March Athletes of the Month
Andrew and Haley Christman
The Christmans are the kind of family that any gym would want to have in their community. As a whole, they are hard working, funny, and nice. Both Andy and Haley are great parents - they often bring their kids into the gym to workout, making health not just a task in the day but a staple of their lifestyle.
Not only have they been friends with some of our staff and owners for over ten years, but they’ve been with the gym almost since the beginning. In fact, Andy and Haley helped us move into our current location from the rented space that we had at Electra in Palmetto.
We can’t conclude our intro without giving a special shoutout to Andy. From getting sick at his first workout (we thought he’d never come back after that) to losing over 100 pounds, taking on our weight loss challenge with focus, and rocking an 8-pack, his continued work in the gym deserves major kudos!
Congratulations, Andrew and Haley!
Tell us about yourself.
Haley - “I was born and raised in Helen, GA and played both softball and basketball in high school. About 10 years ago I relocated to Bradenton.
Andrew - “Here! I was born and raised in Bradenton and played basketball and baseball in high school. I also played baseball at the college level.
Together, we own a medical billing and consulting company called Apex Healthcare Strategies. Through Apex, we service over 275+ medical practices nationally. We also have three kids - Tabi (16), Olivia(12), and Conner (4). All of our children are now part of the Fit Crew family.
How did you get started at Fit Crew?
Haley - “I first experienced Fit Crew when I came down for a weekend visit and tagged along with Andrew to see what all of the hype was about!”
Andrew - “After years of gaining weight post college, I decided it was time to get back in shape around 2009 or 2010. Some friends of mine told me about Fit Crew and the group classes style of working out (this is when they were back at Electra). My first class consisted of jumping back and forth over a jump rope laying on the ground, lunges, and steps at Electra… I couldn’t walk for a week. The group setting and guys constantly making everything a competition was the hook for me. Andrew also made the transition of minimal exercise to 5-6 days a week "easier" mentally.”
What has been your proudest athletic moment?
Haley - “Most of your life you are proud of a specific movement or dominant hand/leg, the proudest moment for me is that coming to Fit Crew has proven that I can be strong with all aspect of my body while also being mentally challenged through workouts.”
Andrew - “Andrew always taking things to a new level. They created a HUGE box that was 52 inches tall and the reward for successfully doing a box jump on it was writing your name on the side. Writing my name on there for jumping on it once was great, but my proudest moment was when that box was infused into my work outs and I was jumping on it 30+ times. The box was half mental and half skill, and a great daily challenge.”
What’s your favorite exercise? Least favorite?
Haley - “I hates pull-ups and love back squats”.
Andrew - “I used to hate everything legs, but now I just specifically hate back squats!!!!! My favorite movement is rowing!”
What do you think makes Fit Crew different from other gyms that you’ve tried in the past
Haley - “The group atmosphere and social aspect of the gym motivates me".”
Andrew - “I would always struggle to find the right workout or sequence of workouts when going to a "standard" gym. At Fit Crew you constantly have trainers in your ear helping or challenging you, they design a workout to burn out specific muscle groups, the intensity levels match the music playing through the gym, and there’s a social aspect of friends pushing each other. All of this together makes Fit Crew "different" in a standout way. We have also met many of our close friends through classes.:
What do you like to do when you’re not training at Fit Crew?
We love boating, going to any sporting event, traveling, and camping.
Tell us a fun fact that we might not already know about you.
Haley - “I love to cook from scratch and have mastered Keto-style cooking as part of the weight loss challenge. It certainly has helped Andrew lose and keep his weight under control!”
Andrew - “My weight’s highest point, post-college, was 385 pounds and I have lost over 100 pounds in the last several years. Happy to share a before and after picture, lol.”
How did you two meet?
Haley - “We were both in Burlington, VT at a medical technology conference. Andrew was paying the bar tab for an open bar event, I simply pretended to be a potential client! :) #duh #freebooze. We began to socialize after the events were over and things grew from that point.”
What has been one of your favorite ‘couple memories’?
Our destination wedding in Jamaica and related events is our favorite couple memories. Several folks that still attend Fit Crew today were part of the celebration in Jamaica. Lets just leave it at ‘Jamaica has never been the same since we left.’