Hi, my name is Alexander Morentin… I would be honored if you read my story.

Alexander Morentin, Clinical Exercise Specialist and owner of My Fit Life, is well known in Southern California as an expert in women’s health and fitness. Over the past 20 years Al has performed thousands of workouts with a wide variety of individuals. Al’s clients, who have ranged in age from 10 to 86, have improved their levels of health and fitness while dealing with a wide variety of medical issues including pregnancy, osteoporosis, diabetes, high blood pressure, low back problems, and many more.

The paragraph above is part of the bio that I present to various organizations and corporations who wish to utilize my services. However, with your permission, I would like to tell you a different story; a more personal story. Why? Because I want you to get to know me. Personally. After all, isn’t that what a blog is all about?

I am a nationally certified Clinical Exercise Specialist, Personal Trainer, and Lifestyle and Weight Management Consultant. Also, I have 20 years of in the trenches experience helping people achieve their health & fitness best, but there is more to me than just that.

If you are like most people you are probably saying to yourself: “This guy may have a lot of credentials and a lot of experience, but he doesn’t know what it’s like to be out of shape. There is no way he can relate to me.”

Well, I am here to tell you that I know exactly what it is like to be out of shape and overweight. I also know exactly what it takes for you to take control of your life and get into the best shape possible. Read on to hear my story…

There are two sides to Alexander Morentin:
On one side I am a man who has a deep never ending passion for true health and fitness. I have studied and applied every thing that I have ever learned to myself and my clients. I have done everything right and many things wrong along the way, figuring out for myself what really does work and what is just hype and B.S.. It has been a wonderful experience that I would not give up for anything.

On the other side I am a man that is deeply committed to helping my fellow man & woman. I believe that I was put on this earth to positively influence the lives of many people. Whether it be through health & fitness, donating time to charitable organizations, or simply putting a smile on the face of a stranger, it is my calling to help people… to make sure that their lives have been enriched by the contact they have made with me.

My Story

I have been interested in fitness as long as I can remember. It’s almost as if I was born with the exercise bug. One of my greatest influences is my mother. As a little boy, I remember my mother taking me to the Vic Tanny & Jack La Lane Health Spas. I didn’t know exactly what she was doing in there, but it sure looked like fun. My mother and my aunt were always exercising… either at home or at the health spa. I would always try and imitate the exercises that they did. In fact, I remember doing my first yoga pose, the lotus position, when I was five years old. That was way back in 1970.

While in grade school I would wake up early to go jogging before school. In high school I joined the football team just to have access to the weight room.

When I was in college I had the good fortune of meeting some world class powerlifters who took me under their wing. We formed a powerlifting team and I would compete with and against them for the next ten years, eventually competing at the state and national level. I learned a lot from those guys and have a lot of great memories both in the gym and in the competitions.

I began my personal training career in 1986. Back then, there were no national certifications and there were very few fitness trainers. I continued personal training in various gyms until 1992.

In early 1992 I opened my first personal training studio. It was a wonderful little place that I would run for the next 5 years.

In 1996 I opened a membership gym in downtown Los Angeles. My dream had come true. The gym was fantastic. It was featured in fitness magazines as well as local magazines and newspapers. I was on top of the world. And then tragedy struck…

Due to unfaithful business partners I had to close the gym. As a result, I turned my back on everything I knew to be true about fitness and nutrition. I stopped exercising and started eating poorly due to grieving over the loss of my gym.

One day I woke up from a horrible nights sleep and took a good look in the mirror. What I saw horrified me. I didn’t even know who I was. It was as if I hadn’t looked in the mirror for two years. The picture below shows you what I had done to myself. I was so out of shape that I would start breathing hard from just tying my shoes.

It was my own personal “Super Size Me”

I decided right then and there that it was time to quit feeling sorry for myself. I called my best friend and told him to go to the store, buy a disposable camera and come directly over to my house. The image to your left is the picture that he took that day.

The long road back…
I knew it was going to be a challenge, but I didn’t realize how much determination it was really going to take to get into optimal shape. I had become so accustomed to eating all of the processed and refined foods that I craved them at every meal. It seemed as though I was addicted to all of the processed and refined grains, sugars and fats. I knew from prior experience with clients that it would be impossible to stop eating the way I had been all at once, cold turkey. I would feel deprived. Also, when I would fall off the wagon and eat something that was “bad” for me, I would feel like a failure. I knew that I would have to change over my diet in gradual progressions, forming beneficial habits in little bits and pieces.

My first day back at the gym
My first day back at the gym was a humbling experience. As I walked toward the weight room I was approached by a young girl that couldn’t have been more than 20 years old. She told me that she was a personal trainer and that she could show me around the gym and teach me how to use the equipment. When I told her that I had everything under control, she assured me that I could use her help. I looked at myself in the mirror and was too embarrassed to tell her that I was a personal trainer.

I’m telling you about this, so you will understand that my road back to optimal fitness wasn’t as easy and effortless as I had hoped it would be. I didn’t let that first day in the gym bother me, though. I kept coming back. Yes, there were many times that I didn’t want to go to the gym. There were even times that I thought I had gone too far to the other side. That I would never get my fit body back, but I had faith. I new from prior experience how good it felt to be in great physical and mental shape.

I had about a hundred pounds to lose!

I used my expertise to lose body fat and gain muscle in the most efficient way possible. I had about a hundred pounds to lose and I didn’t want to have the loose hanging skin that so many people get when they lose weight inefficiently.

I decided I was going to be one of my best before and after success stories. In the end I lost a total of 101 pounds and over 11 inches in my waist. As you can see from the picture I was able to keep my skin tight and my body balanced.

The journey that I took was fascinating for me. I discovered what it was like to walk in the shoes of some of my clients. In fact, most of the people who come to me for guidance aren’t as bad off as I was. Although, there are some that are.

The point of this long story is to let you know that I realize what it’s like to be out of shape. I’m not just some health nut who has been in shape his entire life. I know what it’s like to be addicted to the processed, refined, and denatured foods that have become an integral part of the Standard American Diet (SAD). I know what it’s like to dread going to the gym… hoping to God that I will be able to make a positive physical change.

I also know what it’s like to be in great physical and mental shape. I know what it’s like to feel great, to be healthy, and to have a zest for life. I know what it’s like to be totally happy with the person staring back at me in the mirror.

I learned a lot of things on my journey back towards health & wellness. I found out what it is truly like to walk in the shoes of one of my clients. I learned what a daunting task it is to attempt to lose such a dramatic amount of weight. I also discovered how absolutely wonderful it is to set realistic goals and achieve them. There is nothing like the personal satisfaction you receive when you make a noticeable physical change. Each positive change that you make will bring a greater sense of accomplishment. You will begin to look forward to each and every exercise session.

At the beginning of 2001 I changed the name of my company to My Fit Life. I decided that I would create a health and wellness company that will truly make a difference with each and every client.

While individual personal training sessions are fantastic… it wasn’t enough for me. I decided that I would have to create fitness solutions that would get awesome results every single time. I utilized my education, my 20 years of in the trenches experience and my personal experience with the battle of the bulge to create fitness programs that do just that; get results every single time.

Often times a personal training client will get results when she is training with her trainer, but as soon as she stops training with him she goes right back to where she was when she started. In essence she has wasted her money and her time. Why? Because she didn’t learn anything.

This is not what I want for you!

I want you to achieve the best results that are possible… and keep them. It is my sincere hope that this blog will encourage you to achieve your health and fitness best.

Yours in health,

Alexander Morentin, C.E.S.
Holistic Fitness Coach