Fitness Files: Alden Mills, Founder of Perfect Fitness

I have had the opportunity to test out a number of the at home fitness equipment from Perfect Fitness, founded by Alden Mills.   From the Ab Carver to the Perfect Push-Up the line carries a number of items that can be used to create an at home gym in an instant.  After doing a bit research on the company I wanted to learn more about the founder Alden and his love for fitness. Continue reading this weeks Fitness Files to discover how Mills challenges his mind and body daily. 

Alden Mills 

NMF: Has fitness always been a major part of your life or was there a catalyst/point in your life when you made it more of a focus and priority?

Alden Mills (AM): My catalyst: When I was 12 yrs old I was diagnosed with asthma and I'll never forget what the doctor and then, mother said to me:
Doc: "You need to live a less active life - learn to play to chess"
Mom: "Don't ever let someone else set your limits, you decide what your limits are"

That was my defining moment - I wanted to play outside, I wanted to play sports....and I did. Through that journey of learning how to take control of my body, I've come to appreciate that if you can take control of your body and can take control of your life....and to take control of your body it starts with taking control of your mind.

NMF: What are a few of your go-to healthy snacks/drinks that help keep you on the straight and narrow?

AM:  I'm a snack-a-hol-ic! I love almonds, pistachios, salami, cheese, hard-core crunchy apples, berries, Claussen Dill Pickles and Carr's crackers - I'm not kidding when I write this - I could live off of these snacks!

NMF: How do you train your mind and stay motivated?

AM: Training my mind and staying motivated: training your mind doesn't happen over night, it happens one day at a time and it starts with doing something you find pleasure with. In my case, I found pleasure from rowing - I loved the feeling of working as a perfect team in making an 8 oared boat go fast. Of course to find pleasure in sport or in anything that requires change, there comes an inherent amount of pain. We used to have a favorite quotation in rowing: "Sweat is pleasure after pain." The key is linking your work pain with the pleasure you will derive from completing the work. I call it gaining perspective - at the end of day, perspective will keep you going when you want to quit.
 
For me, my perspective is all about the things in life I will miss out on if I don't have a body in good enough shape to participate in the things in life that matter to me...like climbing mountains, swimming and diving in oceans, skiing, and most importantly, playing with my four boys...that's my motivation - what's yours?
 
NMF: How do you change your body?  What are your fitness favorites?
 
AM: Changing my body is constant endeavour since I'm getting older it wants to change in ways that I don't want it too! Part one - I walk - a lot - like 10 miles a day. Part two - I do weight/strength training but only in short intense bouts - I don't want workouts taking over my life (I used to do that for my job as a Navy SEAL) but now with four young kids it isn't fair to them or my wife so I try to incorporate them into my training!
 
My fitness favorites are the rowing machine (Concept 2) and 8 count body builders - I love multi-joint big movement patterns that get my heart racing while I'm training all my major muscle groups.
 
At the end of the day, getting a new body starts with a new mindset, and once you've grappled with that (you never conquer it - it's one of life's constant struggles - relax, we have to deal with it!), then you'll discover that your only limitations in life are your imagination and determination. Dream BIG and GO FOR IT!

Nadia

Training minds, changing bodies!

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