Beauty Meets the Beasts

03/27/2019 03:01PM ● By Alesha Damerville

Photo credit: ThoroughlyReviewed on Visualhunt / CC BY

By Alesha Damerville

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS – Do you find the weight room intimidating? I’ve always been fairly put off by the weight room. In fact, I’ve mostly avoided it my whole life. I’m not sure what made me most uncomfortable, because there are so many unfamiliar elements within those walls.

The formidable odors, the blustering moans from men who seem to compete for loudness, and the overall unfamiliarity with how to properly lift weights or use the resources within that room, have all contributed to my complete avoidance of weight training.

If you would have told 24-year-old me that not only would I be in the weight room five days a week, but that I’d also love it, I’m sure I would have had something sarcastic to say, followed by roaring laughter. However, 34-year-old me can honestly say…I love lifting weights!

What changed her mind, you might wonder? Charlie Chase.

When I met Valerie D’Ambrosio for our first life coaching session, I shared my worries about this blog, one of the largest being where I would find my resources. The big goal of the blog is to share insights with others on their health and wellness missions. However, I’m no expert. I needed a team of professionals to help with this journey. D’Ambrosio suggested I reach out to Chase for my fitness needs – and boy was she right.

Chase is the founder of Genetic Synergy, a group of coaches and health and wellness experts who collaborate to offer personalized workout routines and comprehensive training programs. His background is in strength training and yoga, but like an artichoke, he has many layers.

I really didn’t know what to expect of Chase when I arrived at his home, which doubles as his place of business. He gave me a tour of his BioFitness performance training gym while sharing his vast amounts of knowledge on why weight training is the best way to get fit. Chase is energetic, and expresses excitement about lending a hand to my journey into self-betterment.

Many of his clients participate in lifting meets and physique training competitions. Chase developed a taste-based diet in May of 2018 to assist his clients in making healthy food choices that fit within the parameters of their taste. The taste-based diet lives within an Excel spreadsheet, with built-in formulas that automatically calculate the calories, fat, sugar, fiber and protein percentages of each person’s daily needs.

“The taste-based diet should be organic and non-GMO,” Chase says. “If we satisfy your taste to substantially reduce the cravings, it’s very easy to get through a six-day week of healthy eating. Allow yourself an open eating day – have that Ben & Jerry’s that your heart desires.”

“The number one way to trim up is to build more muscle, not using cardio,” Chase says. “Because you carry the muscle all the time, the muscle requires more energy.”

The goals I expressed to Chase are trimming, toning and a complete lifestyle change; sounds easy enough. It was decided I would hit the gym five days a week, and do his physique regimen minus participating in competitions.

Our process began with me visiting Chase daily for the first week to work on overcoming the lingering feeling of intimidation that I initially felt about weight training. He gave me tips for maintaining good form, while his cat, Bob gave me occasional, yet extremely valuable, meows of encouragement and leg rubs.

We’ve made a plan to meet regularly to discuss problem areas I find while working out by myself. “The number one thing is you don’t want to get hurt, whether you’re training recreationally or as professional. You want to start light, with great form, concentration and breathing. Then everything will be fine,” Chase adds.

Chase and his wellness team are joining our health and wellness journey. For more information on Charlie Chase and Genetic Synergy, visit https://www.geneticsynergy.com.