and welcome everyone to our blog.

My name is Phil “Jay” Orzeck. You’ll probably see both names used throughout the blog, but just know that they’re both me. I am 36 years old and am currently in my 15th year serving in the United States Army. I am married to Traci, whom I believe you’ve already been introduced to, and together we have five boys. They are everything to me and the reason I keep on doing what I do in life.

 So now to get into the lesser known (or in some cases, well known) facts about myself.

- I am pretty tall (6’7)
- I am covered in tattoos (over 20 separate sessions)
- I’ve had 10 piercings (and don’t wear any anymore)
- I am an obsessive Professional Wrestling fan (WWE, NXT, AEW)
- I ran a Backyard Wrestling federation for over 10 years
- I am an artist (painting, sketching, tattoos)
- I am left handed (but shoot a basketball right-handed)
- I love comic books (Spawn, X-Men, Deadpool, Shadowhawk)
- My favorite movie is The Goonies
- Currently into Weightlifting/ Bodybuilding

Now to give some insight into why we are doing this blog. It is for us to share our stories and experiences with trying to become better, healthier, people. Shortly after my father passed away (2014), I developed horrible eating habits, and I was not exercising much at all. At the time, I weighed 240lbs, which was the heaviest I had ever been up to that point. Now, the Army has body composition standards that Soldiers need to meet, and I was riding the line of not meeting that standard. So I tried a program called 21 Day Fix. I did the workout routine and followed the meal plan. In the end, I dropped down by 20lbs! I achieved my goal of losing the weight, and I was on my way to developing better habits. But, like so many others, the habits didn’t stick. I didn’t have a goal to strive for, and after a while the routine became less of a priority to me. So I fell off, and over the course of the next few years, my weight and body composition was all over the place. I had tried various types of programs, I lifted weights, and thought I was doing better. The biggest problem was that I still had no goal to strive for. So, if I had no goal to achieve, then it was easy for me to fall back off.

Fast forward to September, 2019. I was getting ready to fulfill a military obligation that would take me away from my family for an extended period of time. Once I got to where I was going, I was determined to come home in not only better shape than when I left, but the best shape I’ve even been in! I became obsessed with being a gym rat, and was driven to force my body to do what I wanted it to. Over the past four months, I have transformed my body into something that I am proud of. My goals have expanded from more than just my weight. I am actually pretty happy with where I am currently in that area. But my goals are more driven by body fat percentage, body measurements (dem gainz!), and personal records (PRs) on various exercises (i.e. Deadlift, bench press, etc.). Some goals are more long-term, while others are achieved over the span of a couple weeks. Regardless, my goals are now meant to serve as benchmarks in my journey to live a healthier life, not as an end-state.

 I am more conscious of my eating habits, workout routines, supplementation, and overall well-being. And the best part? Traci is back home doing the same thing! Although we are far apart, we have had each other’s backs through our individual journeys, and have made plans to continue once we are back together. And this blog is a testament to that.

A healthy and active lifestyle isn’t the easiest thing for someone to maintain on their own, but with help and support, results are easier to obtain. We have had each other’s backs, and we want this blog to let anyone reading know that we have your back too! Please feel free to ask questions, share experiences, and together we can all try to be better than we were yesterday!

-Jay

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